Bajada All-Access Nature Trail
This .3-mile walk on a *bajada*, or slope at a mountain's base, is wheelchair-accessible and features plentiful vegetation and 16 interpretive panels describing the desert flora.
Plan Around Bajada All-Access Nature Trail
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Bajada All-Access Nature Trail Details
This .3-mile walk on a *bajada*, or slope at a mountain's base, is wheelchair accessible and features plentiful vegetation and 16 interpretive panels describing the desert flora. The bajada is formed of eroded sand and gravel, which traps moisture and makes it available to plants. This south-facing bajada features warmer soil, and so a greater variety of plants grow here than on another bajada across the valley. The trail highlights some key area plants, including cacti, ocotillo, creosote bush, brittle bush, indigo bush, chuparosa, and palo verde. Highlights include the park's only ironwood trees, both alive and dead. Only this bajada's warm, moist soil are hospitable to this typical Sonoran Desert plant. The main trail for this easy, accessible 3/4-mile loop is south of Cottonwood Visitor Center, 1/2-mile north of the south entrance.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
0.75 mile
Estimated time
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Bajada All-Access Nature Trail
Compare nearby parks around Bajada All-Access Nature Trail when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Bajada All-Access Nature Trail
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Bajada All-Access Nature Trail while the map context is still fresh.
0.4 mi away
South Entrance
The south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park near Cottonwood Spring is an access point along Interstate 10, 25 miles east of Indio.
1.4 mi away
Cottonwood Springs Road
Cottonwood Springs Road, exit 168 off the I-10 freeway, serves as the south entrance road to Joshua Tree National Park.
3.1 mi away
Lost Palms Oasis
Near Cottonwood Spring is Lost Palms Oasis, which holds the highest concentration of native California fan palms in the park.
3.7 mi away
Mastodon Peak
Named by early miners for supposedly resembling a mastodon head, Mastodon Peak stands 3,440 feet over Cottonwood Spring Oasis.
3.7 mi away
Winona Mill Site
The Winona Mill site on the west end of Cottonwood Mountains is accessible via the Mastodon Loop Trail.
