Deserts - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

279 Items Tagged

Deserts

Share Tweet
science

The Mystery Beneath the 'Honeycomb' Patterns of Salt Deserts

After years of hypotheses that came up short, a physicist has finally found a solution.
Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing March 9, 2023
Cuatrociénegas, Mexico

Dunas de Yeso

These gleaming gypsum sand dunes are the second-largest in North America.
Mauritania

Monument to the Battle of Oum Tounsi

Initially meant to immortalize the valor of the colonizer, this monument is now a symbol of Mauritanian resistance.
Balladonia, Australia

Balladonia Heritage Museum

A chunk of Skylab debris adorns this small museum at a roadside motel in Western Australia.
Rimrock, Arizona

Montezuma Well

This sinkhole in the Arizona desert is filled with carbonated, arsenic-rich water
railroads

Colorado Winter Wonderland

Pack your snowshoes and see the Centennial State like never before. We hand-picked a collection of unique Colorado destinations transformed by glistening frost and white snow.
deserts

Podcast: Tumbleweed Christmas Tree

This is how you do the holidays in the desert.
The Podcast Team December 19, 2022
Las Vegas, Nevada

Tule Springs Fossil Beds

This arid landscape was once a lush wetland. Today, it's a paleontological site filled with fossilized mammoths, sabertooth cats, and more.
deserts

Puzzle Monday: Just Deserts Crossword

AO Puzzles September 19, 2022
deserts

How a Bedouin Tracker Sees the Desert

On a seemingly blank, sandy canvas, signs and symbols abound.
Gitit Ginat September 1, 2022
Port Edward, South Africa

Red Desert

Is this 200-meter-wide nature reserve the smallest desert in the world?
Duckwater, Nevada

Meteorite Crater

Despite the name, it's unclear if this small depression in northern Nye County was actually caused by falling space debris.
Tucson, Arizona

Agua Caliente Park

Previously a hot spring, this park remains a site of unique history, wildlife, and geology.
desert art

The 6,000-Year Story of the Negev Desert Is Etched in Stone

Millennia of rock art offer a library of human history in the Levant.
Gitit Ginat July 18, 2022
Bunkerville, Nevada

Devil's Throat

An unexpected sinkhole in a desert flat within Gold Butte National Monument.
islands

The Curious Case of the Arctic Desert Island That's Not Actually an Island

No one is sure how this geological oddity got there.
Gemma Tarlach May 31, 2022
Wadi ad-Dawasir, Saudi Arabia

Wadi al-Dawasir

These desert alfalfa farms redefine the meaning of crop circles.
Hadiyah, Saudi Arabia

Hadiyah Railway Station

Once a major stop on the Hejaz Railway, this desert station (complete with steam locomotive) has been abandoned for decades.