Joshua Tree National Park in California Joshua Tree is a diverse area of sand dunes, dry lakes, flat valleys, extraordinarily rugged mountains, granitic monoliths, and oases. The park is home to two deserts: the Colorado, which offers low desert formations and plant life such as ocotillo and teddy bear cholla cactus; and the Mojave. This higher, cooler, wetter region is the natural habitat of the Joshua tree. Parks That Snowbirds Should Explore This Winter RV Lifestyle Story and photos by Rex Vogel While the most familiar of America’s parks are the national parks and state parks, America’s parks operate under a variety of names including county parks, regional parks, metro parks, natural areas, national forests, national grasslands, national wildlife refuges, landmarks, monuments, historical sites, geologic sites, recreation trails, memorial sites, preserves, scenic rivers and wildlife areas. There are 61 national parks across the U.S. That’s not counting the hundreds of national monuments, historical sites, battlefields, memorials, trails and more. When you count all of them together, the number of protected sites that fall under the U.S. National Park Service is well over 400. And America’s state parks number more than 8,500. So, it should not surprise anyone when I say that there are scores of incredible sites worth exploring in America. Whether you’re looking to explore waterfalls or rivers, volcanoes or deserts, canyons or mountaintops, there’s a park for snowbirds to discover this winter. Saguaro National Park in Arizona Giant saguaro cactus is the most distinct feature in this park that straddles the city of Tucson. The park, created to preserve the cacti, boasts some great hikes. Driving Saguaro will take you through aWestern landscape that’s unmistakably Arizona. The busiest time of the year is fromNovember toMarch. During the winter months, temperatures are pleasant for exploring. Starting in late February and March, the park begins to get a variety of cactus and wildflower blooms. In late April, the iconic saguaro begins to bloom. Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada The hottest, driest and lowest national park in the country, Death Valley may at first glance appear to live up to its name − but there are plenty of amazing sites that attract wildlife (and humans) to this part of California’s Mojave Desert. Visit at the right time and you’ll be treated to the site of beautiful, rust-coloured mountains surrounded by multi-hued wildflower displays. If conditions align, the desert becomes a mass of yellow, purple, pink and white flowers in spring. 24 | www.snowbirds.org
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