Page 71 - 2023-2024 Travel Guide to California

ranging from below sea level to almost
11,000 feet atop Mount San Jacinto.
Abundant rains in winter carpet the
desert with wildflowers—nowhere more
spectacular than the springtime bloom of
Antelope Valley Poppy State Reserve, near
the town of Mojave. Snaking south through
the Coachella Valley, scenic palm-lined
Highway 111 will deliver you to Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park. Capital of desert botanica,
this 500,000-acre park is ablaze with fiery
red poppies and other wildflowers.
A 30-minute drive northeast from Palm
Springs, Joshua Tree National Park spans
1,240 square miles of Mojave and lower Col-
orado deserts and protects one of the most
spectacular desert regions in North
America. Popular with rock climbers, its
dramatic landscapes are made surreal by
the “Joshua tree” species of yucca, with
strange, arm-like branches.
From Joshua Tree, historic Route 66
unfurls past Mojave National Preserve,
where the Kelso Dunes tower some 650 feet
above the desert floor. They’re known as the
“singing dunes” because they emit a buzz
or rumble when sand slides down the dune
slip face. Nearby, 32 ancient volcanic cones
stud Cinder Cones National Natural Land-
mark—a gateway to the standout draw of
the northern Mojave: Death Valley National
Park. The highest ground temperature ever
recorded on Earth was here, at Badwater, a
sunken trough that reaches 282 feet below
sea level. Yet Death Valley is rimmed by
11,000-foot mountains. Winter months are
deliciously temperate, when tourists flock
to marvel at chromatic canyons and sun-
bleached salt pans. Well-paved roads lace
the park, while dirt roads open up a world
of extreme adventure for visitors with suit-
able vehicles.
Valley. Then delight the kids, and yourself,
with a ten-minute jaunt to Alaska (at least
metaphorically) aboard the Palm Springs
Aerial Tramway. It ascends through four life
zones to the mountaintop station, where
the air is 30 degrees cooler than it is in the
desert below.
DRIVE TOUR
Family Fun
Kids love the desert, which offers heaps of
family fun, including old ghost towns such
as Pioneertown, an old movie set where
shoot-out recreations bring old Westerns
back to life. Another favorite is the Living
Desert Zoo & Gardens, exhibiting over 150
species of animals. With luck you might
even spot bighorn sheep in the wild on a
Desert Adventures eco-tour by Jeep.
Take to the air with Fantasy Balloon
Flights for a bird’s-eye view of the Coachella
Start in downtown PALM SPRINGS
and follow Highway 111 southeast
to PALM DESERT, then head into
the San Jacinto Mountains along
steep, twisting Highway 74 to the
COACHELLA VALLEY VISTA POINT
for a sensational view. Retrace
your route to Highway 111 and
continue east. Turn south onto
Highway 86 past date palms and
vineyards and the Salton Sea to
SALTON CITY, then head west
along Highway 522 through the
BORREGO BADLANDS to the
artists’ community of BORREGO
SPRINGS. Explore the fantastical
metal sculptures in GALLETA
MEADOWS, then lace up your
hiking boots to explore cactus-
studded ANZA-BORREGO DESERT
STATE PARK.
PALM SPRINGS
PALM
DESERT
COACHELLA VALLEY
VISTA POINT
BORREGO
BADLANDS
GALLETA
MEADOWS
ANZA-BORREGO
DESERT STATE PARK
VISITOR CENTER
SALTON CITY
BORREGO
SPRINGS
2023-24 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 69