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Joshua Forest Scenic Road

Joshua Forest Scenic Rd Travel Blog › entry 20 of 56 › view all entries

Once again, I venture forth on a trip around the USA via Amtrak. This time I head West and will travel through 17+ states. Having never been out West, looking forward to the scenery that only it can provide. First stop is Grand Junction, CO.

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Joshua Forest Scenic Road

April 29, 2006

Joshua Tree

The Joshua Forest Scenic Road was designated on April 20, 1992, by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Along the route is the backdrop of rugged mountain ranges, the Hualapai Mountains and Aquarius Cliffs. The road winds through the granite formations and the many creeks and rivers.

The Joshua Tree grows only in the Mojave Desert of extreme southwest California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, at elevations from 2,000 to 6,000 feet. Natural stands of this picturesque, spike-leafed evergreen grow nowhere else in the world. Its height varies from 15-40 feet with a diameter of 1-3 feet.

Mormon pioneers are said to have named this species "Joshua" Tree because it mimicked the Old Testament prophet Joshua waving them, with upraised arms, on toward the promised land. This unique species grows abundantly at Joshua Tree National Park in California and Joshua Forest Parkway in Western Arizona.