The Covington Flats area of JTree is located in the northwestern portion of the park. While it doesn't get a lot of press, and there's not much solid information about the 'Flats to be found online, it is well worth the small adventure of getting there. Why? Because some of the park's largest Joshua Trees, junipers, and pinyon pines call either Lower or Upper Covington Flat home. From this point on, beware. If you don't like Joshua Trees, you may not fully enjoy this post....

The 'Flats are named after Will Covington, a pioneer Morongo Valley rancher and entrepreneur. He not only ran cattle in the Morongo area, he also sold supplies to travelers who were starting to drive gasoline-powered vehicles into the desert. He was also a driving force behind the move to erect life-saving road signs throughout much of the surrounding desert.

The landscape is stark along most of Lower Covington Flat Road; the result of several lightning-strike wildfires during the the late 1990s. Upon reaching the rather bleak picnic area at Lower Covington Flat, Murbachi and I decided to visit Upper Covington Flat first, as we knew that's where the big trees hang out.

Backtracking a bit to Covington Flats Crossover Road, we headed west. The road climbs and the landscape began to change. From bleak and barren to lush desert vegetation, it was an amazing transformation to witness. Upon reaching the parking area, it was a hard decision which way to go as every direction seemed to demand exploration. Luckily, there are two trails that depart from the parking area; the Covington Crest trial and the California Riding and Hiking Trail (CRHT). We wandered about both trails for quite a distance and cross-desert as well. It's pretty amazing, both the number of Joshua Trees in this forest and the size of many of them. Here's a small portion of what I saw: