Barker dam~Weekend Reflections 041710

I didn't know about Barker Dam at Joshua Tree National Park until I saw a photo of it on the national park brochure. Of course, then I wanted to see it! When we arrived on Sunday, the parking lot was relatively deserted. That was quite a contrast to Thursday's chaos! There weren't enough spots for all the cars that day because a school bus had pulled in sideways and the bus driver was telling people to move their cars away from the bus in case she had to leave. It is a 1.1 mile loop to the dam and back past the petroglyphs, but it is an easy walk (there are a few steps) and it is well marked. The only place that isn't easy is when you hike past the lake to where the dam actually is. You have to walk right down a step that is partly covered by a huge rock and I didn't do it my first visit on Thursday. By Sunday, when I took this photo, I was determined to get past that spot and I did (and I have a bad back and leg issues). When past that rock, you can actually see the dam and then you walk about .5 miles on the well-marked trail to the petroglyphs, then back to the parking lot. Weekend Reflections for April 17, 2010.