VARIED YET VULNERABLE

The desert has much to teach us about the marvels of adaptation. Relentless sun, little water, and summer temperatures over 100°F can make a forbidding world for non-desert dwellers. Yet hundreds of species conserve moisture and beat the heat in fascinating ways.

Hardy as these plants and animals are, their world is fragile. In the 1930s Minerva Hoyt, a community activist and desert-lover, recognized the threats from humans. She saw beauty in the spiny plants and slithery creatures where others did not. She persuaded President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936. In 1994, as part of the California Desert Protection Act, Congress renamed the area Joshua Tree National Park. Thanks to the efforts of Hoyt and others, this park protects 792,510 acres—more than 80 percent of it managed as wilderness—where the Mojave and Colorado deserts converge.

THE TRANSITION ZONE Deserts don't have firm boundaries, and much of the park lies in the overlap between the Colorado and Mojave deserts. This transition zone has a wealth of biological diversity and is home to species characteristic of each desert ecosystem. Some residents include: Bighorn sheep, Chuckwalla, Cactus wren, Beavertail cactus, Greater roadrunner, Gambel's quail, Desert tortoise and Desert iguana.

MOJAVE DESERT The western half of the park, at elevations above 3,000 feet, is Mojave Desert habitat. Amid the boulder stacks are pinyon pines, junipers, scrub oaks, Mojave yuccas, and Mojave prickly pear cacti. The Parry's nolina sends tall feathery sprays skyward. The skeletal black-brush might look dead, but it's very much alive: it sheds its leaves during the hottest months to retain moisture.

What tells you that you are truly in the Mojave Desert is the wild-armed Joshua tree. It isn't really a tree but a species of yucca. Like other desert plants, its waxy, spiny leaves expose little surface area, efficiently conserving moisture. Joshua Tees can grow over 40 feet tall—at the leisurely rate of an inch a year. Its clusters of cream-colored flowers bloom February through April. Branching occurs after flowering.

Joshua trees—alive or dead—are home to many animals. The loggerhead shrike often impales prey on sharp-pointed leaves. Other birds to look for are the Scott's oriole, red-tailed hawk, ladder-backed woodpecker, American kestrel, and western scrub jay. The Gambel's quail, perhaps with a string of youngsters in tow, scurries from one shrub to another.

Hidden in the rocks might be a red diamond rattlesnake, its eyes on a desert spiny lizard, which in turn is searching the rocks for insects. A marvel of desert adaptation, the pinacate beetle never drinks water. It derives moisture from meals of fungus and decaying vegetation. It is also known as a circus beetle because when threatened it does a "headstand" while emitting a foul-smelling secretion.

In the early morning or late afternoon, it is not uncommon to spot a black-tailed jackrabbit racing across the landscape. Gigantic ears help regulate body temperature: in warm weather the blood vessels dilate to release heat. When it's cold, the vessels constrict to retain warmth.

COLORADO DESERT The eastern half of the park, below 3,000 feet above sea level, lies within the Colorado Desert. This habitat of the lower Colorado River valley is part of the much larger Sonoran Desert, which spans southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Creosote dominates this sun-baked bowl, punctuated here and there by spidery ocotillo, green-barked palo verde, and patches of jumping cholla cactus. Jumping cholla is also called teddy bear cholla, but don't try to cuddle it! Intermittent water in washes and bajadas sustains smoke trees and ironwoods.

Wildflowers abound. Red-orange blossoms of the chuparosa attract hummingbirds, for which the plant is named, as well as the tiny checker-spot butterfly. Annuals like the desert sand verbena survive drought by living only in spring and going to seed when conditions harshen. Seeds can lie dormant for several years until conditions are again favorable. Animals here display many forms of adaptation. The kangaroo rat obtains water from the food it eats—seeds, leaves, stems, and insects. It can store food for weeks in its cheek pouch. Its large hind feet are adapted for hopping over desert sand, which it does throughout the night. A kit fox, equally well-adapted to desert travel, may follow in close pursuit.

OASIS When you're at one of the park's fan-palm oases, you're atop a crack in the Earth's crust. Geological faults crisscross the park area. When groundwater hits a fault plane, it rises to the surface and creates conditions for an oasis.

Dependable surface water nourishes lush vegetation, a welcome refuge from desert extremes. Besides the majestic California fan palms, there are cottonwoods and mesquites. Look carefully and you may see un-desertlike species like orchids and amphibians.

WHO PILED UP ALL THOSE ROCKS?

Roads and trails lead you through a jumble of stacked boulders where you can use your imagination to see unlikely shapes.

The rock piles began underground eons ago as a result of volcanic activity. Magma—in this case a molten form of the rock called monzogranite—rose from deep within the Earth. As it rose, it intruded the overlying rock, the Pinto gneiss formation.

