Joshua Tree National Park Audio Driving Tour

Joshua Tree National Park sits at the boundary between 30 million people and one of the most sparsely populated stretches of land in North America. On this driving tour, you'll learn how volcanic forces, ice ages, and human ambition – from gold miners to rock climbers – shaped this extraordinary desert landscape. You'll also hear how this remote terrain inspired U2's iconic 1987 album, The Joshua Tree.

The tour starts at the West Entrance near the park's pay station and visitors' centre. From there, you'll wind through the Mojave Desert's high desert terrain, passing the world's densest concentration of Joshua Trees – ancient yucca plants that predate the last ice age and can survive two years without water. Along the way, the tour explains how the San Andreas Fault squeezed molten granite to the surface, creating the monolithic rock formations that now draw climbers from around the world.

You'll hear the story of Johnny Lang, the cowboy who struck gold at the Lost Horse Mine after his brother was gunned down in New Mexico – the richest of the park's 300-plus mines, yielding some 10,000 ounces. You'll also learn about Minerva Hoyt, the Pasadena woman who fought to stop wealthy Angelenos stripping the desert of its cacti, eventually persuading President Roosevelt to protect the area in 1936. The tour ends at the Oasis of Mara Visitors' Centre in Twentynine Palms, where a half-mile nature trail follows a fault-fed oasis the Serrano Indians once called home.

On this 60-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Walk the Boy Scout Trail to see Monzonite granite formations squeezed to the surface by tectonic forces
• Spot Desert Bighorn Sheep camouflaged against the bronzed rocks of Ryan Mountain
• Photograph Skull Rock, the park's most famous wind-eroded formation, which resembles a human skull
• Visit Intersection Rock, the most popular rock-climbing site in the park, with over 3,000 official routes nearby
• See a Joshua Tree over 1,000 years old – growing at just half an inch per year
• Stop at Keys Point for panoramic views stretching across Palm Springs to the Salton Sea

Pack water, wear good shoes, and give yourself time to stop – this desert rewards those who slow down.