National Geographic Special - The World\'s Most Beautiful Places

117 STARK & WILD

mojave

desert

SOUTHWESTERN

UNITED STATES

Far from the madding metropolitan crowds

of Las Vegas and Los Angeles that surround

it, the Mojave desert ofers the balm of

silence and solitude. Canyons, giant mesas,

mountains, towering dunes, and vast, dust-

dry plains make up one of North America’s

most elemental landscapes. It is a world little

touched by humans, save for the odd crum-

bling mine or homestead, but one which

nature adorns with the beauty of the Joshua

tree and spring’s brief-lived wildflowers.

DON’T MISS

Watch the sunset at Keys View on the crest of the

Little San Bernardino Mountains in Joshua Tree

National Park. Take in the incredible view across the

desert heights to the Peninsular Ranges.

Joshua trees set against a glowing sunset make for

one of the most recognizable symbols of the Mojave.