As the granite cooled and crystalized underground, cracks (joints) formed horizontally and vertically. The granite continued to uplift, where it came in contact with groundwater. Chemical weathering caused by groundwater worked on the angular granite blocks, widening cracks and rounding edges. Eventually the surface soil eroded, leaving heaps of monzogranite scattered across the land like careless piles of toy blocks.

EXPLORE JOSHUA TREE

(click for larger map)

HOURS, FACILITIES, ACTIVITIES Joshua Tree Visitor Center, Oasis Visitor Center, and Cottonwood Visitor Center are open daily. Black Rock Nature Center is open October through May. All visitor centers have exhibits, information on things to see and do, and Joshua Tree National Park Association bookstores. Ranger-guided programs are offered year-round. Desert Institute classes run fall, winter, and spring.

HIKING, CAMPING, CLIMBING There are trails for everyone, from paved, wheelchair-accessible trails to strenuous hikes. For wilderness backpacking you must park and register at a backcountry board. Picnic areas and campgrounds have tables, fire rings, and toilets. Most campgrounds do not have water. Rock climbing information is available at entrance stations, visitor centers, and the park website.

GETTING TO THE PARK The park is 140 miles (225 km) east of Los Angeles. From I-10, take CA 62 to the entrance stations. You can also enter the park from the south off I-10 at Cottonwood Spring, 25 miles (40 km) east of Indio.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW People have died here from preventable accidents. • There is no cell phone coverage in the majority of the park. • Stay away from abandoned mines. • Supervise children, particularly around cacti and climbable rocks. • Carry at least one gallon of water per person per day. • Flash floods are a danger; avoid drainage areas during and after thunderstorms or severe weather. • Do not climb unless you are properly trained and equipped. Be careful where you put your hands and feet, especially in spring and summer when snakes are active. • Pets must be leashed at all times; pets are prohibited on trails and beyond 100 feet (30 m) from any park road, campground, or picnic area. • All motorized vehicles and bicycles must stay on established roads. Obey posted speed limits. Park in designated parking areas, not roadside. Off-road driving is prohibited. • Camping is allowed only in designated areas or with a wilderness backpacking registration. • Federal law protects natural and cultural features. Do not disturb, mutilate, deface, or remove any natural or cultural objects. • Observing wildlife with artificial lights is prohibited. • For firearms regulations check the park website. • Emergency phones are located at Indian Cove Ranger Station and Intersection Rock.

Emergencies call 911

ACCESSIBILITY We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For information go to a visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check our website.

WILDERNESS Congress has designated nearly 558,000 acres of Joshua Tree National Park as wilderness. Most of the park away from road corridors is wilderness. If you plan to venture into these areas, you must be familiar with special rules and regulations governing wilderness use.

Source: NPS Brochure (2019)

Establishment Joshua Tree National Park — Oct. 31, 1994 Biosphere Reserve — 1984 Joshua Tree National Monument — Aug. 16, 1936

For More Information Please Visit The OFFICIAL NPS WEBSITE

The contents of brochures, site bulletins and trading cards (denoted with a colored caption) can be viewed by clicking on the cover. Most modern-day brochures, however, are cover only (denoted by a white caption) due to photograph copyrights. These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning. The dates under each brochure do not reflect the complete range of years that a particular brochure was issued.

