All Stories from Deserts

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  Liquid Assets

  The arid Los Angeles high desert lets you pay homage to H2O via 7.75 miles of walking along the aquatic channel. Followed by enjoying a different liquid quencher, beer from Bravery Brewing Company.

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  Canyons Calling

  Canyon hikes come in all shapes and sizes in Death Valley, and we’ve got two gems. One requires more rigorous scrambling and navigation, and leads to a dryfall; the other takes you up to a brilliant vista.

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  Dune Swoon

  Of all the places to catch a sunset in Death Valley, we still think there’s none better than the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, inspiring many things, including log rolls, cartwheels, and sundown selfies.

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  Good as Golden

  Golden Canyon in Death Valley has a variety of hiking trails. We like this classic 5.5-mile loop exploring a labyrinth of marbled gold colored hills, badlands, narrow canyons, and tremendous vistas.

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  Cataclysmic Galactic

  Death Valley has a Star Wars vibe going with its desolate landscape. So when you first arrive to hike at the incredible Ubehebe Crater you might expect to see the Millennium Falcon hunkered nearby.

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  Tachevah Canyon

  Grand is great and all, but little canyons can make big impressions too. Take Tachevah Canyon’s rim-to-rim hike in the San Jacinto mountain range. This 4.7-mile (round-trip) out-and-back hike features some dynamic desert landscape.

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  Trio of Trails

  Get into Joshua Tree National Park Park early and hit the classic circuit of short trails before the crowds arrive. We also have some food and overnight recos.

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  Split Decision

  Joshua Tree is famous for its namesake trees but it's also got some big-ass boulders! We're talking size-of-a-building boulders. See them on an off-the-beaten-path hike along the Split Rock Trail.

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  Find Your Oasis

  Don’t let the name fool you. Death Valley has a completely new lodging experience that’s all about being alive! Here are five amazing ways to find your oasis in the Lower 48’s largest national park.

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  Joshua Tree's Secret Aerie

  You won’t find Eagle Cliff Mine on the official Joshua Tree National Park map—which is part of the appeal of this challenging 4.6-mile (round-trip) out-and-back trek.

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  Ultimate Oasis

  Water is life in the desert, and nowhere does the desert come to life more dramatically than in Palm Canyon in the Agua Caliente Reservation's Indian Canyons. Here a walk on the 2.

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  49 Palms and Counting

  The hike to 49 Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree has pleasures great and small. Big: a genuine palm oasis and expansive views. Small: the possibility of spotting a desert tortoise or a ch

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  Hi, View!

  Pop quiz: Closest Joshua Tree trail to the LA metro area? It’s Hi-View Nature Trail near Yucca Valley’s Black Rock entrance to the national park. Overlooked, but worth looking over

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  When Disney met the Petroglyph: It's Complicated

  An unlikely desert lake is generally the high point of a hike to Barker Dam, but there’s an even more unusual sight at the end of the loop trail that you might have missed even if

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  I Got You, Bird

  The Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge doesn’t get many human visitors, but more than 30,000 birds make it a point to visit this hidden gem every year. It consists of 2,200 acres

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  Salton Sea 101

  Your best intro to the Salton Sea is via a 2.5-mile walk along the north shore in Salton Sea State Recreation Area. It’s not exactly paradise, but the surrounding geography is impr

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  Muchas Palmas

  No California desert trip is complete without a visit to an oasis, and on a Salton Sea sojourn, that means a 1-mile (round-trip) out-and-back walk to palm tree heaven: Dos Palmas P

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  Top of Teutonia

  The best way to see just how vast and amazing Mojave National Preserve is? By bagging a peak, of course. From Teutonia Peak, you get a great perspective on the world’s largest and

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  Watering Hole

  In the dry, dry Mojave, water holes aren’t just oddities; they’re critical lifesavers. Rock Spring in the heart of Mojave National Preserve is a perfect example of a spot that has

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  Formation Nation

  You don't have to head to a museum to see some of the world's greatest sculpted formations. Take a hike along Caruthers Canyon Trail in Mojave National Preserve’s New York Mountain

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