Southern California Desert Day Trips

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; the line operated until 1928 and carried Borax to the mill … [Read more...]

Pioneertown was originally built in the 1940s as an old western 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...]

Trona Pinnacles located about twenty miles east of the town of Ridgecrest in northeastern Kern County. The landscape here looks like it is right out of a science fiction movie. Scenes from Star Trek V The Final Frontier along with the original Planet of the Apes filmed in and around tufa … [Read more...]

Answer Natures Call with a View The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery 29 Palms is where. Visitors will find themselves viewing a unique art gallery with a very unusual outhouse. The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery, located on Thunder Road just off Highway 62, is unique in several different ways, beginning … [Read more...]

There are two ways you can enter Titus Canyon in Death Valley National Park. The easy way is to park at the west entrance and walk-in. The fun route is to drive in from Nevada Highway 374. The 27-mile trip starts near the Nevada town of Beatty and climbs to 5,000 feet before winding down to lower … [Read more...]

Shields Date Garden is a historic landmark that has been at the same location since 1924. Opening its doors on Christmas Day of that year, they have continuously offered quality date, citrus, and organic food products to customers all over the world. Inside Shields Date Garden’s store, visitors … [Read more...]

While it is possible to visit many of Death Valley's attractions in one-day most visitors spend a night or two in the park. There are plenty of campgrounds in Death Valley but hotel accommodations are limited. Hotels in the Death Valley National Park include The Ranch at Furnace Creek, The Oasis … [Read more...]

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is California's largest state park, and second-largest in the United States, spanning 600,000 acres. It is tucked into the southeastern corner of California, bound by the rugged mountain of the Santa Rosas in the north, the Jacumba Mountains on the South, and the … [Read more...]

Shoshone California is a small desert town near the southern entrance of Death Valley National Park. Located along Highway 178 Shoshone was originally named Metberry Spring. In 1909 the area was re-named to Shoshone and used as a station stop on the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad. For many … [Read more...]

Coachella Valley Preserve is just a short, convenient, air-conditioned day trip from Palm Springs. Take a nice easy walk through a real oasis in the middle of the desert, or work up a sweat under the sweltering desert sun, and then retire for a cool drink in the shade of a gorgeous palm grove. No … [Read more...]

Burro Schmidt was a determined fellow and spent 32 years of his life burrowing through the rock to create a shortcut to bring gold ore to the smelters near Mojave. Burro never found any gold ore, but he did finish his tunnel. Schmidt was entered into "Ripley's Believe It or Not" as the "human … [Read more...]

Harmony Borax Works is a popular attraction in Death Valley National Park. The site contains the remains of the processing plant along with a few buildings that made up the mining camp of Harmony. Harmony Borax Works was only used to process borax between 1882 and 1888. Today the site is listed … [Read more...]