All Stories from Deserts
Journey into the Chasm of Doom
When you enter Joshua Tree’s Chasm of Doom, your fate is sealed. Your life becomes an experience of mystery, steep climbs, steeper drops, chimneying, and death-defying squeezes. Wh
ViewChutes and Ladders
Just when you think you can’t go any farther in Painted Canyon, you remember why this route is called the Ladder Canyon Trail. Whew! There it is: a perfectly placed ladder that get
ViewThe Undead Ghost Town
Every Halloween, the worlds of the living and the dead blur together. In the “living ghost town” of Randsburg, that condition is permanent. This strange gold-rush town near the El
ViewPsychedelic Lava
You’d be hard-pressed to find a volcanic landscape in California as memorable and psychedelic as Fossil Falls. This chasm of water-sculpted lava rock in the Coso Mountain Range nor
ViewPlanet of the Pinnacles
The Trona Pinnacles have costarred as backdrop in sci-fi epics like Planet of the Apes and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but seeing these tufa towers in person is far more jaw-d
ViewLykken Good!
A hike followed by brunch? Always a good idea! Palm Springs’ go-to hike for gaining wild views and getting back to the city in time for brunch is North Lykken Trail. The path trace
ViewIt's a Waterfall Life
Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores will change how you think about the desert. You might grumble at the $1
ViewMurray Up!
Palm Springs’ highest summit, Murray Hill, is unfairly named. It’s not a hill: It’s a pyramid-shaped peak poking into the sky above the Coachella Valley. And it’s a demanding 2,200
ViewSweet Valley High
Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective. And getting up high to see things from a different view does the trick! At 3.6-miles (round-trip) the zigzagging Garstin Trail at the S
ViewCoachella Kinda Day
The Coachella Valley Preserve protects some 20,000 acres of wild desert, where the San Andreas Fault has worked as chief landscape architect. Seismic action forced freshwater sprin
ViewDon’t Hurry Murray
Don’t let the desert stereotype fool you: Palm Springs has a wet-and-wild side beyond hotel swimming pools. A 3.8-mile (round-trip) hike in Murray Canyon showcases Palm Springs as
ViewSand to Snow
The Sand to Snow National Monument’s centerpiece is the 11,500-foot peak of Mount San Gorgonio (the highest in all of SoCal), but a hidden gem exists in the area’s 2,850-acre Whitewater Preserve.
ViewMojave Momentum
The largest of Obama’s monument designations clocks in at a modest 1.6 million acres! Mojave Trails National Monument is home to a variety of desert destinations, including colorful canyons, striking mountain ranges, sand dunes, and even fossil beds containing 550-million-year-old trilobite remnants!
ViewStorm the Castle
Before President Obama channeled Teddy Roosevelt, the Mojave National Preserve was missing a key piece bordering Nevada in the northeast section of the park. This now conserved 21,000-acre parcel is protected and designated as the Castle Mountains National Monument after its namesake range.
ViewBottle Drive!
The High Desert northeast of the San Gabriel Mountains may not have the same grandeur as desert regions like Joshua Tree and Death Valley, but with a little digging, its own quirky
ViewDevils and Saints
You wouldn't think of a devil and a saint existing side by side all that comfortably, but hey, it's California—almost anything goes here. Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area near Palmda
ViewStarry-Eyed Camp Surprise
No trip to Joshua Tree National Park is complete without a stargazing party and the comfort of a campfire. The night sky illuminates spectacularly in the desert (especially during
ViewTwo Hikes, Trees Company
If you have time for only one hike during your visit in Joshua Tree National Park, do two! Located just 5 miles from the park's main entrance—and within 5 minutes of each other—the
ViewWild West Side
Joshua Tree National Park is wild in more ways than its gnarly namesake trees. Hike the park's west side for a big-picture vantage of the desertscape and to explore a historic mine
ViewReal Spring Break
You've hiked Joshua Tree's high peaks, gone into its desert wilds, and camped under its starry sky. Now it's time to enjoy a little R&R nearby. And by R&R we mean retro resort and
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Marin Wildflower Guide!
Thanks to winter’s wet weather, wildflowers are going to be showstoppers this spring! Get the best in blooms with a complimentary Marin Wildflower Guide.
Marin Wildflower GuideYour Inbox to the Outdoors
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