Oasis of Mara Nature Trail
Located at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms, this easy nature trail loops through a natural oasis for which the town of Twentynine Palms is named.
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Oasis of Mara Nature Trail Details
Located at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms, this easy nature trail loops through a natural oasis for which the town of Twentynine Palms is named. The area's original residents, the Serrano people, called the area Mara, meaning "the place of little springs and much grass." Legend has it that they came to the area because a medicine man told them that if they settled here, they would have many baby boys. In their first year here, the Serrano planted 29 palm trees at the oasis. By 1870, when miners began to drift into the area, the character of the oasis changed as mines began to siphon away water and trees were cut down. Soon thereafter, cattlemen moved in and by 1913, the Serrano and Chemehuevi people who had joined them, were all gone. In 1950, the Twentynine Palms Corporation donated the Oasis of Mara to the National Park Service to use as its headquarters and primary visitor center. Along the trail watch for small wildlife like lizards and birds, as well as labeled desert plants. The trailhead for this wheelchair accessible, .5-mile loop nature trail is at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
0.5 miles
Estimated time
20 min
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Oasis of Mara Nature Trail
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Nearby Points of Interest Around Oasis of Mara Nature Trail
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0.0 mi away
Oasis Visitor Center
The Oasis Visitor Center serves the Oasis of Mara area of Joshua Tree National Park
0.2 mi away
Oasis of Mara
The Serrano named the oasis "Mara," meaning "the place of little springs and much grass," and used the local spring water to raise corn, beans, pumpkins, and squash.
3.5 mi away
North Entrance
The north entrance to Joshua Tree National Park is in Twentynine Palms, three miles south of the junction of Highway 62 and Utah Trail.
3.7 mi away
Twentynine Palms
Twentynine Palms Highway (SR 62), the main access road for the northern part of Joshua Tree National Park, runs east-west straight through the town of Twentynine Palms.
4.3 mi away
Fortynine Palm Oasis Trail
The highlights of the Fortynine Palm Oasis trail are several stands of fan palms and pools of water found at the oasis.
