This park centers on Saddleback Butte, a 3651ft-high mountain about 15 miles east of Lancaster. It protects native Joshua trees and other desert flora and fauna. The best time to visit is in spring. A moderately strenuous 2.5-mile trail leads to the peak (bring water and avoid in summer). Camping is available.
Saddleback Butte State Park
The Deserts
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
27.6 MILES
Colorful as a box of crayons, this roadside folk-art collection is a forest of over 200 ‘bottle trees’ made from recycled soda and beer containers,…
24.27 MILES
On a hilltop on the grounds of the Rio Tinto Boron Mine, California's largest open pit mine, this museum reeks 'corporate promo' but actually has some…
23.99 MILES
Storied Edwards Air Force Base is a flight-test facility for the US Air Force, NASA and civilian aircraft, and a training school for test pilots with the …
23.53 MILES
This modest, volunteer-run museum recounts milestones in experimental flight testing in the surrounding desert, including the first breaking of the sound…
3.06 MILES
Some 4000 years ago, the Antelope Valley was an important trade route linking American Indian cultures throughout the Great Basin, California and the…
23.51 MILES
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…
Nearby The Deserts attractions
1. Antelope Valley Indian Museum
3.06 MILES
Some 4000 years ago, the Antelope Valley was an important trade route linking American Indian cultures throughout the Great Basin, California and the…
23.51 MILES
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…
23.53 MILES
This modest, volunteer-run museum recounts milestones in experimental flight testing in the surrounding desert, including the first breaking of the sound…
23.99 MILES
Storied Edwards Air Force Base is a flight-test facility for the US Air Force, NASA and civilian aircraft, and a training school for test pilots with the …
24.27 MILES
On a hilltop on the grounds of the Rio Tinto Boron Mine, California's largest open pit mine, this museum reeks 'corporate promo' but actually has some…
27.6 MILES
Colorful as a box of crayons, this roadside folk-art collection is a forest of over 200 ‘bottle trees’ made from recycled soda and beer containers,…