My daughter and I visited Joshua Tree NP a while ago in July, enduring temperatures over 100 degrees; no big surprise, this is a desert. On a recent visit, we returned to see what it was like this time of year (Nov-Dec) and explored areas of the park we hadn’t been before. The first day was in the mid 30s with strong winds, and the feeling was like a mid winter hike in the PNW….we enjoyed ourselves immensely but it was cold, cold, cold. The next day the winds abated and with higher temperatures more in the 40s to low 50s we were sometimes hiking in a single layer. Beautiful weather and, despite being there on a holiday weekend, we had plenty of time to ourselves wandering about; off trail travel, some mild bouldering and hiking into the sunset, just making it back to the vehicle before needing lamps. We both preferred these lower temperatures, especially because our water needs were vastly lower compared to summer. While I was processing photos I had a lot of macros, highlighting this aspect of the park….it’s not just about far vistas, there are delights that catch the eye both near and far. What impressed us the most on this particular visit was the stroll through the Teddy Bear Cholla nearer the southern part of the park, and our hike to the Lost Palms Oasis, an improbable place nestled in a gorge but obviously fed by a spring. On our return we took a loop to climb Mastodon Peak and were privy to an incredible sunset, constantly stopping to snap pix of the various iterations of a sky on fire. It was a privilege to wander one of our national treasures during this time of year; highly recommended. Complete photo set here

*Underlying structure of Teddy Bear Cholla*