JOSHUA TREE

Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in a landscape sculpted by wind and rain. Rugged rock formations and stark cactus-dotted desert make up the habitat to a fascinating variety of plants and animals. Strong winds and dark night skies yield the kind of surreal magic you find in this low desert region.

We were both enchanted and challenged scrambling around the boulders chasing the light from sunrise to sunset. Twisted Joshua Trees silhouetted against a star-lit sky, the sounds of life all around us.

Set alongside the Autry Garden, the California Road Trip room is a destination for rest and inspiration. Through the panoramic and close-up dual projection film, visitors are invited to discover California’s most scenic and varied landscapes and biomes. Sights include: the extreme desert climate of Death Valley, the lowest point in North America; the idyllic ocean bluffs of Big Sur and the central coastline, an exemplary feature of California's topography; the starry skies of Joshua Tree; the majestic giants of the California Redwoods, the tallest trees in the world; and the supreme elevation and jagged granite faces of Mt. Whitney, unforgivingly the highest summit in the contiguous United States, reaching 14,505 feet into the clouds.