1944		1947		1955
1956		1958		1961
1964	cover only 1965	1966	cover only 1969	1970	1974
1976
Date Unknown, c1980s		1984-1990		cover only 1991-1992
cover only 1994-2003		cover only 2004-2006		cover only 2008-2024
cover only Cholla Cactus Garden Trail 1981-1991	Cholla Cactus Garden Trail c2000	Cholla Cactus Garden Trail c2000	Geology Tour Road Guide c2000	Split Rock Trail Date Unknown	Cap Rock Trail Date Unknown
Barker Dam Loop Date Unknown	Skull Rock Trail Date Unknown	Cottonwood Spring and Mastodon Peak Loop Date Unknown	Cholla Cactus Garden Date Unknown	Keys View Date Unknown	Oasis of Mara Date Unknown
Climbing Date Unknown	Climb Joshua Tree National Park Date Unknown	Climbing Date Unknown	Rock Climbing and Bouldering Date Unknown	Pets in the Park Date Unknown	Tips For A Safe Visit Date Unknown
Minerva Hamilton Hoyt Date Unknown, c2000s	Bird Checklist 1982	Birds: A Checklist Date Unknown	Birds: A Checklist 1991	Desert Queen Ranch Date Unknown	Wildflowers Date Unknown
75th Anniversary Program August 10, 2011		cover only Birds of Joshua Tree National Park 2016	cover only Reptiles & Amphibians of Joshua Tree National Park 2017	Backcountry Camping Date Unknown
Backpacking Date Unknown		Bicycle Riding Date Unknown		Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs Spring 1991
Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs Spring 1992		Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs Spring 1993		Fire in the Desert Date Unknown
Horse Use Date Unknown, c2000s		Horse Use - Black Rock Date Unknown		Horseback Riding at Black Rock Canyon Date Unknown
Horse and Other Pack Animals Date Unknown		Horseback Riding in the West Entrance Area January 2001		Geology Tour Road 03/2012
Our Best Ideas to America's Best Idea Date Unknown		Overflow Camping December 2015		Visiting Archeological Sites: Site Etiquette Date Unknown
Visiting with Pets Date Unknown		Visiting with Pets Date Unknown		General Information Date Unknown
Accessibility for Handicapped or Disabled Visitors Date Unknown		Geology of Major Landforms Date Unknown		Rock Climbing and Bouldering Date Unknown
Commercial Filming and Photography Date Unknown		Elizabeth Campbell Date Unknown		Lizards Date Unknown
Mammals Date Unknown		Reptiles Date Unknown		Snakes Date Unknown
Take a Hike in Joshua Tree National Park Date Unknown		Joshua Tree Visitor Center Grand Opening 2006		Overflow Camping 12/2016
Cap Rock Nature Trail 1969		cover only A Day at Cottonwood Spring 1973		Geology and Man 1975
cover only The World of the Joshua Tree 1981		cover only Mammals of the Joshua Tree National Monument 1972		cover only Palm Oases of Joshua Tree National Monument c1974
cover only Just how poisonous are they? 1974		cover only Pollen On Your Nose: Wildflowers of Joshua Tree National Monument 1975		cover only The Oasis Story Date Unknown
cover only Amphibians and Reptiles 1973		Mammals Date Unknown		Key to the Snakes 1973
cover only The Natural Landscape 1974		cover only Prehistoric Indian Rock Art 1969		cover only Mining 1981
cover only Key to the Cacti of Joshua Tree National Monument Date Unknown		cover only Desert Queen Ranch 1975		A Check List of Plants of Joshua Tree National Monument 1957
Cholla Cactus Garden Trail 1969		Oasis Trail at Twenty-Nine Palms 10/1956		10th Anniversary Celebrations for California Desert National Parks 2004
10th Anniversary Gala Banquet Program November 13, 2004	cover only Date Unknown	Take A Hike Date Unknown	Bookmarks 1994	Art Festival Program 1993
Trading Cards
(©Jefferson National Parks Association)

A Floristic and Ecological Study of the Palm Oases of Joshua Tree National Monument (Larwrence T. McHargue, 1969)

A History of Joshua Tree National Monument (Samuel King, W. Egbert Schenck and Frank R. Givens, 1954)

A History of Joshua Tree National Monument (Samuel King, 1954)

A History of Recreational Rock Climbing At Joshua Tree National Park: Historic Resource Study (Sally Ann Allen Ness, March 8, 2024)

A Linkage Design for the Joshua Tree-Twentynine Palms Connection (Kristeen Penrod, Clint R. Cabañero, Paul Beier, Claudia Luke, Wayne Spencer, Esther Rubin and Candace Paulman, December 2008)

A Report of the Joshua Tree Regional Trails Project: Trail Access Points Into Joshua Tree National Park (August 1996)

A Socioeconomic Atlas for Joshua Tree National Park and its Region (Jean E. McKendry, Kimberly L. Treadway, Gary E. Machlis, Roger B. Schlegel and Adam J. Novak, 2001)

A Study of Rock Climbers in Joshua Tree National Park: Implications for the Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) Management Framework Final Report (George N. Wallace and Kesia Trench, June 1996)

Accessibility Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan, Joshua Tree National Park, California Draft (August 2018)

Amphibians and Reptiles of Joshua Tree National Park (Harold F. De Lisle, 2001)

An Archeological Survey of the Twenty Nine Palms Region Southwest Museum Papers No. 7 (Elizabeth W. Crozer Campbell, November 1931, reprinted 1963)

Analytical results and sample locality maps for rock, stream-sediment, and soil samples, Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, California USGS Open-File Report 99-367-A (H.D. King and M.A. Chaffee, 1999)

Annual Report: 1986 — Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit (December 31, 1986)

Anthropogenic Climate Change in Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA (Patrick Gonzalez, July 26, 2019)

Appraisal of Mineral Interests Inherent in the Kaiser Steel Corporation Properties in the Placer-Mystery Canyon Areas within the Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside, California (January 1975)

Aviation Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (November 24, 2002)

Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (January 2000)

Backcountry Overnight Use 2016-2017, Joshua Tree National Park (Tyler Green, August 5, 2018. revised by Dani Dagan, Dave Pettebone and Jane Rodgers, December 13, 2019)

