Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum
The ‘Junk Dada’ sculptures and installations of African American artist Noah Purifoy (1917–2004) are collected by the world’s finest museums, but some of his coolest works can be seen for free at his former outdoor desert studio north of Joshua Tree. Toilets, tires, monitors, bicycles and beds are among the eclectic castoffs he turned variously into political statements, social criticism or just plain nonsense. Pick up a pamphlet for a self-guided tour.
Wonderland of Rocks
This striking rock labyrinth extends roughly from Indian Cove in the north to Park Blvd in the south and is predictably a popular rock climbers’ haunt. For a quick impression, try the 0.5-mile Indian Cove Trail or the 1-mile Barker Dam Trail. The 7-mile Willow Hole Trail and the 8-mile Boy Scout Trail present more challenging treks and should not be attempted in hot weather.
Keys View
From Park Blvd, it’s an easy 20-minute drive up to Keys View (5185ft), where breathtaking views take in the entire Coachella Valley and extend as far as the Salton Sea. Looming in front of you are Mt San Jacinto (10,834ft) and Mt San Gorgonio (11,500ft), two of Southern California’s highest peaks, while below you can spot a section of the San Andreas Fault.
Integratron
It may look just like a white-domed structure, but in reality it’s an electrostatic generator for time travel and cell rejuvenation. Yup! At least that’s what its creator, former aerospace engineer George Van Tassel believed when building the place in the 1950s after receiving telepathic instructions from extraterrestrials. Today, you can pick up on the esoteric vibes during a 60-minute ‘sound bath’ in the wooden dome whose special design and location on a geomagnetic vortex generate an extra-strong magnetic field.
Keys Ranch
Old West history buffs will delight in the 90-minute ranger-led tour of this ranch named after its builder, William Keys and his family. They built a homestead here on 160 acres in 1917 and turned it into a full working ranch, school, store and workshop. The buildings stand much as they did when Keys died in 1969.
Pioneertown
Looking like an 1870s frontier town, Pioneertown was actually built in 1946 as a Hollywood Western movie set. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were among the original investors, and more than 50 movies and several TV shows were filmed here in the 1940s and ’50s. These days, it’s fun to stroll around the old buildings and drop into the local honky-tonk for refreshments. Mock gunfights take place on ‘Mane St’ at 2:30pm every second and fourth Saturday, April to October.
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Named as one of California’s important birding areas by the Audubon Society, this preserve encloses a natural spring-fed desert oasis that’s a native riparian habitat where cottonwoods and willows grow. More than 247 bird species have been identified here, including over 70 that actually breed here. Even bighorn sheep are occasionally attracted to its watering holes. Several short paths and one 5-mile trail meander through the grounds.
Oasis of Mara
Behind the park HQ and Oasis Visitor Center, this natural oasis encompasses the original 29 palm trees that gave Twentynine Palms its name. They were planted by native Serranos who named this ‘the place of little springs and much grass.’ The Pinto Mountain Fault, a small branch of the San Andreas, runs through the oasis, as does a 0.5-mile, wheelchair-accessible nature trail with labeled desert plants.
Beauty Bubble Salon & Museum
Jeff Hafler loves hair and everything to do with it, which is why his Steel Magnolias–type home salon brims with related vintage beauty paraphernalia he’s collected for about a quarter century. Have him do your tresses up in a beehive while surrounded by perm machines, curlers and wigs, some over 100 years old.
Indian Cove
Rock hounds love the hulking caramel-colored formations in this northern corner of the park, while birders are drawn by feathered friends hiding out among the yuccas and shrubs along the half-mile Indian Cove nature trail. There’s a campground for tenters and RVs with potable water.
Cottonwood Spring
Cottonwood Spring is an oasis with a natural spring that Cahuilla tribespeople depended on for centuries. Look for morteros – rounded depressions in the rocks used by Native Americans for grinding seeds. Miners came searching for gold here in the late 19th century.
World-Famous Crochet Museum
An old lime-green photo booth is the home of Bunny, Buddy and hundreds of their crocheted friends collected by Shari Elf. The artist, singer, fashion designer, raw-food chef and life coach has not mastered the art of crocheting herself.
