Snow in Joshua Tree National Park

Last week a cold storm moved through southern California dumping snow in Joshua Tree National Park. I arrived on Thursday afternoon with snow falling. The next morning I was up before sunrise exploring locations around the Boy Scout Trail. Before heading home, I hiked up Ryan Mountain, where the wind was howling. At 30°F and wind gusts that nearly knocked me off my feet, it was COLD! I bundled up with several layers including my down jacket. I felt very fortunate to experience Joshua Tree in the snow!

Click here to see all the photos – mostly the same as in this post.

The road into the park was clear with patches of snow. As I drove further in the snow was falling harder. The elevation here is just under 4000 feet.

I love the twisted character and contrast of the white against the rock.

My main subject of my photos were the Joshua Trees. The following photos are the same tree with slightly different compositions or post-processing.

I was up before sunrise the next day. There was about 1-2 inches of snow on the ground, but in some places, the ground was bare from the wind.

Wind swept desert floor around some leaning Joshua Trees.

As the sun rises higher and the wind gently blows, the snow slowly vanishes.

I climbed up on a low ridge to get a better view of the desert floor.

I again visited the spot of my pre-dawn photos, now in complete sun with a brilliant blue background.

I started the Ryan Mountain hike. This is the view looking back to the parking area with the road cutting through the desert.

The wind was ferocious at the top of Ryan Mountain and with the wind chill it was very cold. I hundled behind a large yucca plant to warm up out of the wind.

The remnants of this old tree remain behind in the howling wind.

Once down from Ryan Mountain, the wind was calm and temperatures bearable.