Bighorn Guzzlers in Joshua Tree National Park Draft (Jane Ashdown, November 2002)

Boundary II Prescribed Burning Unit Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (July 26, 1997)

Boundary Buffer Prescribed Burn Unit Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (August 11, 1995)

California's National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption (Stephen Saunders and Tom Easley, ©The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council, October 2010, all rights reserved)

Climbing Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Monument (1993)

Congruence between future distribution models and empirical data for an iconic species at Joshua Tree National Park (Lynn C. Sweet, Tyler Green, James G. C. Heintz, Neil Frakes, Nicolas Graver, Jeff S. Rangitsch, Jane E. Rodgers, Scott Heacox, and Cameron W. Barrows, extract from Ecosphere, Vol. 10(6), June 2019)

Conservation Assessment for Parish’s Daisy (Erigeron parishii, Asteraceae) in Joshua Tree National Park NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/JOTR/NRR—2014/887 (Naomi S. Fraga, Linda Prince, Tasha La Doux, Mitzi Harding and Josh Hoines, November 2014)

Construct New West Entrance Fee Station Environmental Assessment, Joshua Tree National Park (February 2022)

Country Nodes: An Anthropological Evaluation of William Keys' Desert Queen Ranch, Joshua Tree National Monument, California (HTML edition) Western Archeological Center Publications in Anthropology No. 7 (Patricia Parker Hickman, 1977)

Cultural Landscapes Inventory: Keys Ranch Historic District, Joshua Tree National Park (2004)

Custodian's Annual Report, Joshua Tree National Monument: undated, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947

Eagle Mountain Boundary Study Including Possible Land Withdrawal Environmental Assessment - Joshua Tree National Park (March 2016)

Eagle Mountain Boundary Study Including Possible Land Withdrawal Environmental Assessment - Final, Joshua Tree National Park (December 2016)

Ecology of Desert Plants. IV. Combined Field and Laboratory Work on Germination of Annuals in the Joshua Tree National Monument, California (Marcella Juhren, F.W. Went and Edwin Phillips, extract from Ecology, Vol. 37 No. 2, April 1956)

Effects of Climate Change and Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition on Forest Understory Vegetation Communities in Selected U.S. National Parks NPS Science Repport NPS/SR-2024/169 (Todd C. McDonnell, Brian Knees, Michael D. Bell and Emmmi Felker-Quinn, August 2024)

Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Modification of VR-1257, Joshua Tree National Park (March 1999)

Environmental Compliance for Fire Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (October 5, 2005)

Fee Demonstration Projects, Joshua Tree National Park (Vol. 3 No. 1, June 2001)

Fee Program Operations Manual, Joshua Tree National Park (February 1, 2010)

Fifty Years of Archeology in the California Desert: An Archeological Overview of Joshua Tree National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center Publications in Anthropology No. 2 (Thomas F. King, 1975)

Fire Behavior and Ecological Effects in Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) Shrubland and Invasive Annual Grasslands of the Mojave Desert Study Plan (August 20, 2001)

Fire Effects Research Study Environmental Assessment, Joshua Tree National Park (2003)

Fire Management Plan, 1992 Revision, Joshua Tree National Park (September 1992)

Fire Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (October 2005)

Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment, Joshua Tree National Park (April 2005)

Fire Management Program (Prescribed Natural Fire) Environmental Assessment, Joshua Tree National Park (Tom Patterson and Bob Moon, c1992)

Flora and Fauna, Joshua Tree National Monument (undated)

Foundation Statement, Joshua Tree National Park, California (October 2011)

Foundation Document, Joshua Tree National Park, California (F4 Draft, November 2014)

Foundation Document, Joshua Tree National Park, California (January 2015)

Foundation Document Overview, Joshua Tree National Park, California (March 2015)

General Management Plan, Development Concept Plans, Environmental Impact Statement: Joshua Tree National Park, California (1995)

Geology of the Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties (D.D. Trent, extract from California Geology, April 1984)

Geology of the Joshua Tree National Park, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties / Mines in Joshua Tree National Park (D.D. Trent, extract from California Geology, September/October 1998)

Ground-water and related geology of Joshua Tree National Monument, California USGS Open-File Report 63-137 (J.E. Weir Jr. and J.S. Bader, 1963)

Groundwater Level Declines at the Oasis of Mara, Joshua Tree National Park, 1940-2015 NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR-2016/1242 (Geoff J.M. Moret, Sarah Wright, Jennifer L. Bailard and Luke Sabala, June 2016)

HIPPROTECT at Joshua Tree National Park (September 1997)

Historic American Building Survey: Desert Queen Ranch / Keys Ranch House HABS No. CA0-2347-A (undated)

