Southern California Desert Day Trips

The Palm Springs Tramway takes visitors from the hot desert floor to the cool San Jacinto mountains. Take an exciting trip on the world's largest rotating tram cars that hold up to eighty passengers. The adventure starts as you drive up the steep road to the Palm Springs Tram Base Station. While … [Read more...]

Aptly named after the Pronghorn antelopes that are said to have roamed the desert floor until being eliminated by hunters in the 1880s, Antelope Valley is a unique blend of remote desert landscapes and cutting-edge technology. Known as the “ aerospace capital of the world, " The principal cities … [Read more...]

Tecopa Hot Springs is located just outside of Death Valley National Park.  This sleepy little desert town is about a 90-minute drive from Furnace Creek Visitor Center or Las Vegas. The main attractions in Tecopa are the natural hot springs, mud baths, a couple of run-down resorts and the Death … [Read more...]

Just west of Needles, California is an all but totally abandoned section of roadway called National Trails Highway. For years this roadway served as the main artery for travelers heading west from New Mexico to California. Named for the coast-to-coast highway that predated Route 66, today the … [Read more...]

The Borax Visitor Center is located way out in the Mojave desert in the town of Boron California. The visitor center sits on top of a huge pile of material extracted from the borax mine pit and overlooks the Rio Tinto Borax processing plant and the largest open pit mine in California. At the … [Read more...]

Mojave National Preserve is located in the heart of the Mojave Desert and was established in 1994 through the California Desert Protection Act. It is a must for any outdoor enthusiast and a great way for the entire family to spend some time in the great outdoors. Visitors can explore nearly 1.5 … [Read more...]

Scotty's Castle is closed until 2020, however, walking tours of the Scotty's Castle Grounds are available. Built-in 1927 by wealthy insurance executive Albert Johnson, smack dab in the middle of Death Valley National Park, is Scotty's Castle. A 32,000-square-foot two-story Spanish Villa in … [Read more...]

The Palm Springs Air Museum gives visitors a chance to experience firsthand the sacrifice our flyers made in preserving the freedom we take for granted. It’s a worthwhile stop on your next getaway, and the perfect opportunity to pay homage to those heroes. The museum is home to one of the … [Read more...]

Death Valley Junction started out as a water stop along the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad which operated from 1907 until 1940. In 1914 a 20-mile side spur was constructed from Death Valley Junction to the mines at Ryan near Death Valley This line operated until 1928 and carried Borax to the mill at … [Read more...]

Situated in the foothills above the floor of the Coachella Valley, the inhabitants of Desert Hot Springs get a bird’s eye view of the bustling life of the rich and famous in nearby Palm Springs.Plenty of sunshine with average temperatures in the mid to upper 80s allows visitors to enjoy one of the … [Read more...]

What do Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Frank Sinatra, Clark Gable and Richard Nixon all have in common? They have all stayed behind the pink security walls of Sunnylands, the former winter residence of billionaires Walter and Leonore Annenberg in Rancho Mirage, California. Once only … [Read more...]

Pioneertown was originally built in the 1940s as an old west movie set. Today locals keep the western tradition alive holding mock gunfights from April through October on Pioneer town's Main Street. Pappy and Harriet's Palace offers live music, touring bands and dancing on Thursday, Friday, … [Read more...]

Harvey House Railroad Depot also is known as the Casa Del Desierto sits by the railroad tracks in Barstow, California. The Barstow Railroad Depot opened in 1911 as a Santa Fee train station and Harvey House. Before there were dining cars trains would stop at Harvey Houses so passengers could dine … [Read more...]

There's Mt. Sinai, and then there's Salvation Mountain. On the barren badlands east of San Diego, there is 30-foot high, 100-foot wide concrete and adobe mountain covered in religious slogans and over an estimated 150,000 gallons of lavish multi-colored acrylic paint. Located near the salty … [Read more...]