Must-see attractions in The Deserts

The Mojave Desert is one of the few places on earth where you see the Joshua tree, which is actually a type of yucca. This park protects the few stands…

Just north of Furnace Creek, a 0.5-mile interpretive trail follows in the footsteps of late-19th-century Chinese laborers and through the adobe ruins of…

A rusted Chevy parked next to antique gas pumps and other flotsam and jetsam from yesteryear are the highlights of this quirky place, so don't fret if…

An old lime-green photo booth is the home of Bunny, Buddy and hundreds of their crocheted friends collected by Shari Elf. The artist, singer, fashion…

This viewpoint peers deep into Rainbow Canyon, created by lava flows and scattered with multihued volcanic cinders. It's worth a quick stop on your way in…

Discover how the well-to-do lived in the pioneer days at this 1893 house built of railroad ties. Aside from antique furniture, items displayed in the…

Barstow's Main St is well known for its history-themed murals that spruce up often empty and boarded-up buildings. Pick up a map at the Chamber of…

This supposedly haunted hotel built in 1925 sports elaborate Mayan Revival–style detail and once housed a speakeasy where Hollywood celebs knocked 'em…

Pan for gold and be regaled with tales of the hardscrabble life of the town’s early pioneers during an hour-long underground tour through the former Eagle…

Near Twin Peaks, this tower was was built in 1934 and named for a local strawberry farm. To get there, take Hwy 18 to Rim Forest, turn north on Bear…

In the north, Hwy 190 ends at a landscape shaped by a cluster of craters, of which Ubehebe is the largest. Its younger brother, Little Hebe, is a short…

This museum showcases the history and culture of the Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla people through permanent and changing exhibits and special events.

The pile of rocks is actually a monument to Thomas 'Peg Leg’ Smith – one-legged mountain man, fur trapper, horse thief, con artist and Wild West legend…

Pay your respects to early desert adventurers at the old Stone Hotel. Built in 1875 of adobe and stone, it once housed miners, desert explorers and…

Rat Packers should make the pilgrimage to Desert Memorial Park to pay their final respects to Frank Sinatra who died in 1998 at age 82. He was buried in…

Despite the name, this low-budget museum is not so much about the famous teams of mules that transported borax from Death Valley to Mojave in the 1880s…

Cruising through Fontana, birthplace of the Hells Angels biker club, pause for a photo by the Giant Orange, a now-boarded-up 1930s orange-shaped juice…

Back in the day when the Butterfield Overland stage coach had a hard time making it across this pass, passengers had to temporarily get off and walk –…

Just east of Stovepipe Wells Village, Hwy 190 passes through this plain that is not studded with corn but with clumps of arrow weed, an evergreen used by…

En route to the Salton Sea, this certified-organic date garden is handy for picking up gift boxes and yummy date shakes.