点评:We visited Joshua Tree as part of a Southern California road trip and it ended up being one of the most enjoyable driving days of the trip. You don’t need to be doing long hikes to appreciate the park. A lot of the experience for us was simply driving through the desert, stopping at different viewpoints and taking a few short walks.
The landscape changes more than I expected as you drive through the park. We stopped several times just to walk around the Joshua trees and rock formations, and none of those stops needed to be particularly long. Keys View was probably my favorite. The drive out there takes a little extra time, but the view across the Coachella Valley made it worthwhile. There’s also a short paved trail from the parking area if you want to walk a little farther.
I’d give yourself plenty of time rather than trying to rush from one named attraction to another. Driving is part of the experience here, and we enjoyed being able to stop whenever something caught our attention. Parking was straightforward at most of our stops, although the more popular areas can get busy.
One thing I would definitely do differently from a normal sightseeing day is bring more water and snacks than you think you’ll need. There are no restaurants, grocery stores or gas stations inside the park, and drinking water isn’t available in the interior, so it’s better to arrive prepared.
Overall, I’d recommend Joshua Tree even for families who aren’t serious hikers. For us, the combination of an easy scenic drive, unusual desert scenery and short walks made it a very relaxed way to spend the day.
翻译:我们把约书亚树国家公园作为南加州自驾游的一站,结果这一天竟成了整个行程中最愉快的一天。其实并不需要进行长途徒步才能领略这片公园的魅力。对我们来说,大部分乐趣都来自于驾车穿越沙漠、在各个观景点停留,以及进行几次短途漫步。
随着车子的前行,沿途的景观变化之多超出了我的预期。我们多次停车,只为在那些约书亚树和怪石嶙峋的岩群间漫步。其实这些停留点都无需停留太长时间。Keys View可能是我最喜欢的地方。开车前往那里需要多花点时间,但从那里俯瞰科切拉谷的景色绝对物有所值。如果你还想走远一点,从停车场也有一条铺好的小径可供行走。
我建议大家预留充裕的时间,而不要急着从一个有名景点到另一个有名景点。在这里,开车本身也是体验的一部分。我们很享受那种遇到感兴趣的事物时随时停车的乐趣。在大多数停留点停车都很方便,不过那些比较热门的区域可能会比较拥挤。
与平常的观光日相比,我肯定会做出的一点改变就是带上比想象中更多的水和零食。公园里没有餐馆、杂货店或加油站,园内也买不到饮用水,所以最好提前做好准备。
总的来说,即便对于不太喜欢徒步的家庭来说,我也推荐去约书亚树国家公园。对我们而言,沿途风景优美的平缓公路、独特的沙漠景观以及短暂的步行游览,让这一天过得十分轻松愉快。