Joshua Tree Gateway Communities Visitor Guide, Second Edition

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Welcome

to The Sun Runner Guide to the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities. This guide is a brief introduction to the communities located down California’s Route 62 along the northern border of, and the primary entrances to, Joshua Tree National Park.

We hope you’ll pay us a visit and experience our unique mix of natural beauty, hi-desert arts and culture, Old West ambience, history, and wide open vistas that makes our home so welcoming.

While our communities are in the “desert,” many people who aren’t familiar with deserts find themselves surprised by the landscape and the variety of plant and animal life found here.

Our desert isn’t comprised of endless barren sand dunes stretching to the horizon (though you can climb the “singing” Kelso Dunes in the nearby Mojave National Preserve if you’d like—they’re a spectacular spot to take in a dramatic Mojave sunset). Instead, it’s a land filled with variety, boundless beauty, seasonal changes, endless opportunities for exploration and adventure, inviting vistas, and deep night skies to recharge the spirit and reconnect the imagination.

So, whether you are looking to hike, camp, rock climb, horseback ride, offroad, road trip, gallery crawl, explore, reinvigorate, stargaze, or just do nothing at all but play lizard and soak in some warming rays by the pool, you’ll feel right at home in the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities.

– Steve Brown Publisher

photo by Chris Brewster

“One square mile of living desert is worth 10

Joshua Tree Gateway Communities

What’s in a Name?

The Area The Joshua Tree Gateway Communities are located down Route 62 along the northern border of Joshua Tree National Park. The communities—Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Pioneertown, Homestead Valley (Landers, Johnson Valley, Flamingo Heights and Yucca Mesa), Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, and Wonder Valley—are located in the Morongo Basin, also known as the hi-desert (the unique greeting-style spelling was chosen many years ago to differentiate our high desert from the high desert of the Lancaster/Palmdale area).

Of course, some folks who are unacquainted with, or who

disapprove of the grammar of the hi-desert title, refer to our area as the high desert as well. Our hi-desert is part of the Mojave Desert, while we like to think that Joshua Tree National Park starts up here in the Mojave Desert and slides its way down to the low, or Colorado Desert.

The Towns Locals often shorten town names, so “valley” is frequently dropped from Yucca and Morongo, while never dropped from Johnson or Wonder. Joshua Tree can become “JTree,” or simply, “JT,” while Pioneertown is sometimes “Pi-town,” and Twentynine Palms becomes good old “29.” (We should note that the Marines stationed at the base in Twentynine Palms also came up with pet names for their new home, calling it “The Stumps,” or “29 Stumps.”)

The Highways Our two highways also offer a diversity of names. Route 62, for example, also goes by the names of State Route 62, Highway 62, and Twentynine Palms Highway. Don’t worry— they’re all one and the same. And if you head north from Yucca Valley on Route 247, you’ll notice that it’s also called Highway 247, or Old Woman Springs Road, and if you drive far enough out into Johnson Valley, you’ll see the historic Old Woman Springs Ranch.

While we have no interstate freeways running through the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities, we are accessible from Interstates 10, 15, and 40, also known as “I-10,” “I-15,” or “I-40.” Sometimes you’ll hear someone just refer to them by their numbers—the 10, the 15, and the 40. The 10 runs to the south of us, the 15 and 40 are to the north. You can get here from there!

Note: Getting around the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities is far easier, and a lot more picturesque, than navigating most urban areas. Plus, hi-desert folks are pretty friendly, so if you need directions, just stop and ask. We’ve got more visitor information centers than we do highways, after all.

a hundred ‘great books.’”

– Edward Abbey Joshua Tree Gateway Communities

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Grubstake Days Parade & Community Fair Grubstake Days Home & Craft Show Yucca Valley www.yuccavalley.org Grubstakes Run Yucca Valley www.yucca-valley.org Memorial Day Observance & Concert in the Cemetery Joshua Tree Memorial Park www.joshuatreememorialpark.com www.shawnmafia.com

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JUNE

FEBRUARY Parade of Homes Joshua Tree Gateway Communities www.reachoutmb.org

MARCH Hilltoppers MC 29 Palms Grand Prix Twentynine Palms www.hilltoppersmc.com

APRIL

Street Fair & Car Show Downtown Twentynine Palms www.29chamber.org

Joshua Tree National Park Art Festival Oasis Visitor Center, JTNP, Twentynine Palms www.joshuatree.org Earth Day Conservation Fair Yucca Valley Community Center www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org

