Pictures don’t do Giant Rock justice. This boulder is seven stories high, as tall as the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs (the city’s tallest building).
PHOTO BY NATE ABBOTT
Home to the national park that’s known for fantastical rock formations and Seussian forests, the High Desert town of Joshua Tree is accessible from either side of the Coachella Valley.
From Palm Springs, follow Interstate 10 West to Highway 62 and take in the views as you sidewind up the mountain through Morongo and Yucca valleys. Alternatively, Interstate 10 East will lead you through the wide-open desert landscape to Cottonwood Visitor Center at the south end of the park; from there, Pinto Basin Road takes you past photo-ops at the Ocotillo Patch, Cholla Cactus Garden, and Smoke Tree Wash as you ascend to higher elevation.
The surrounding High Desert towns — Yucca Valley, Pioneertown, Flamingo Heights, Landers, and Twentynine Palms — include more natural beauty, curious stops, and great desert-style shopping, food, and libations to enjoy along the way.
JOSHUA TREE
Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Sculpture
Born in Alabama in 1917, Noah Purifoy was a longtime resident of Los Angeles before moving to Joshua Tree. He crafted his first sculpture with debris from the 1965 Watts riots and went on to make hundreds of assemblage sculptures from objects like tires, TVs, and refrigerators. The late artist’s outdoor museum in Joshua Tree features more than 100 installations and is free to visit from sunup to sundown.
Más o Menos
It’s a café and bar, more or less. Más o Menos serves coffee and cocktails out of an unassuming hacienda-style building. Ample outdoor space in a rustic setting makes it an idyllic venue for live music as the sun sets or for sun salutations at sunrise. Community gatherings include open-air yoga, pop-up markets, and DJ-spun dance parties.
Dry April? Más o Menos has an inventive mocktail list! Try the Eternal Optimist, with ginger beer, lime, mint, and bitters.
PHOTO BY LAUREN MOORE, COURTESY MÁS O MENOS
Airplane stir sticks at The Copper Room make a sweet souvenir.
PHOTO BY DAVE GERSHGORN, COURTESY THE COPPER ROOM
YUCCA VALLEY
The Copper Room
It’s hard to beat the views and vibes at The Copper Room, overlooking the Yucca Valley Airport. First opened under the same name in 1957, and once a favorite watering hole of Gram Parsons, the bar has gone through a few owners and name changes over the years.
In 2022, it got a refresh and reopened with a nod to the rustic glamour of its past. Beyond the door — created by local artisan Robert Dougherty and estimated to weigh over 300 pounds thanks to copper sheet metal and more than 2,000 rivets — something extra special awaits. Bartenders mix up creative drinks alongside an eclectic menu of selections like char sui pork belly and fresh springs rolls. Plus, The Copper Room hosts regular live music and DJs.
The Tiny Pony Tavern
Serving lunch, dinner, and drinks seven days a week, with brunch on the weekends, this woman-owned dive draws locals and visitors for one of the most extensive drink menus in the High Desert. Stick around to take a selfie in the photo booth, play a game of pool, and peep the gallery of black velvet paintings. Entertainment includes The Sopranos viewing nights, weekly karaoke, and dog costume contests. You’ll find outdoor seating and lawn games on the back patio. Did we mention the food? They make everything from duck confit nachos to scratch-made veggie burgers, with favorites like biscuits and gravy at brunch.
PIONEERTOWN
Mane Street
Established in 1946 by a group of Hollywood actors, including Dick Curtis and Roy Rogers, Pioneertown was built as an Old West film set. The working buildings lining Mane Street retain their Tinseltown charm but now house funky souvenir shops and bars. This is where you’ll find the legendary Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace and Red Dog Saloon. The town is walkable, and accommodations are available at the trendy Pioneertown Motel.
FLAMINGO HEIGHTS
La Copine
A decade ago, wives Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill renovated an old diner in the middle of nowhere and transformed it into a High Desert hot spot that often has a long wait. (Stick it out, it’s worth it.) Day after day, a steady stream of diners makes the drive to this 42-seat eatery in Flamingo Heights to get their fill of dishes like mussels Dijonnaise and ricotta panna cotta with honey and figs. They’re only open Thursdays through Sundays, reservations are limited, and walk-ins are seated on a first come, first served basis.
Find your Zen at the Integratron, where sound baths occur in an acoustically perfect chamber.
PHOTO COURTESY THE INTEGRATRON
LANDERS
Integratron
This Landers landmark began life as a wannabe time machine created by ufologist George Van Tassel. Van Tassel claimed the plans came to him from an alien. Soaring 38 feet high, the dome is constructed entirely out of wood, without a single piece of metal, not even a nail. It sits on land that reportedly harbors an energy vortex.
Although the structure has never transported anyone back in time (at least to public knowledge), it happens to be acoustically perfect. Many bands, including Arctic Monkeys, have recorded here. Now privately owned by three sisters, the Integratron exploits its sonic excellence with sound bath sessions. Book one, and you’ll relax on a mat while a practitioner creates resonant sounds from quartz singing bowls
that echo through the dome and take you on a mellifluous trip.
Giant Rock
This seven-story boulder sits atop flat sand in Landers and leaves visitors who trek the dirt road to reach it wondering how in the hell it got there. The lone rock was considered sacred by Indigenous people. In the 1950s, it became revered by a new cohort of believers — ufologists and contactees, including George Van Tassel. In the 1980s and ’90s, it served as a backdrop to late-night generator parties. The rock fractured in early 2000, and has been covered in graffiti, but it remains a must-see and a popular photo-op.
TWENTYNINE PALMS
29 Palms Inn
Home to the largest U.S. Marine Corps base, Twentynine Palms boasts burgeoning arts, music, and food scenes. Make this inn your home base as you explore the eclectic town. (The inn has an excellent restaurant.)
- READ NEXT: 10 High Desert gift shops with unique finds.