Skull Rock (Joshua Tree National Park, California)

My next stop on this long journey takes me through Joshua Tree National Park. As I have never been to this park before, I wanted to take at least a little time to get some hiking in and experience the Mojave Desert.

Entering the park around 8:00 AM, I pull off the road at an area known as Skull Rock and decide to hike the short trail. The desert here is similar, but yet slightly different than other deserts I'm used to. The vegetation is different. Instead of the sage brush of my home, the landscape is dotted with desert oaks and joshua trees. 

The namesake of the trail comes into site immediately upon hitting the trail. A large cone shaped rock with three holes juts from the landscape. It is reminiscent of one of the crystal skulls from that terrible, but long-awaited Indiana Jones sequel. The holes resemble the eye sockets and nasal cavity. It is quite striking.

After admiring this rock formation for a short time, I continue down the trail, as it passes to and fro in and among the desert hillsides. In some parts, the trail passes between large sandstone walls before opening back up a the far end. Eventually, the trail crosses the road and takes me through a campground before returning me to the jeep. This short trail covers just shy of 2-miles, but it was a good introduction to the park.