Best Things to Do in Joshua Tree

Noah Purifoy was an acclaimed assemblage sculptor. He took found objects, often other people’s junk and once even detritus from the 1965 Watts Rebellion in Los Angeles, and refashioned them into fine art. Born in Alabama in 1917, the Black American artist and teacher moved to Los Angeles in the ’50s, and then Joshua Tree in 1989. He lived and worked at his desert studio until his death in 2004, which is now this remarkable outdoor museum free for the public to explore. Part playground, part Burning Man-esque art, it’s a thought- and feeling-provoking collection of wood, metal and rubber. There’s a palace of old toilets, a wooden room filled with old computers, fax machines and trophies and so much more.

Along the side of Twentynine Palms Highway sits a giant Pepsi can, beckoning passersby to visit the curious little Glass Outhouse Art Gallery. It’s run by the charming, hilarious Laurel Siedl, an elderly artist who has lived on the property for decades. The kitschy indoor/outdoor space has two galleries brimming with affordable art from local artists, a wandering maze of glass bottles, lawn ornaments and more. There is also a custom-built (functioning!) glass outhouse, a gorgeous wooden chapel, an assortment of furry friends and a fridge filled with cold beverages. Come for the art, stay for an illuminating conversation with Laurel.

If you’re in the mood for more kitsch, check out Art Queen and its World Famous Crochet Museum, located near the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park in the town’s humble “downtown” area. Art Queen is run by local artist Shari Elf and home is to her cozy Airstream studio/shop, which you can visit onsite. Inside the Airstream is the self-proclaimed World Famous Crochet Museum, a green cube filled with small, colorful handiworks Elf has collected over the years.

While all of Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms and the surrounding desert are filled with the namesake tree, cacti, succulents, yucca and other local flora, the national park is a must-visit. The park contains two protected desert ecosystems — the Mojave and the Colorado — across almost 800,000 acres of land. Driving through puts you right in the middle of mountains, large rock formations and endless Joshua trees. Park your car, wander and climb some rocks. Look out for the lightning-fast and very adorable jackrabbits and other desert dwellers, too.

You can buy a pass online or at the park — the shortest one is for a week, so go at the beginning of your trip and come back for more.

When driving through the Mojave Desert, you might see the Integratron’s 38-foot-high, white, domed roof in the distance. It was built in Landers in 1954 by the eccentric George Van Tassel, who claimed aliens helped him design it, with inspiration from Moses’ Tabernacle and Nikola Tesla’s writings. He hoped the space would facilitate time travel and rejuvenation; the location supposedly has a strong magnetic field. For over 30 years, Integration has been run by three sisters who offer sound baths inside the acoustically stunning dome as well as tours. Make sure to reserve in advance, as it’s a popular destination.

At Melissa’s backyard animal sanctuary in Yucca Valley you will get to pet and feed her pack of rescued llamas as she shares her encyclopedic knowledge of the fluffy, kooky creatures. And she’s got plenty of jokes as well. The sanctuary also offers a llama desert walk if you’d like to go on an adventure with your new four-legged friends.

The sunsets and night skies out in the desert truly aren’t anything like the murky darkness of L.A. With so much less light pollution and more open space, you can actually admire Mother Nature’s art. The Twentynine Palms Astronomy Club hosts private stargazing tours, sharing their telescopes, binoculars and celestial savvy to help you understand the constellations above. The sky tours can be done at their light-pollution-free Adobe Observatory or can be brought to your desert location of choice.

Since 2015, Kitchen in the Desert has served up Trinidadian-inspired cuisine in what was once Twentynine Palms’s first hotel. Before that, chef and owner Everton Gordon was slinging his aromatic dishes behind a nearby gas station. Talk about a glow up! Watch the sunset on their lovely patio and savor a glass of wine or spicy marg. Make sure to try chef Everton’s signature jerk chicken. 

Located in the quirky Pioneertown, the Red Dog Saloon was originally built in 1946 by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers as part of the “living” Western film set before becoming a functioning bar. At one point, Hell’s Angels bikers hung out around its wooden bar counter. Kick up your dusty cowboy boots and try a bit of their Tex-Mex menu. They serve knockouts like mushroom asada or beef brisket tacos, street corn, queso and fresh-squeezed Palomas. 

