Joshua Tree National Forest
The LARGEST Joshua Tree National Forest to be exact. Wild Horses running free, Endless miles of trails, Quartz Quarry, Spectacular views and of course, Joshua Tree’s.
The Arizona Joshua Tree Forest can be found near the west end of the Grand Canyon just east of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It’s nestled on the Grapevine Mesa between the villages of Meadview and Lake Mead City, and lies just west of the colorful Grand Wash Cliffs that tower over the eastern edge of the forest.
The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is native to southwestern North America in the states of Arizona, California, Utah and Nevada. It is mostly confined to the Mohave Desert between 1300 ft. and 5900 ft. in elevation. The trunk of the Joshua tree is made up of thousands of small fibers and lacks the usual growth rings, making it difficult to determine the tree’s exact age. These trees can live for hundreds of years while surviving the rigors of the desert.
Joshua trees are fast growers for the desert, with new seedlings growing at an average rate of 3 centimeters per year for the first 10 years. As the trees age their growth slows to an average of 1 ½ centimeters per year thereafter. The average maximum height reaches nearly 50 feet. New trees can grow from seed or in some populations; new stems can grow from underground rhizomes (root runners) that spread out around the base of the Joshua tree.