United States Destinations

Desert Getaways:

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park, 72 kilometers north of Palm Springs, is home to tall, spiked yucca trees named after the prophet. Here, two distinct deserts the high Mojave and the low Colorado converge with fascinating results.

Enter at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms. Drive the Geology Tour Road to view the thousands of rounded boulder stacks punctuating the 850-square-mile park. The park's trails are awash with fuzzy cacti, odd ocotillo patches and wildlife. To study the prickly plants, visit the Cholla Cactus Garden.

On the Hidden Valley Nature Trail, you'll see some old cattle rustlers hideouts. Campgrounds here offer meager amenities so stock up in Twentynine Palms.

Bird watching: Mono Lake, SE. of Yosemite: birthplace of 90 per cent of the world's seagulls. Point Reyes, N. of San Francisco: meadows to sea, a birdwatcher's dream. Salton Sea, near Anza-Borrego: shallow water, rare-winged birds. Klamath River, Shasta Cascade: winter celebration of eagles.

Anza-Borrego

Anza-Borrego State Park, with 240,000 hectares to explore, lies two hours east of San Diego. Marvelously diverse, the park is rich with rippled san dunes, twisting canyons and rivers of wildflowers in March and April. Desolate solitude awaits hikers, while meteor-showered nights treat campers.

Choose from 800 kilometers of trails that are off-limits to vehicles. For petroglyphs, head for Blaire Valley. For waterfalls, explore Borrego Palm Canyon. Camping ranges from five-star hook ups to isolated sites (call 619-767-5311). The Borrego Springs resort area offers hotels and motels within the park.