Joshua Tree National Park preserves nearly 795,156 acres where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet in southeastern California, creating one of the United States’ most recognizable desert landscapes. Known for its Joshua trees, distinctive rock formations, and rare oases, the area also holds a deep human history, from Pinto Culture inhabitants to Serrano, Cahuilla, and Chemehuevi communities. Ranchers and miners later left wells, dams, mills, and mines across the desert. Protected first as a national monument in 1936 after advocacy by Minerva Hoyt and others, it became a national park in 1994. Today it remains important for conservation, history, and scenery despite mounting climate pressures.