The Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park are the major attractions of the desert, and little wonder. Death Valley is the lowest and hottest stretch of the desert, Joshua Tree National Park the greatest concentration of some of its most notable flora. While the National Parks preserve the Mojave Desert's extremes, the National Preserve, perhaps, preserves the essence of what this desert is - a little Joshua Tree, a little sand and cinder cone, a little wildflower, a little canyon and mountain.
History, both ancient and relatively recent, is also a part of the desert. The Twenty Mule Team Museum recalls the days when this intimidating landscape was crossed not by cars, but animals. The Calico Early Man Site recalls even earlier days, at the dawn of civilization. And the off ghost town serves as a reminder of the ruggedness and difficulty of the Mojave.
