desert love

welcome to the American southwest

93 Items

Inyo County, California

Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

Dylan

Inyo County, California

Teakettle Junction

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

K Cady

Added by K Cady

Felicity, California

Felicity, California: Center of the World

Semi-recognized center of the world, with many oddities.

leiris

Added by leiris

Seven Magic Mountains

Brightly colored 30-foot-tall totems light up the desert sky just outside Las Vegas.

Stephanie Vermillion

Added by Stephanie Vermillion

Joshua Tree, California

World Famous Crochet Museum

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.

Added by lasvegashoosier

Lake Los Angeles, California

Lake Los Angeles

A dry lake is what remains of a community founded on a real estate scam.

Added by neonconflagrations

Joshua Tree, California

The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum

Explore 10 acres of environmental sculptures.

anhie

Inyo County, California

Badwater Basin

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

sebastianopagani

Added by sebastianopagani

Inyo County, California

Devils Golf Course Landscape

"Only the devil could play golf here."

Added by fta2day

Joshua Tree, California

Hicksville Trailer Palace

An eclectic trailer park retreat in the middle of the California desert.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Joshua Tree, California

Institute of Mentalphysics

Located on 420 acres in the high desert, this spiritual center is dedicated to the "science of the future."

anhie

Joshua Tree, California

'Krblin Jihn Kabin'

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

Hope

Yucca Valley, California

Bob's Crystal Cave

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.

AaronNetsky

Added by AaronNetsky

Inyo County, California

Saline Valley Hot Springs

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

Tre

Inyo County, California

Ballarat Ghost Town

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

Added by zackofalltrades

Inyo County, California

Artist's Drive

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

Zach Rapport

Added by Zach Rapport

Inyo County, California

Manzanar National Historic Site

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

Added by zackofalltrades

Inyo County, California

Mount Whitney Summit Shelter

The first life claimed by this record-breaking peak wasn't lost to exposure or a fall but rather lightning.

thomasharper

Added by thomasharper

Furnace Creek, California

Harmony Borax Works

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Inyo County, California

Amargosa Opera House

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

Inyo County, California

Scotty's Castle

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

Tre

Inyo County, California

Fossil Falls

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

checkleyhr

Added by checkleyhr

Ocotillo, California

Anza Borrego Desert View Tower

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

Altadena, California

Zorthian Ranch

The cobbled together compound of a deceased artist which now serves as a filming location.

Added by ashleypinnick

Desert Hot Springs, California

Cabot's Pueblo Museum

The Hopi-style structure was built by the man who discovered Desert Hot Springs' famous mineral water.

Added by littlestbiglee

San Bernardino County, California

Searles Lake

This sun-scorched lakebed contains samples of half the natural elements known to humankind.

Elliot Carter

Added by Elliot Carter

California City, California

Lake Shore Inn

Abandoned hotel with adjacent lake and golf course.

Valentine, Texas

Prada Marfa

A Prada store in the West Texas desert that is never open for business.

gabeschwartz

Added by gabeschwartz

Amargosa Valley, Nevada

Devil's Hole

Water of undetermined depth has attracted rare fish and cult leaders alike.

Added by zackofalltrades

Yucca Valley, California

Desert Christ Park

On a barren hillside in the Yucca Valley, the recently restored Desert Christ Park has attracted pilgrims and kitsch hunters for over 50 years.

KirstenCunningham

Added by KirstenCunningham

Edwards Air Force Base, California

Edwards AFB Satellite Calibration Targets

These colossal desert barcodes have been fine-tuning spy satellites for decades.

Elliot Carter

Added by Elliot Carter

San Bernardino County, California

Mojave Lava Tube

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

Added by zackofalltrades

Twentynine Palms, California

Wonderland Ranch and Wall Street Mill

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.

Erin Johnson

Added by Erin Johnson

Golden Valley, Arizona

Fish Bowl Spring

A secret fresh water spring for animals and humans alike hidden along the most famous road in the United States.

Added by rosiegirl61

San Bernardino County, California

Kelso Ghost Town

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

steveack41

Added by steveack41

Joshua Tree, California

Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum

The quirky salon doubles as a retro museum run by the world's leading "hairstorian."

mindoe

Added by mindoe

Winterhaven, California

Valley of the Names

Since World War II people have been decorating this stretch of the Yuma desert with signatures arranged out of rocks.

kcmick

Added by kcmick

Palm Springs Date Shakes

Gastro Obscura

Palm Springs Date Shakes

The prosperous Southern California date industry produces delicious milkshakes.

Gastro Obscura

Sam OBrien

Added by Sam OBrien

Inyo County, California

Marble Bath

This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

Backcountry Explorers

Added by Backcountry Explorers

Yucca Mesa, California

Rhythms of Life

An artist's vision for connectivity spans seven continents and 16 countries.

Hope

Ocotillo, California

Coyote's Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repairs

A UFO scrapyard in the California desert.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

Baker, California

Alien Fresh Jerky

Finally the worlds of UFO enthusiasts and beef jerky lovers have come together in this roadside shop.

WastelandNomad

Added by WastelandNomad

Wrong Store

This quirky outpost and gallery inside a former church is an unexpected trove of handcrafted art.

Jake Uitti

Added by Jake Uitti

Twentynine Palms, California

Samuelson's Rocks

The only thing stranger than stumbling onto these philosophical musings is the story of the homesteader who created them.

pyrokitten

Added by pyrokitten

Stardust Motel Sign

This old abandoned sign flickers to announce a motel that isn't even there.

Kerry Wolfe

Added by Kerry Wolfe

Cantil, California

Saltdale

Salt is slowly eating away this abandoned saltworks town in the desert.

Meg

Twentynine Palms, California

The Love Signs of Twentynine Palms

In California, colorful roadside signs remind us all that love transcends borders.

Added by fiberopticnow

Inyo County, California

Ubehebe Crater

A massive hydrovolcanic explosion left a half-mile wide crater in Death Valley.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell