Cholla Gardens•Joshua Tree National Park

00:00     Title
00:15     Pinto Basin
02:35     Cholla Gardens
06:45     Ocotillo Patch
08:15     Pinto Basin Colorado Desert
13:20     Joshua Tree South BLM Boondocking
14:59     Fin
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Cholla Gardens is one of many points interest that can be found along Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree National Park. Cholla are a common cactus that are widely scattered throughout the Mojave Desert terrain. There are very few places in the desert where cholla completely takeover the landscape, but relatively few big cholla patches are conveniently located by the roadside. The Cholla Gardens is one such rare place, so be sure to take note when doing the Pinto Basin tour!

Cholla Cactus are known as the cutest cactus in the west and they are called "Teddy Bear Cactus" by many people. There are a few varieties of Cholla and the ones with the fat fuzzy spine clumps are most often given the Teddy Bear name. No matter how cute a cholla may be, this is one teddy bear that you do not want to hug, because it has sharp fish hook barbed spines. These cactus spines do not pull out of the skin painlessly, so it is best to avoid contact, no matter how docile the cholla may look.

Just like with many desert cacti, the cholla plants ensure species survival by letting pieces of the branching arms break off during stormy weather so they can take root on their own. High winds or flash floods can carry the little cholla pods for quite a distance. Dozens of the spiny round cholla balls can pile up on the ground, so it is best to watch one's own step when strolling through a cholla patch. In fact, the round cholla clumps readily break free and attach to something like a hiker's shirt sleeve. This lends to the other nickname for cholla, which is "Jumping Cactus."

When strolling through the Cholla Gardens it does pay to be keenly aware of the surroundings in order to avoid making contact, simply because there are so many of them in this vast cactus patch. Inclement weather can add a dramatic effect to the visit, but it may be best to avoid this area if high winds are in the forecast. Cholla certainly are surreal to gaze upon and this is reason enough to do the trip!