Historic Resource Study: A History of Land Use, Joshua Tree National Monument (Linda W. Greene, September 1983)

Historic Resource Study: New Lands, Old Lands: A History of the Lands Added to Joshua Tree National Park, California Draft (Donald Hardesty and Jessica Smith, September 27, 2006)

Historic Structures Report: Lost Horse Mine, Joshua Tree National Monument: Part 1—Historical Data including Administrative Data (Benjamin Levy, March 17, 1969)

Honeybee Response Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (February 2014)

Horse Use Policy, Joshua Tree National Monument (March 3, 1988)

Hydrologic and geologic reconnaissance of Pinto basin, Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside County, California USGS Water Supply Paper 1475-O (Fred Kunkel, 1963)

Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks of the Western Portion of Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California California Division of Mines: Special Report 68 (John J.W. Rogers, 1961)

Impacts of Visitor Spending on the Local Economy: Joshua Tree National Park, 2004 (Daniel J. Stynes, June 2006)

Interpretive Prospectus, Joshua Tree National Park, California (December 1996)

Joshua Tree National Monument: A Brief History (undated)

Joshua Tree National Monument (Lands) (1940-1949)

Joshua Tree National Park: A History of Preserving the Desert — Administrative History (Lary M. Dilsaver, March 2015)

Joshua Tree National Park Business Plan — Fiscal Year 2001 (2002)

Joshua Tree National Park Transit Feasibility Study (Sarah Hernandez, Alma Carrillo and Allison Rodriguez for Institute of Transportation Engineers Student Chapter, June 30, 2014)

Joshua Tree's Aircraft Warning Stations (Jeff Ohlfs, extract from Twentynine Palms Historical Society Old Schoolhouse Journal, Spring 2012)

Joshua Trees — Rate of Growth (Letter from Frank R. Givens to Region Four Regional Director, March 24, 1953)

Junior Ranger: A publication for kids produced by Joshua Tree National Park (Vol. 1 No. 1, undated)

Juniper Fire Comple Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (June 7, 1999)

Keys' Desert Queen Ranch Preservation Study, Joshua Tree National Monument (Gordon Chappell, Robert Cox and Roger Kelly, 1975)

Keys Ranch: Where Time Stood Still Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plan Series (undated)

Keys View Road Reconstruction Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect (April 2005)

Land Donations: 1946-1949, Joshua Tree (1946-1949)

Management Significance of Home Ranges and Diets of Coyotes in Joshua Tree National Monument in Relation to Prey Densities CPSU/UNLV Contribution No. 009/16 (John Cornely, January 13, 1981)

Mapbook: Morongo Basin — Topographic Maps: Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, 29 Palms, Morongo Valley (undated)

Mapbook: Northeast Region — Topographic Maps of Pinto Basin, Coxcomb Mtns, Mission Millsite (undated)

Mapbook: Northwest Region — Topographic Maps of the Wonderland of Rocks and surrounding areas (undated)

Mapbook: Southeast Region — Topographic Maps of the Eagle Mtns, Munson Canyon, Coxcomb Mtns (undated)

Mapbook: Southwest Region — Topographic Maps of Cottonwood Spring, Lost Palms, Berdoo Canyon (undated)

Mining Claims Within the Boundaries of Joshua Tree National Park: A Report on Claim Status (March 26, 1997)

Mining Records, Joshua Tree National Park (1950-1953)

Mojave Desert Discovery: An Educator's Guide to the Cultural and Natural History of Death Valley National Monument, East Mojave National Scenic Area, Joshua Tree National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (1994)

Mojave Desert Network Selected Large Springs Pilot Study: Joshua Tree National Park 2014 Data Report NPS Natural Resource Data Series NPS/MOJN/NRDS-2015/794 (Jennifer L. Bailard and Geoffrey J.M. Moret, May 2015)

Money Generation Model (MGM), Joshua Tree National Park (1998)

Monitoring Ecosystem Quality and Function in Arid Settings of the Mojave Desert USGS Scientific Investigation Report 2008-5064 (Jayne Belnap, Robert H. Webb, Mark E. Miller, David M. Miller, Lelsey A. DeFalco, Philip A. Medica, Matthew L. Brooks, Todd C. Esque and Dave Bedford, 2008)

Movement models and simulation reveal highway impacts and mitigation opportunities for a metapopulation-distributed species (Christina M. Aiello, Nathan L. Galloway, Paige R. Prentice, Neal W. Darby, Debra Hughson and Clinton W. Epps, extract from Landscape Ecology, 2023)

Museum Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Park Draft (Kent Bush, Kelly Cahill, Blair Davenport, Diane Nicholson, Khaleel Saba and Melanie Spoo, 2005)

Name Changes: Joshua Tree, Salton/Keys View, Stubbe Spring, Joshua Tree National Park (1951-1961)

