Turtle Rock Walk

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Turtle Rock Walk

Adjacent to the parking area for the Hidden Valley Nature Trail is a massive rock formation known as Turtle Rock. If you're a rock climber, you've probably heard the stories of Turtle Rock, and maybe climbed to the top via one of the numerous routes on either the south or east face. Perhaps you chose Wandering Tortoise or Give a Mouse a Cookie, or maybe Turtle Soup. Atop Turtle Rock you surveyed your kingdom, and proclaimed in a majestic voice to your Joshua Tree subjects, "Follow me!"

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Zebra Cliffs Labyrinth - Joshua Tree National Park

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Zebra Cliffs Labyrinth - Joshua Tree National Park

Yes, that's another one of the Joshua Tree place names that I made up. Although, it's possible that the labyrinth near the north section of the Zebra Cliffs actually is known by that name by whoever created it. It's one of the mysteries of the desert.

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Skull Rock Nature Trail - Joshua Tree National Park

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Skull Rock Nature Trail - Joshua Tree National Park

One of the nicest things about these nature hikes in JTree are the interpretive signposts along the way. They give information about the rock formations, the plants, the animals and the weather, making a hike along them informative as well as fun.

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Rock Hopping at Joshua Tree National Park

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Rock Hopping at Joshua Tree National Park

I recently had the good fortune to spend parts of several days at Joshua Tree National Park. Without any firm destination in mind, or extensive hikes planned, I used my park hopper pass to hop around the park. An annual pass to JTree is a sound investment.

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Roadside Dis-tractions

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Roadside Dis-tractions

The skies were cloudy and rain was falling in some parts of the park, so I wasn't feeling like doing much hiking. I decided to drive from the west entrance to Cottonwood Springs to see what I could find along the way. It was a couple weeks past the peak wildflower bloom, but I thought I might be able to spot some color out in the gloom. And you never know what else you might find just a bit off the road.

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