Barker Dam Nature Trail

/ Barker Dam Nature Trail/
Barker Dam Nature Trail

 

It had been over ten years since I last saw any water in Barker Dam, so when I heard reports that the recent monsoons had filled the dam up, I knew I wanted to get out and take a look. Then Murbachi emailed me some photos he took on 9/11/2013 and I knew the reports were true. Hoping there would still be enough water in the dam to provide some nice photos, and in spite of the weather forecast predicting temps in the mid-90s, I set out for the park.

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Lucky Boy Vista

/ Lucky Boy Vista/
Lucky Boy Vista

Next time you’re in Joshua Tree National Park, be sure to set aside two hours and hike the “out and back” Lucky Boy Vista Trail. It’s a hike where the reward (the vista) far outweighs the price (effort expended to get there). This trail is on my Top Five list of short hikes in JT.

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Diamonds & Sun Pictographs

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Diamonds & Sun Pictographs

The temperature was in the high 90s and I had just finished a circuit of the Barker Dam Nature Trail, so why not go hiking deeper into the Wonderland of Rocks in search of a cool pictograph site? After all, the sun bouncing off the desert sand and those giant quartz monzonite rock piles couldn’t really make it any hotter than it already was….

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Garrett's Arch

/ Joshua Tree National Park/
Garrett's Arch

The end of summer. It was crazy hot. The perfect time for a hike in the desert. So I loaded up the blue shark with an ice chest full of water, packed some snacks, camera gear and the hike pack and went to meet Murbachi. Among our destinations for the day in Joshua Tree National Park was Garrett’s Arch.

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