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Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding area in California

76 posts

Cary's Sun Cave

Cary's Sun Cave

Out in the area near Cary’s Castle is a fascinating pictograph site hidden under a large boulder. It took a few long hikes and a lot of research to track it down. And when we finally did find it, we didn’t get back to the trailhead until well

Keystone Signpost Petroglyphs

Keystone Signpost Petroglyphs

This lone petroglyph boulder is way out in a wash deep into the Joshua Tree wilderness. We suspect it served as a signpost for Indians to find other sites which aren’t too far away. The 'key' symbols are a very interesting element in this panel. No directions

Cary's Castle

Cary's Castle

Tucked away in the backcountry wilderness of the southern part of Joshua Tree National Park is a hidden gem called Cary's Castle. In 1935, at the tender age of twenty-four, a young man named Arthur L. Cary (sometimes misspelled “Carey”) moved from Colorado to the Coachella Valley. In

Born Again Pictographs

Born Again Pictographs

The spectacular Born Again Pictograph site lies deep in the backcountry of Joshua Tree National Park. It is located in the granite maze wilderness of Queen Mountain and is a bit of a hike to reach. This rock shelter was once a habitation site and is covered with faded pictographs.

Joshua Tree Car Wash

Joshua Tree Car Wash

Our National Parks aren’t known for their collections of old junked cars… Joshua Tree National Park has a collection, though (and so does the Mojave). I heard there were a few wrecked cars in the vast expanse of the Pinto Basin, but I didn’t know how many, what

Monolith Alcove Pictographs

Monolith Alcove Pictographs

In early 2016, I met up with DarthJenni and JP to do some exploring in the backcountry of Joshua Tree. We went on a slightly longer-than-normal hike into a seemingly endless maze of granite boulders, arches, and spires. It was almost enough to get lost in. We wandered through an

Circle Sun Valley Pictographs

Circle Sun Valley Pictographs

While hiking in the backcountry of Joshua Tree over the winter, the good folks over at Peregriff and I came across this small pictograph site. There isn’t much to the site, just a simple rock shelter with a handful of red pictographs on the ceiling, but it is an