Colorado Desert
Encompassing approximately 7 million acres, California's Colorado Desert is part of the larger Sonoran Desert.
Plan Around Colorado Desert
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Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Colorado Desert Details
Encompassing approximately 7 million acres, California's Colorado Desert is part of the larger Sonoran Desert. The majority of the ecosystem is what's known as a "low" desert, with elevations below 1,000 feet, and temperatures that are typically warmer than in "high" desert such as the Mojave. The lowest point of the desert floor is at 275 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea. Inside Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave Desert meets the Colorado Desert, creating two unique ecosystems. The Colorado Desert occupies the eastern half of the park, and is dominated by creosote bush, spidery ocotillo cactus, and cholla cactus.
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Low
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Nearby Parks Around Colorado Desert
Compare nearby parks around Colorado Desert when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Colorado Desert
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Colorado Desert while the map context is still fresh.
1.3 mi away
Pinto Basin
The 200-square-mile Pinto Basin is a large, open swath of the Sonoran Desert within Joshua Tree National Park.
1.4 mi away
Gold Rose Well
Visitors wishing to see the remains of Gold Rose Well, in the north-central part of the park, can take Twentynine Palms Highway east to Gold Crown Road and then head south.
7.9 mi away
Pinto Basin Sand Dunes
Not true dunes, the Pinto Basin Sand Dunes in the north-central part of the park are a modest layer of fine sand covering an elevated ridge along a fracture.
8.3 mi away
Historic Dale Mining District
Prospectors and miners came to the area known as the Dale Mining District, 15 miles southeast of Twentynine Palms, as early as 1881.
8.6 mi away
Old Dale Road
Traversing the Pinto Basin in the central part of Joshua Tree, 24-mile roundtrip Old Dale Road starts at the same point as Black Eagle Mine Road.
