The Ice Box Canyon Trail leads through open desert into a narrow, high-walled box canyon highlighted by near-perennial water, diverse vegetation and a seasonal waterfall. Bighorn sheep are frequently seen in the upper canyon where large pools persist much of the year. The canyon is aptly named for its cooler environment and shady canopy.

The Ice Box Canyon Trail begins in open desert with great views back across the basin of Turtlehead Peak

Cacti practice some form of CAM photosynthesis, which entails opening stomates at night to minimize water loss, and storing CO2 until the next day when light can provide energy to complete photosynthesis

The Ice Box Canyon Trail can be hard to follow in places as it passes through a cluttered, diversely vegetated bajada

Red Bud Trees help form a shady canopy in the canyon, and are great places to find hummingbirds

Looking east through the mouth of Ice Box Canyon toward the Calico Hills

There are several Penstemon species in the Mojave with a wide geographic range; most rely on hummingbirds for pollination

Red Bud Tree flowers produce pea-like pods that turn reddish brown and may remain on the tree well into winter

Though only a short vertical climb, the rock is deceptively steep and slick leading up to the terminal pools and waterfall

The mouth of Ice Box Canyon supports a wide range of plants from overlapping creosote, blackbrush, chaparral and riparian biotic communities

Desert Varnish is comprised of clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese and/or iron, as well as other particles like sand grains and trace elements

Looking north across open desert at the White Rock Hills and limestone striations of La Madre Mountain

Manzanita has a distinct, smooth red bark and produces small fruits ('little apples') consumed by many different animals - and people

Buckhorn cholla favors gravelly slopes and well-drained bajadas up to 4000' in the eastern Mojave

Most flowers and bushes bloom from late March - early May in middle elevations of the Mojave desert