This is the area I liked best and you have some more vegetation.

http://digital-desert.com/joshua-tree/hidden-valley/ The Mojave Desert as we know it is probably less than 10,000 years old. Before that, pinyon-juniper woodlands covered the lower slopes of the present desert ranges and basins. As the climate became more arid, this conifer woodland began to retreat. Now these trees are considered a relict population, confined to higher elevations and areas such as Hidden Valley, where there is enough moisture to support them.