MAY Joshua Tree Music Festival 2601 Sunfair Road, Joshua Tree www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com 12

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Armed Services YMCA Soap Box Derby Twentynine Palms www.29chamber.org Summer Music Festival Yucca Valley Community Center www.yucca-valley.org Movies in the Park Luckie Park, Twentynine Palms www.visit29.org Joshua Tree Gay Pride Downtown Joshua Tree www.joshuatreegaypride.com

JULY Summer Music Festival Yucca Valley Community Center www.yucca-valley.org Movies in the Park Luckie Park, Twentynine Palms www.visit29.org Fourth of July Celebrations Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley

AUGUST Summer Music Festival Yucca Valley Community Center www.yucca-valley.org

SEPTEMBER Annual Campout with Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace www.pappyandharriets.com Bhakti Fest Joshua Tree Retreat Center www.bhaktifest.com

Starry Nights Festival Yucca Valley Community Center www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org Pioneer Pass Golf Challenge (760)369-7211 Fiesta Days Covington Park, Morongo Valley www.92256.net National Public Lands Day Joshua Tree National Park www.nps.gov/jotr

OCTOBER Joshua Tree Gem, Mineral & Craft Show Joshua Tree Sportsman’s Club (760)366-2915 www.jtsportsmansclub/gemshow.htm Orchid Festival Gubler Orchids, Landers www.theorchidfestival.org Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival Joshua Tree Lake Campground www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com Pioneer Days Parade & Celebration Twentynine Palms www.29chamber.org Old Timers’ Gathering Old Schoolhouse Museum Twentynine Palms www.29palmshistorical.com Annual Chili Dinner 29 Palms Art Gallery Twentynine Palms www.29palmsartgallery.com

Gourd Art Festival Yucca Valley Community Center (760)365-6323 The Southland Show 29 Palms Art Gallery, Twentynine Palms www.29palmsartgallery.com Veterans Day Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley

DECEMBER Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition Oasis of Mara, various venues www.jtnparts.org Holiday Craft Faire Yucca Valley Community Center (760)369-7211

Hwy 62 Art Tours Joshua Tree Gateway Communities www.hwy62arttours.com

Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair 29 Palms Art Gallery, Twentynine Palms www.29palmsartgallery.com

Theatre 29 Haunted House Twentynine Palms www.theatre29.org

Santa Visit & Community Tree Lighting Yucca Valley Community Center (760)369-7211

NOVEMBER Weed Show Old Schoolhouse Museum, Twentynine Palms www.29palmshistorical.com Chalk Fest 29 Twentynine Palms www.29chamber.org

Winter Light Parade & Christmas Tree Lighting Twentynine Palms www.visit29.org

“You should not see the desert simply as some faraway place of little rain.

There are many forms of thirst.”

– William Langewiesche Joshua Tree Gateway Communities

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Attractions Twentynine Palms Attractions 29 Palms Art Gallery & Gift Shop Art gallery, art classes, special events 74055 Cottonwood Dr. (off Nat. Park Dr.) (760)367-7819 www.29palmsartgallery.com 29 Palms Creative Center & Gallery Art gallery, art classes, special events 6847 Adobe Road (760)361-1805 www.29palmscreativecenter.com

Sky’s the Limit Observatory & Nature Center Utah Trail, near JTNP entrance (760)760-365-7897 www.skysthelimit29.org Smith’s Ranch Drive-In 4584 Adobe Road (760)367-7713, www.29drive-in.com.

Theatre 29 John Calveri Memorial Theatre.

73637 Sullivan Road (760)361-4151, www.theatre29.org

29 Palms Inn (Oasis of Mara) MBCAC Art Exhibitions, live music 73950 Inn Ave.(off National Park Dr.) (760)367-3505 www.29palmsinn.com

Tortoise Rock Casino Casino, live entertainment 73829 Baseline Rd. (760)367-9759 www.tortoiserockcasino.com

Old Schoolhouse Museum & Gift Shop Museum, lectures, special events 6760 National Park Drive (760)367-2366 www.29palmshistorical.com

Twentynine Palms Visitor Center Gallery Art gallery, visitor information 73484 29 Palms Hwy. www.visit29.org

Desert Art Studio & Gallery 74655 Wellock Road (off Utah Trail, before JTNP entrance) (760)361-2305 www.desertartstudio.com Desert Winds Golf Course On Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms. Open to public. Enter by Back Gate at Morongo Road off Indian Trail.

