For the latest on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) click here
Kodiak Greenwood
Southern California
Southern California
Discover the Deserts
More Ideas
The thwack of a golf club, the hum of the wind buffeting towering sand dunes, the splash of a dive into a perfect pool—the desert region is a sensory feast.
Following winter rains, springtime wildflowers paint the desert with colour.
Death Valley National Park holds the record for hottest temperature ever recorded (129°F/54°C in 1913), while the deserts of Joshua Tree National Park have giant boulders and alien-like yucca plants. At Anza-Borrego, California’s largest state park, discover amazing springtime wildflowers. The oasis-like Palm Springs region (2 hours east of L.A. and 3 hours northeast of San Diego) has golf resorts, midcentury modern architecture, and every spring, the epic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
More Ideas
Zachary Mazur/Getty Images
How to Hack Coachella
Tips for experiencing the annual music and arts festival, with or without a pass
It takes less than a day for passes to Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to sell...
Nov 3 - Nov 4
Marvel at ancient drawings at this desert gathering, then check out lava formations
Celebrate California’s earliest residents and see one of the world’s greatest collections of ancient drawings at the Ridgecrest Petroglyph...
David H. Carriere/Getty Images
California Questionnaire: Vera Mulyani
The entrepreneur has sunk her roots in the Golden State as she works toward making life on Mars possible
Courtesy of Visit California
Go Off the Beaten Path in the Desert
Stay in a historic hotel, enjoy a private rock-climbing experience, and stroll through an outdoor museum
The charm is simple—and highly...
Stargazing, Best Bike Routes, Mid-Century Modernism
Astronomer Dennis Mammana takes Soterios Johnson on a tour of the cosmos while author Sam Lubell discusses retro-chic architecture
On the latest episode of the California Now Podcast astronomer Dennis Mammana offers his take on mankind’s connection to the heavens above. Mammana lives in Borrego Springs, an International Dark...
Pascal Shirley
5 Private Tours of Palm Springs and the Desert
Memorable only-in-California experiences for travelers interested in nature, history, food, shopping, and more
The upscale resort city of Palm Springs sits 100 miles east of Los Angeles...
Halbergman/Getty Images
Tyler Florence’s Favorite Road Trips
Chef Tyler Florence shares his top picks for the best drives and views in California
Chef, winemaker, and television host Tyler Florence fell for California through the...
Apr 12 - Apr 21
Experience the two-weekend Coachella festival in Indio, which has A-list headliners—like Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar—and a unique arts and food scene
Beyond the musical acts, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, held in April at Empire Polo Club in Indio, has morphed into...
Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
SPECIAL FEATURE
Find beauty, wildlife, and solitude in three of America’s newest national preserves
You could call it a monumental achievement: In February 2016, three new national monuments were created, protecting a combined total of 1.8 million acres of California desert. The names of the...
Ann Marie Brown
In 1867, the U.S. Army established Fort Piute (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) along the Old Spanish Trail that crossed the Mojave Desert from the Colorado River to San Bernardino, California.
Laura Flippen
Spotlight: Death Valley National Park
Frolic among sand dunes, marvel at multi-hued badlands and marble-walled canyons, and stand on the western hemisphere’s lowest spot
The largest national park outside of Alaska, Death Valley is an almost...
Janell Shirtcliff/Courtesy of Best Coast
Best Coast Celebrates Pappy & Harriet’s
The Los Angeles rock duo loves performing at this unique desert venue
Anyone who has ever attended a concert at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, or scarfed down a plate of its celebrated macaroni and cheese...
At 282 ft. below sea level, Badwater in Death Valley National Park is the lowest point in the contiguous United States.
Spotlight: Greater Palm Springs
Relax by the pool, hike to a leafy palm oasis, soak in a soothing spa, or soar in a balloon above this chic desert hideaway
Fed by a deep underground aquifer, the desert gushes to life in regal palm groves and fabulous swimming pools, and also in a string of vibrant...
Lucas Himovitz
Luxury Resorts in the Desert
Relax at spoil-yourself spas under the desert sun
Pampering just comes with the territory in the California desert. Maybe in the old days, desert visitors had to pack in supplies and sleep on the...