National Archives and Records Administration Files

Coachella Valley County Water District (1956-1959)

Land Acquisitions (Folder 1) (1949-1953)

Land Acquisitions (Folder 2) (1949-1953)

Land Acquisitions (Folder 3) (1954-1959)

Land Acquisitions (Folder 5) (1956-1958)

Mining Records (1952-1956)

Southern California State School Section Lands (1954-1958)

Southern Pacific Railroad Lands (1954-1959)

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Forms

Barker Dam (Gordon Chappell and F.R. Holland, Jr., 1971, June 11, 1975)

Cow Camp (Gordon Chappell and F.R. Holland, Jr., 1971, 1975)

Desert Queen Mine (Gordon Chappell and F.R. Holland, Jr., 1971, June 10, 1975)

Keys' Ranch / Desert Queen Ranch / McHaney Ranch (Gordon Chappell and F.R. Holland, Jr., 1971, 1975)

Ryan House and Lost Horst Well or Spring (F. Ross Holland, Jr., December 1971)

Wall Street Mill (Gordon Chappell, June 10, 1975)

Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Six Parks in the Mojave Desert Network NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/MOJN/NRR-2019/1959 (Erica Fleishman, Christine Albano, Bethany A. Bradley, Tyler G. Creech, Caroline Curtis, Brett G. Dickson, Clinton W. Epps, Ericka E. Hegeman, Cerissa Hoglander, Matthias Leu, Nicole Shaw, Mark W. Schwartz, Anthony VanCuren and Luke Z. Zachmann, August 2019)

Natural Resource Management Program: An Addendum to the Natural Resource Management Plan for Joshua Tree National Monument, California (January 1985)

New Employee Handbook, Joshua Tree National Park (July 2015)

Notes and Pictures Relative to Proposed Army Maneuver Road at Joshua Tree National Monument (Ernest A. Davidson, February 25, 1943)

Notes of an Interview with William H. McHaney (W.E. Ketcham and W. Egbert Schenck, March 1933)

Official Junior Ranger Program and Activity Booklet, Joshua Tree National Park (2010; for reference purposes only)

Junior Ranger, Joshua Tree National Park (Vol. I No. 1; for reference purposes only)

One Hundred Years in the California Desert: An Overview of Historic Archeological Resources at Joshua Tree National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center Publications in Anthropology No. 13 (Patricia Parker, 1980)

Oral History: Herman Price (Interview conducted April 10, 1962)

Park Newspaper: 75th Anniversary (2011)

Park Newspaper (Joshua Tree Journal)

1988: Summer

1989: Spring/Summer

1990: Fall/Winter

1991: Spring/Summer • Fall/Winter

1992: Spring/Summer • Fall/Winter

1993: Spring/Summer • Fall/Winter

1994: Spring • Summer

Park Newspaper (Joshua Tree Guide)

1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1998-1999

1999: Spring • Fall

2000: Fall

2001: Spring • Fall

2002: Spring • Fall

2003: Spring • Fall

2004: Spring (1) • Spring (2) • Fall

2005: Spring • Fall

2006: Spring • Summer • Fall

2007: Spring • Summer • Fall

2008: Spring • Fall

2009: 2009 • 2009-2010

2011: 2011 (1) • 2011 (2)

2012: 2012 (1) • 2012 (2) • 2012 (3)

2013: 2013

2014: 2014

2015: Fall 2014-Spring • Summer • Fall

2016: Spring • Summer • Fall

2017: Spring • Summer • Fall

2018: Spring • Summer

2019: Summer

2020: Fall 2019 - Spring

Pet Policy, Joshua Tree National Park Management Directive (June 2001)

Planning for the future: A program for preserving and interpreting paleontology and geology in Joshua Tree National Park (Eric Scott, Kathleen Springer, J. Christopher Sagebiel and Craig R. Manker, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin 34, 2006, ©New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, all rights reserved)

Preliminary Issues and Concerns — Public Scoping: Construct New West Entrance Station, Joshua Tree National Park (2022)

Privileges & Permits: Surgical Wood Splints (March 1942)

Proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and Joshua Tree National Park Expansion (April 12, 2024)

Project Brief: Satellite Vegetation Analysis and Bird Biodiversity (Michael Vamstad, March 1, 2023)

Proposed Name Change: Desert Plant National Monument (1936-1951)

Proposed National Monument (Roger W. Toll, 1933-1934)

Proposed Natural Resources Management Plan Environmental Assessment, Joshua Tree National Monument, California (1974)

Public Service Announcements: July 7, 1994 • July 14, 1994 (Debbie Ohlfs)

Rehabilitation of Main Park Road/Cap Rock Intersection to Geology Tour Road Environmental Assessment, Joshua Tree National Park (August 2002)

