Frommer'sFrommer's
    24 Activities

    California Desert: Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, and the San Andreas Fault

    California Desert: Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, and the San Andreas Fault
    Starts from

    Los Angeles

    Transportation

    By Car

    Guidance

    Self-Guided

    Activities

    24

    Duration

    4 days

    Length

    505 mi

    In partnership with

    Visit California

    Guide details

    Starts from

    Los Angeles

    Transportation

    By Car

    Guidance

    Self-Guided

    Duration

    4 days

    Length

    505 mi

    Unusual LocationsGastronomy
    Map preview

    Created By:

    Highlights

    • Southern California's beloved desert escapes.
    • Mid-century style in Palm Springs.
    • Ancient microbiomes in Joshua Tree National Park.
    • Weird wonders of the Salton Sea.
    The Southern California desert is a fascinating locale of rare natural wonders, carefully curated mid-century lifestyles, and iconoclastic locals. Don’t let the sandy landscape deceive you. Amid the wide expanses, you'll find upscale dining, unique shopping, and Palm Springs haunts popular with past and present Hollywood stars. Elsewhere, a Coachella Valley oasis shimmers along the San Andreas Fault, and a Mad Max-style artists' enclave endures by the peculiar Salton Sea. Photo credit: Reagan Kastner

    Categories

    The Southern California desert is a fascinating locale of rare natural wonders, carefully curated mid-century lifestyles, and iconoclastic locals. Don’t let the sandy landscape deceive you. Amid the wide expanses, you'll find upscale dining, unique shopping, and Palm Springs haunts popular with past and present Hollywood stars. Elsewhere, a Coachella Valley oasis shimmers along the San Andreas Fault, and a Mad Max-style artists' enclave endures by the peculiar Salton Sea. Photo credit: Reagan Kastner

    In partnership with

    Visit California
    Frommer's Travel Guides

    Frommer's Travel Guides

    • Southern California's beloved desert escapes.
    • Mid-century style in Palm Springs.
    • Ancient microbiomes in Joshua Tree National Park.
    • Weird wonders of the Salton Sea.

    Travel itinerary

    Roadside Dinosaurs, Joshua Trees, and a BBQ Roadhouse
    7 Activities

    Day 1

    164 mi0.2 mi

    Roadside Dinosaurs, Joshua Trees, and a BBQ Roadhouse

    Ease yourself into the desert lifestyle by retracing the steps of early tourists. By the end of the day, you'll be in one of America's most remote national parks, worlds away from the city. Photo credit: Courtesy Mission Inn Hotel & Spa
    Mineral Springs Spa, Mountaintop Panorama, and Dinner at Cary Grant's House
    6 Activities

    Day 2

    68 mi

    Mineral Springs Spa, Mountaintop Panorama, and Dinner at Cary Grant's House

    Transition from the High Desert to the Low by delighting the eye and pampering the body. Photo credit: Courtesy of Copley’s on Palm Canyon
    The Palm Springs Lifestyle
    5 Activities

    Day 3

    33 mi

    The Palm Springs Lifestyle

    Learn how Palm Springs became the getaway of choice for America's elite, and meet the locals as you visit some of the most alluring enclaves. Photo credit: Tim Street-Porter
    Natural Wonders and Blunders: The San Andreas Fault and the Dramatic Saga of the Salton Sea
    6 Activities

    Day 4

    240 mi

    Natural Wonders and Blunders: The San Andreas Fault and the Dramatic Saga of the Salton Sea

    On the final day of your road trip, venture into the Mojave Desert and meet the people who have learned to tame this challenging landscape in their own unique ways. Photo credit: Jason Cochran
    Map preview
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