Over the past month I have been on two hikes in two very different yet similar environments.  Similar in that they are both desert-type environments but different in many ways.  One is on the edge of a city, the other several miles from civilization in Joshua Tree National Park.  One is a dry, harsh desert location, the other more of an oasis.  Rather than an extensive narration on both locations I will pretty much let my photos speak for themselves.

First up was the Window Trail at the northwest corner of Joshua Tree National Park.  It is a fairly easy trail to follow with no particularly hard climbing.

The second was Murray Canyon on the edge of Palm Springs.  The hike is 2 miles each way and involves a fair amount of climbing but is a fairly easy trail to hike.  Much of it follows a stream with lush vegetation on each side.  Unfortunately I didn’t have my telephoto lens with me as there seemed to be a fair amount of bird life as well.

I would highly recommend either of these hikes if you get a chance to do them.