This idyllic oceanfront city, bounded by a 3.5-mi/5.6-km-long beach, feels more like a weekend getaway spot than a city just a few minutes west of downtown Los Angeles. Hang out on the city’s broad beach or lively Pacific...
Protecting an astounding 1.6 million acres/647,497 hectares of pristine desert wilderness, the Mojave National Preserve lets you hear singing sand dunes, explore weirdly contorted Joshua trees, and hike up volcanic cinder cones. Take time to explore, and let the desert’s magic unfold.
Don...
Alex Farnum
Spotlight: Joshua Tree National Park
Whimsical boulders, fascinating flora, and star-studded skies beckon in this dramatic desert park
Boulders and buttresses, rugged mountains, gold mining ruins, desert plains dotted with oddball trees—...
This is the sense of the desert hills, that there is room enough and time enough.
Laura Flippen
Desert Shopping
Boutiques, bargains, boho-chic, and beautiful art pieces—you’ll find it all in Greater Palm Springs
In-the-know visitors make sure to come to the Palm Springs area with room in their...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Where to release your inner fashionista
Shopping is an art form in California. Whether you're in search of the perfect cocktail dress or an authentic Mexican piñata, you'll find it here. Want to sample fresh produce? Try our farmers...
May
Saddle up for Stagecoach, the country cousin held in the same venue—the Indio Polo Grounds south of Palm Springs—as the...
Courtesy of Stagecoach
Courtesy of Elvis Presley Estate
Mid-Century Modern Design
Swing into Sinatra cool in Palm Springs
Filled with distinctive post-World War II buildings designed by leading architects of the time, Palm Springs is America’s Mid-century Modern mecca...
Kodiak Greenwood
Golf & tennis
Swing clubs and racquets where the pros do in the Coachella Valley
With world-class golf courses set against dramatic desert landscapes and top-quality tennis courts beneath towering palms, two sports get classy...
SPECIAL FEATURE
From edgy rock n’ roll to haute couture fashion, there’s a festival for you in the desert
For all of the desert’s natural splendour and outdoor destinations, creativity comes with the territory, too. Throughout the year, the region finds ways to celebrate art, design, music, and film...
Lucas Himovitz
The lowest golf course in the world is Furnace Creek in Death Valley, at 214 feet below sea level.
Miguel Vieira/Flickr
Spotlight: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
The enormous park is the place to discover the desert’s diversity and beauty, as well as art both new and ancient
Although it’s only two hours east of San Diego’s beaches,...
February
Want a date? You’re guaranteed to get one at the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival, the nearly 100-year-old extravaganza...
Kate Bolin/Flickr
David A Lee
LGBTQ Travel in the Deserts
Experience a scene that really heats up when the weather starts to cool down
Fabulous pool parties. Stylish bars and impeccably designed hotels. Pampering spas and energetic nightclubs. Lavish events. There’s no question...
SPECIAL FEATURE
Vast landscapes, spectacular desert vistas
Both vast and intimate, the California desert is a region that ranges from arid, barren expanses to oasis-like canyons with hidden waterfalls. Towering sand dunes rise above the desert floor,...
Alex Farnum
Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Amboy Crater
Hike into a 6,000-year-old volcanic remnant
Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973 and located just off historic Route 66, Amboy Crater is an example of geology creating geometry—it’...
Greater Southwestern Exploration Company/Flickr
Fossil Falls
Rushing river, sculpted black lava
The truth is that the name Fossil Falls is a bit of a misnomer. After all, there are neither fossils nor a waterfall here. But a walk through...
California
Snow-covered peaks in winter, gushing waterfalls in spring, wildflower meadows and glistening lakes in summer, vibrant colors in fall—this is a land of dramatic and wild...
California
California’s heartland offers up one of the state’s most authentic and sensory-rich experiences, a chance to see—and taste—the state’s bounty at every turn. Follow oak-...
California: Entertainment
The Golden State is not only home to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ residents—it has played an essential role in supporting gay rights over the decades and is one of the most...