Report on the Validity of the Lucky Boy Claim, Unpatented Lode Claim, Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California (May 1973)

Report on the Validity of the Ruby Lee Lode Claim and Millsite Claim, Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside County, California (1974)

Resource Stewardship Strategy, Joshua Tree National Park Draft (2013)

Scholar's Reports by Cindy Ott, Laura Watt, and Raymond Rast of a visit to Joshua Tree National Park, June 10-12, 2008 (c2008)

Search and Rescue Plan, Joshua Tree National Park (September 1984)

Self-guided Geologic Tour in Joshua Tree National Monument, Riverside County, California (Don Dupras, extract from California Geology, Vol 44. No. 9, September 1990)

Social Trails: Restoring Fragile Desert Landscapes (undated)

Soil Survey of Joshua Tree National Park, California (2013)

Special Report on the Joshua Tree National Monument with Reference to Antelope and Bighorn (E. Lowell Sumner, Jr., March 28, 1940)

Special Park Uses Guideline, Joshua Tree National Park (1995)

Special Park Uses Guideline, Joshua Tree National Park (2004)

S.S. Joshua Tree (Jeff Ohlfs and Todd Swain, extract from Twentynine Palms Historical Society Old Schoolhouse Journal, Fall 2005)

Stabilization of the Silver Bell Mine: Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California (University of Vermont, October 2017)

Statement for Management 1982, Joshua Tree National Monument (April 1982)

Superintendent's Annual Report, Joshua Tree National Monument: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993

Superintendent's Annual Report, Joshua Tree National Park: 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Superintendent's Quarterly Report, Joshua Tree National Park: January-March 2004, April-June 2004, July-September 2004

Survey And Excavations in Joshua Tree National Monument Western Archeological and Conservation Center Publications in Anthropology No. 32 (Richard G. Ervin, 1985)

Tax Deeded Lands (1956-1958)

The Blue Cut Fault, Southern California USGS Professional Paper No. 650-D (Roger A. Hope, 1969)

The Desert Training Center / California-Arizona Maneuver Area, 1942-1944: Historical and Archaeological Contexts SRI Technical Series No. 75 (Matt C. Bischoff, June 2000)

The Impact of Human Disturbance on Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) in the Wonderland of Rocks / Queen Mountain Region of Joshua Tree National Park, California (Daniel Thompson, Kethleen Longshore with Chris Lowrey, May 16, 2007)

The Lichen Flora of Joshua Tree National Park: An Annotated Checklist NPS Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/JOTR/NRTR-2013/743 (Kerry Knudsen, Mitzi Harding and Josh Hoines, May 2013)

The Mojave and Colorado Desert Biosphere Reserve Educational Bulletin #90-4 (Bill Truesdell, undated)

The Native American Ethnography and Ethnohistory of Joshua Tree National Park: An Overview (HTML edition) (Lowell John Bean, August 22, 2002)

The Oasis (Mojave Desert Network)

2014: Spring • Fall

2015: Spring • Fall

2016: Spring • Fall

2017: Spring • Fall

2020: Spring • Fall

The Oasis of Mara Visitor Information and Cultural Center: A Partnership Venture by the City of Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park (c2002)

The Pinto Basin Site Southwest Museum Papers No. 9 (Elizabeth W. Crozer Campbell and William H. Campbell, March 1935, reprinted 1963)

The Road Inventory of Joshua Tree National Park (Federal Highway Administration, February 1999)

VIP Program Guidelines, Joshua Tree National Park (undated)

VIP Program Guidelines, Joshua Tree National Park (undated)

Visitor Characteristics Across and Within Seasons at Joshua Tree National Park: 2019 Research Report (Elizabeth E. Perry, Matthew T.J. Brownlee, Robert Powell and Ryan Sharp, November 2020)

Wilderness Recommendation, Joshua Tree National Monument, California (August 1972)

Wilderness Study, Joshua Tree National Monument (August 1971)

Work Plan (Goals and Objectives): 1994-1999 • 1996 • 1997 • 2006 • 2007 • 2009

Joshua Tree National Park

The following visual bibliography is just a sampling of the handbooks and books which have been published for this park. NPSHistory.com does not endorse these, but are merely presenting them for informational purposes only. As most are copyrighted, we are only able to provide the covers, and not contents, of these publications.

