“Most visitors seek out
Joshua Tree’s eponymous trees, but the park's fan-palm oases are equally stunning,” says travel writer and photographer
James Kaiser. Desert fan palms are the only palms native to southern California, and the park has three oases filled with them. “Some are tucked away in remote side canyons, accessible only by foot, while others are located a short stroll from popular visitor centers,” he adds. Kaiser, who recently published a
guidebook to the park, notes that most people overlook the southern border of Joshua Tree, where one of his favorite spots, Lost Palm Oasis, is located. “The trail is 7.5 miles, round-trip, and the payoff is a beautiful canyon filled with over 100 stunning palms,” he says. “After a long, hot hike, it's delightful to bask in the shade of these majestic trees, which can grow up to 75 feet tall.” Visit in late fall or early spring when temps aren’t scorching, and early in the mornings to allow plenty of daylight to get there and back. “It's easy to see the desert as a vacant, parched landscape, but the palms offer proof that more is going on below the surface—literally,” he adds.