La Copine serves seasonally inspired fine dining in a minimalist setting that draws on the aesthetic of the desert. Depending on the time of the year, you might find menu items like fried plantains with caramelized onion crema, beignets with brown sugar coffee glaze, ricotta gnocchi and the “royal crumpet,” a mouth-watering breakfast sandwich of homemade veggie sausage, fried egg, hollandaise, spinach and tomato marmalade. Expect a (worthwhile) wait for walkups, but you can also text to request a reservation, or order food to go. While you wait, check out Teocali for beautiful handmade home goods and clothing.

If your tummy is growling after hiking through Joshua Tree Park or walking with llamas, look no further than El Guero. This casual Mexican restaurant will deliver big-ass plates of enchiladas, tortas, fajitas, burritos and many combination platters for the indecisive ones. If you need any more convincing, the refried beans are covered in cheese.

Conveniently situated in downtown Joshua Tree near the park entrance, Crossroads Cafe is a fun, modern diner sure to satisfy meat eaters, vegans and everyone in-between. Their thoughtful menu lists a variety of grilled, toasted and French roll sandwiches including a French dip, a seitan “fake Philly,” grilled cheese, a variety of clubs and burgers for all palates. There’s two pages of breakfast goodies available until 1:30 p.m. daily.

Also located outside of the park in the downtown area, Joshua Tree Saloon is a lively bar and restaurant with a divey Western aesthetic and a large, scenic outdoor area known as “The Yard.” They’ve got burgers, ahi tuna poke, fried jalapeños and other tasty bar food, which you can wash down with one of their 14 beers on tap or a mojito. Live music plays several days a week, plus they have karaoke Thursdays and an “Open Jam” night on Tuesdays.

Feeling thirsty, toasty and peckish in Twentynine Palms? Edchada’s Mexican restaurant is here to save the day with a selection of large margaritas you can cool off with on their low-key patio. They also have plenty of food to the tune of burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas and tacos.

Pioneertown is a trip. Back in the 1940s, actor Dick Curtis envisioned a “living, breathing movie set” where the popular Western movies of the time could be shot and where people could live and visit year-round. Curtis, Roy Rogers and 15 others banded together to purchase the 32,000 acres of land that would become Pioneertown. Over 50 movies and shows were shot there in the ’40s and ’50s, including all of Gene Autry’s TV production, and the town continues to operate as a set for music videos, commercials and films. In addition to being a great photo backdrop, there’s cute shops and restaurants to visit on Mane Street like the long-standing Red Dog Saloon and lively Pappy & Harriet’s.

Pappy & Harriet’s is a beloved music venue, bar and barbecue joint that’s brought stellar acts out to the desert since the ’80s. Lizzo, Paul McCartney, Lorde, Robert Plant and countless other global sensations have graced the intimate P & H stage over the years, along with local acts. The building’s life began as a cantina façade in Pioneertown, which was purchased by Harriet’s mother in 1972 and refashioned in an “outlaw biker burrito bar.” Harriet and her husband Pappy turned it into Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace in 1982.

At Giant Rock Meeting Room in Yucca Valley, you can eat an inventive selection of pizzas, belt out karaoke on Wednesdays and try the open mic on Thursdays. Their stage also hosts live music. Eater Los Angeles named it “one of the coolest places to get food in all of the high desert.” 

Get the full Pioneertown experience by staying in the historic Pioneertown Motel, which was established along with the creation of the real/fake Western outpost. The cozy motel was built to host movie stars, and was remodeled in 2014. Its 19 rooms have modern desert-chic touches like exposed-beam ceilings, serape blankets and potted cacti, along with Wi-Fi and AC.

The exquisitely designed bungalows in Joshua Tree are sunlit spaces with sleek, inviting décor and patios surrounded by an expanse of Joshua trees. The 14 suites in restored midcentury buildings have their own kitchens, share a large outdoor space with barbecues and fire pits and have access to hiking trails and the pool, hot tub and wellness activities at the Retreat Center.