Discover 6 Uniquely California Desert Attractions: Hidden Gems of the Mojave and Beyond
While California's deserts captivate with their breathtaking natural beauty, they also conceal surprising man-made attractions—towns and sites born from creativity, history, and adventure. Some thrive with modern twists, others linger as nostalgic relics under the relentless sun, reflecting the ever-evolving desert landscape.
Experience these six extraordinary destinations, found nowhere else but in California's deserts.
Pioneertown
Heading east on Highway 62 from Palm Springs toward Yucca Valley, turn left onto Pioneertown Road to step into the Old West. The road meanders through boulder-strewn hills dotted with Joshua trees, sagebrush, and cacti—terrain where legends like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers once filmed. Built in the 1940s as a living movie set, this inhabited "ghost town" still hosts occasional productions. Residents shop at the general store, post letters, and live along "Mane Street" in authentic railroad-tie and adobe buildings. The iconic saloon and restaurant, Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, draws crowds with its Western vibe and performances by top country and rock musicians. Weekend Old West gunfight reenactments add authentic Wild West flair—all free on Mane Street.
Cabot’s Pueblo Museum
Nestled in Desert Hot Springs, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum is a 35-room, four-story adobe masterpiece hand-built by eccentric visionary Cabot Yerxa using scavenged desert materials. With 65 doors and 150 windows, exploring it feels like an archaeological treasure hunt through layers of history, artifacts, and cultures. Beyond Yerxa's legacy as adventurer, artist, naturalist, and conservationist—born on a Sioux reservation in 1883 and later homesteading in Desert Hot Springs—this museum honors Native American heritage and features a unique gift shop with handmade jewelry and art.
Yerxa discovered healing mineral springs on his land in 1914, sparking Desert Hot Springs' spa legacy. Tours incur a small fee, but grounds and shop access is free.
Zzyzx
Spot the quirky Zzyzx Road sign off I-15 in the Mojave and follow the 4.5-mile drive to this former Soda Springs site, now an incorporated community with Lake Tuendae. Today, the California State University-operated Desert Studies Center conducts vital research, like on the Saratoga pupfish—but the site's wild history steals the show.
Radio evangelist Curtis Howe Springer, posing as a doctor and minister, claimed the federal land in 1944, naming it Zzyzx to be the "last word" in health. He built a resort with heated "hot springs," a 60-room hotel, church, airstrip, and more, peddling dubious juices via his global radio show. Evicted and briefly imprisoned for fraud, his legacy lives on at this fascinating site.
Lake Dolores Waterpark
Off I-15 at Hacienda Drive near Newberry Springs, the faded ruins of Lake Dolores Waterpark evoke echoes of joy from bygone days. Opened in the 1960s with a man-made lake, campground, and thrilling slides, it struggled financially and closed in 1990. Revived as Rock-A-Hoola with 1950s flair, lazy river, and new slides dubbed the "Fun Spot of the Desert," it shuttered again after a tragic accident and lawsuit. Now abandoned (trespassing prohibited), it's gained fame in skate videos, with investors eyeing revival.
Mitchell Caverns
In the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, cooler elevations host cacti gardens, pinyon pines, bighorn sheep, and red rhyolite peaks like 7,000-foot Edgar Peak. But the star is the recently reopened Mitchell Caverns, California's only public state park limestone caves.
Sacred to the Chemehuevi as "the eyes of the mountain," they've yielded sloth fossils and ancient tools. Jack Mitchell developed them in 1934 as a Route 66 stop, later selling to the state. Ranger-led tours with LED lights showcase Pleistocene stalactites and stalagmites in El Pakiva and Tecopa caves (Winding Stair closed). Reservations required via phone Mondays 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Find more tips on touring Mitchell Caverns here.
Calico Ghost Town
Near Yermo off Calico Road, Calico Ghost Town boomed in the 1880s silver rush—Wyatt Earp walked its streets. Economics, not fire or plague, ghosted it when silver prices crashed. Revived in 1950 by Knott’s Berry Farm founder Walter Knott and donated as a county park, it retains one-third original buildings plus recreations.
Main Street features wooden sidewalks, shops, eateries, costumed actors, and impromptu gunfights. Explore the schoolhouse, miners’ shacks, Maggie’s Mine tour, and narrow-gauge railroad to mine sites. A true Mojave gem.
Pioneertown photo courtesy of Hillary Jones
