Tour Locations | Joshua Tree National Park Audio Driving Tour
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LOCATION 1
Start Point - West Entrance
Welcome to Joshua Tree National Park. You should be in the small parking lot just after the official entrance to the park. Behind you is the pay station and visitors' centre, and in front of you th...
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LOCATION 2
Boy Scout Trail
Coming up ahead is an easy 1-mile hike to some beautiful rock formations along the Boy Scout Trail. I won't join you, but the trail is well-marked and you can resume the tour by continuing down thi...
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LOCATION 3
Boy Scout Trail Parking
Okay, the parking lot is coming up on your left. It's just a small space demarcated by some wooden sticks, so if you're planning on doing the trail, be on the lookout.
If you're not planning on ...
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LOCATION 4
The Joshua Trees
As you drive deeper into the heart of Joshua Tree National Park, you can't help but notice the Joshua Trees that are becoming more obvious in the landscape. This plant is a vestige of the last ice ...
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LOCATION 5
More Joshua Trees
Carry on winding your way through the desert.
The Joshua Trees grow above an elevation of 1500 feet. They're found in the highest concentrations in the world in the area we're passing through no...
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LOCATION 6
History
The Joshua Tree National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday in 2017. The primary aim of the park service is the need to preserve our public lands against development and the influences of a...
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LOCATION 7
To Quail Springs
The next optional stop is the Quail Springs picnic area.
You can park in the parking lot, which I'll point out to you, for a look at a boulder of what is called Monzo Granite – the best kind for...
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LOCATION 8
Quail Springs Parking Lot
If you're going to stop at Quail Springs, get ready to turn off – the parking lot is coming up on your right, behind the pile of rocks coming into view.
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LOCATION 9
Geology of the Park
Look around you and visualize what took millions of years to form. The rocks of this area began miles underground. Vast chambers of hot magma filled long ago. These active chambers were squeezed li...
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LOCATION 10
To Intersection Rock
The next and one of the most important spots in the park is coming up on the left. Here you'll be able to see a good example of some of the most famous rock formations inside the park. They are cal...
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LOCATION 11
Keys Point
There's another optional detour coming up ahead, the next turn on the right. This road will lead you to the most breathtaking view, called Keys Point. This viewpoint will have you at one of the hig...
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LOCATION 12
Keys Point Turnoff
Okay, the turnoff is coming up on your right.
When you're done, or if you'd like to keep moving, just keep heading straight down the main road.
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LOCATION 13
Ryan Ranch Trail ahead
Coming up on the right is another nice short hike to what still remains of the cowboy home of JD Ryan. It's an old adobe shack where he had a clear view of his cattle herd for miles around. There a...
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LOCATION 14
Rustlers and Gold
Welcome to the land cowboy rustlers, gun slingers and gold miners. Just short of 2 centuries ago traveling this very road might have put you in the sights of some sharp shooter among the rocks. The...
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LOCATION 15
Ryan Mountain and Sheeps Pass
The vast area that you see before you now belonged to JD Ryan, whose adobe home is just behind us now. From this high-elevated perch, the cattle ranchers were able to survey the land for any possib...
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LOCATION 16
Largest and Oldest Joshua Trees
Coming up on the right shoulder of the road is an opportunity to see some of the tallest Joshua Trees as well as one of the largest. You should be coming up on the 40 foot Joshua Tree on the right....
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LOCATION 17
Ancient Volcano
Keep going. You are now in an area that geologists have dated to be as old as 1.5 billion years old, a time when only single-celled organisms dominated the planet. On the right is the core of an an...
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LOCATION 18
Geology Tour Road
Okay, here it is – the Geology Tour Road on your right will take you through this area's ancient volcanic geology and even to an old gold mine. It is about a one-and-a-half hour loop. 4 wheel drive...
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LOCATION 19
Skull Rock
Some of the famous rock formations of the park are sculpted by wind, water and millions of years of erosion. They take on familiar appearances and thus are given names to describe their most famili...
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LOCATION 20
Skull Rock parking
Here's the parking on your right. You'll see a sign pointing you to Skull Rock on your right-hand side. When you're finished, just carry on driving straight ahead. You'll hear from me again in abou...
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LOCATION 21
Exit Park
Coming up is our recommended exit out of the park. Stay on the left at the intersection ahead to continue the tour. This road will take you out through the Park's Main entrance in Twentynine Palms,...
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LOCATION 22
Ecology of Park
Joshua Tree National Park is a balance between nature and man's desire to see and exploit it. This park is a delicate ecosystem that involves animals and plants that have lived here for thousands o...
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LOCATION 23
Park Exit -Parting Notes
This is it! We're leaving the park. Carry on following the road.
[1,5 SECOND PAUSE]
Joshua Tree National Park is a destination for the avid adventure climber and it has inspired song writers ...
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LOCATION 24
Visitors' Center Ahead
Coming up on the left in about a minute is the National Park Visitors' Center. Look out for the low wall and the stone sign.
It's a nice place to stretch your legs and use the facilities before ...