cover only Thunder Gods Gold Barry Storm 1953	cover only The Twentynine Palms Story Hazel M. Spell 1954	cover only Five Acres of Heaven Ed Ainsworth 1955	Igneous and metamorphic rocks of the western portion of Joshua Tree National Monument John J.W. Rogers 1961
cover only Remembrances of the High Desert 1966	cover only A Guidebook to the Mojave Desert of California Russ Leadabrand 1966	cover only Mines of the High Desert Ronald Dean Miller 1968	cover only West of Dawn Hugh d'Autremont 1971
cover only Family Fun in Joshua Tree National Monument 1973	cover only Ambush: The Story of Bill Keys Art Kidwell 1979	cover only A Climber's Guide to Joshua Tree National Monument John Wolfe and Bob Dominick 1979	cover only Joshua Tree: Desert Reflections Stephen Trimble 1979
cover only Sand In My Shoe Helen Bagley 1980	cover only The Serrano Indians of Southern California Francis J. Johnstson 1980	cover only A Peculiar Piece of Desert: the Story of California's Morongo Basin Lulu Rasmussen O'Neal 1981	cover only Joshua Tree National Monument: A Visitor's Guide Robert Cates 1984
cover only Joshua Tree Rock Climbing Guide Randy Vogel 1986	cover only On Foot in Joshua Tree National Monument Patty A. Furbush 1986	cover only In the Shadow of the Palms: Volume I Art Kidwell 1986	cover only On Foot in Joshua Tree National Monument Patty A. Furbush 1987
cover only In the Shadow of the Palms: Volume II Art Kidwell 1987	cover only The Cahuilla Indians of Southern California Lowell Bean and Harry Lawton 1987	cover only The Adobes of Twentynine Palms Pat Rimmington 1988	cover only Hi Desert Dreaming 1988
cover only The Chemehuevi Indians of Southern California Ronald Dean Miller and Peggy Jeanne Miller 1988	cover only Hikes & Walks: 25 Trails in Joshua Tree National Monument Patty A. Knapp 1989	cover only Joshua Tree Supplement Randy Vogel and Alan Bartlett 1989	cover only The Morongo Basin: Its Roots and Its Branches 1989
cover only The Cahuilla Lowell Jean Bean and Lisa Bourgeault 1989	cover only Exploring Joshua Tree Roger Mitchell 1990	cover only Joshua, My Love Mary Evelyn Austin 1990	cover only Rock Climbs of Indian Cove Alan Bartlett 1991
cover only Rock Climbing Joshua Tree Randy Vogel 1992	cover only The Joshua Tree Gloria Hine Gossard 1992	cover only Road Guide to Joshua Tree National Park Barbara and Robert Decker 1994	cover only On Foot in Joshua Tree National Park Patty A. Furbush 1995
cover only Getting to Know...Joshua Tree National Park Patty Knapp 1996	cover only Point Last Seen: A Woman Tracker's Story Hannah Nyala 1997	cover only Growing Up At The Desert Queen Ranch Willis Keys and Art Kidwell 1997	California Geology: Joshua Tree National Park 1998
cover only The Hi-Desert Nature Museum Coloring Book Audrey Green and Caryn Davidson 2000	cover only The Desert Trail in California, Book III: Joshua Tree National Park Steve Tabor March 2000	cover only Joshua Tree Trails Patty Knapp 2001	cover only Joshua Tree National Park Geology D.D. Trent and Richard W. Hazlett 2002
cover only A Complete Bouldering Guide to Joshua Tree National Park Robert Miramontes 2003	cover only Joshua Tree: Desert Reflections Stephen Trimble 2003	cover only Einstein's Adventures in Joshua Tree National Park Mingo Morvin 2003	cover only Mining History and Geology of Joshua Tree National Park Margaret R. Eggers, ed. 2004
cover only Joshua Tree: The Complete Guide James Kaiser 2005	cover only Twentynine Palms (Images of America) Vickie Waite, All Gartner and Paul F. Smith 2007	cover only Moronogo Basin 100 Year Project 1910-2010 2010	cover only Joshua Tree: A Color Guide to the 2600 Best Rock Climbs & Boulder Problems Robert Miramontes 2011
cover only Joshua Tree National Park 1936-2011 2011	cover only Joshua Tree National Park Employee and Alumni Cookbook 2011	cover only A Joshua Tree Names Lily L.S. Lange 2013	cover only Joshua Tree National Park (Images of America) Joseph W. Zarki 2015
cover only Preserving the Desert: A History of Joshua Tree National Park Lary M. Dilsaver 2016	cover only Purple Hummingbird: A Biography of Elizabeth Warden Crozier Campbell Claude N. Warren and Joan S. Schneider 2017	cover only 40 Classic Day Hikes of Joshua Tree National Park K. Daniels & Associates 2017	cover only Songs of Joshua Tree Lauren Beth Eisenberg Davis 2019
cover only The History of Joshua Tree National Park Thomas Crochetiere 2020	cover only Keys Desert Queen Ranch: A Visual & Historical Tour Thomas Crochetiere 2021	cover only William F. Keys of Joshua Tree National Park Thomas Crochetiere 2023