California Road Trips Guide - 2023 - 28

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TOP STOPS
a Tray tables down
Sit in a Boeing 737 seat and
sip a mile-high cocktail at
PS Air Bar, an aviationthemed
speakeasy.
Joshua Tree National Park
STARTS: PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
414 MILES * 4-5 DAYS
Cactus and Cocktails
SEE WHAT MAKES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S WARM DESERTS SO COOL
The uninitiated might think that deserts
are nothing but sand, dust, and wind,
but Southern California's deserts beg to
differ. This trip travels through a warmtinted
wilderness of lush cactus gardens,
weird and wonderful rock formations,
Old West relics, and quirky art.
Start at Palm Springs Airport, where
open-air terminals and tidy lawns dotted
with palms and sculptures are a fitting
place to ease your way into the desert
lifestyle. Sip a grapefruit cocktail in
the Sonny Bono Concourse while your
companion picks up the rental car, then
10 minutes later, slip into a mineral bath
at The Spa at Séc-he or change into your
swimsuit for a pool party.
The Coachella Valley's arid landscape
is a canvas for cosmopolitan pleasures-
upscale shopping, boozy happy hours,
old-school piano bars-so take a couple
days to explore Palm Springs and likeminded
resort towns nearby.
When you're ready for more rugged
scenery, drive I-10 through sand-rippled
washes to Joshua Tree National Park.
Heading north from Cottonwood
28 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
Springs, you'll pass whimsical boulders
and jaunty Joshua trees. Pause to admire
rock climbers and thickets of cholla
cactus, then exit the park and swing by
Glass Outhouse Art Gallery to see what
the locals are making.
Fill your car with gas because the
next stretch is uninterrupted solitude.
Just before Route 66-the road on
which generations of Americans got
their kicks-you'll see Amboy Crater's
volcanic cone towering over desolate
lava fields. Hike to the top or drive on
to Mojave National Preserve, home to
650-foot-high sand dunes and a visitors
center housed in a 1924 railroad depot.
Your sunshine-soaked journey
continues with a pit stop in Baker.
Shop for souvenirs by the world's tallest
thermometer (134 feet), then timetravel
to the Old West in Barstow and
beyond. Watch 1880s gunslingers stage
a kitschy-but-riveting skirmish at Calico
Ghost Town, then tie up your burro
at Pioneertown's Red Dog Saloon, a
watering hole that clings to the desert's
rough-and-tumble days.
b Natural history lesson
See dinosaur skeletons,
ancient Greek vessels, and
treasures from King Tut's
tomb at the Museum of
Ancient Wonders.
c Hot tickets
Opened in December 2022,
the 11,000-seat Acrisure
Arena hosts artists like
Harry Styles, Lizzo, and the
Eagles.
d New and vintage chic
Find your next music
festival outfit at Hi-Desert
Daydream, where makers,
artists, and vendors sell
clothing and jewelry.
AREA OF
DETAIL
Baker
Barstow
Twentynine
Palms
d
Palm
Desert
c
a
N
Palm Springs
b
Cathedral
City
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California Road Trips Guide - 2023

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