7 days ago
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Posted On: October 29th 2026, 01:34 pm
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Most visitors to Joshua Tree make the obligatory stop at Skull Rock, snap a few photos, and call it a day.
But there’s another side to the park.
At 6AM, @lucas_g_wilkes and I headed into the Colorado Desert to explore some of the old mining areas and lesser-traveled terrain of the Pinto Basin.
In the 1930s, self-taught archaeologists Elizabeth and William Campbell discovered evidence of human occupation here dating back thousands of years. Stone tools, projectile points, and ancient campsites revealed what became known as the Pinto Culture.
Hard to imagine looking across this vast, seemingly lifeless basin that the landscape was once considerably wetter, supporting wildlife and early human communities.
The Pinto Mountains rise in the distance. Not another soul in sight.
There’s a lot more to Joshua Tree than Joshua trees.
#JoshuaTreeNationalPark #ColoradoDesert #PintoBasin #DesertPhotography #MojaveDesert
But there’s another side to the park.
At 6AM, @lucas_g_wilkes and I headed into the Colorado Desert to explore some of the old mining areas and lesser-traveled terrain of the Pinto Basin.
In the 1930s, self-taught archaeologists Elizabeth and William Campbell discovered evidence of human occupation here dating back thousands of years. Stone tools, projectile points, and ancient campsites revealed what became known as the Pinto Culture.
Hard to imagine looking across this vast, seemingly lifeless basin that the landscape was once considerably wetter, supporting wildlife and early human communities.
The Pinto Mountains rise in the distance. Not another soul in sight.
There’s a lot more to Joshua Tree than Joshua trees.
#JoshuaTreeNationalPark #ColoradoDesert #PintoBasin #DesertPhotography #MojaveDesert
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