Duffers Retreat offers breakfast/lunch.

(760)830-6132 www.mccs29palms.com The Glass Outhouse Gallery 77575 29 Palms Hwy., Wonder Valley (turn at Thunder Road, honk or call) (760)367-3807 Roadrunner Dunes Golf Course 4733 Desert Knoll Dr., off Amboy Rd. (760)367-5770 www.roadrunnerdunes.com 14

Joshua Tree Attractions Art Queen Gallery & World Famous Crochet Museum 61855 Highway 62 www.sharielf.com/gallery.html Beatnik Lounge Art gallery, performance space, home of Radio Free Joshua Tree 61597 29 Palms Hwy. (760)475-4860 www.radiofreejoshuatree.com Gallery 62 61871 29 Palms Hwy. www.hwy62arttours.org/gallery62 Harrison House Performing arts, special events (415)602-6152 www.harrisondocumentary.com

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Hi-Desert Test Sites Arts events 6470 Veterans Way www.highdeserttestsites.com Hi-Desert Cultural Center & Blak Box Theatre Performing arts, special events 61231 29 Palms Hwy. (760)366-3777 www.hidesertculturalcenter.com Joshua Tree Music Festival 877-327-6265 www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com JTAG - Joshua Tree Art Gallery 61607 29 Palms Hwy. (760)366-3636 www.joshuatreeartgallery.com Joshua Tree Astronomy Arts Theater Star parties 2601 Sunfair Road www.joshuatreetheater.com Joshua Tree Retreat Center 59700 29 Palms Hwy. (760)365-8371 www.jtrcc.org Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum Outdoor arts installation (213)382-7516, tarashall@att.net www.noahpurifoy.com Simi Dabah Sculpture Garden Sunfair Road www.simidabahsculptures.com Yucca Valley Attractions Desert Christ Park Dedicated to world peace 56218 Sunnyslope Drive www.desertchristpark.org Hi-Desert Nature Museum Yucca Valley Community Center 57166 29 Palms Hwy. (760)369-7212 www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org

Old Town Yucca Valley Antiques, dining, entertainment 29 Palms Hwy. & Pioneertown Rd. Rhythms of Life Earthworks by Andrew Rogers 5 miles north on Old Woman Springs Road/ Hwy 247 at Aberdeen www.andrewrogers.org Yucca Valley Equestrian Center Horseback riding 7429 Avalon Ave. (760)365-4433 www.yuccavalleyequestriancenter.com Morongo Valley Attractions Big Morongo Preserve 11055 East Drive, (760)363-7190 www.bigmorongo.org Cactus Mart Dig your own cactus, art gallery, art, gardening, and wildlife classes 49889 29 Palms Hwy. (760)363-6076 www.cactusmart.net

Morongo Basin Historical Society 632 Landers Lane, Landers (760)364-2000 Pioneertown Attractions Mane Street Stampede Old West Re-enactment shows Saturdays, 2:30 p.m., April-October www.manestreetstampede.com Gunfighters for Hire Old West Re-enactment shows Sundays, 2:30 p.m., April-October www.gunfightersforhire.com Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace 53688 Pioneertown Road (760)365-5956 www.pappyandharriets.com Pioneertown Mountains Preserve 51010 Pipes Canyon Road (760)369-7105 www.wildlandsconservancy.org

Desert Hot Springs Attractions Cabot’s Pueblo Museum 67616 E. Desert View Avenue (760)329-7610 www.cabotsmuseum.org

Covington Park 11165 Vale Dr., (760)363-6547 Groves Cabin Theatre 8768 Desert Willow Trail (760)365-4523 www.grovescabintheatre.org Homestead Valley Attractions Giant Rock Really big rock (with lots of stories) Giant Rock Rd. from Belfield, Landers. 4WD. Gubler Orchids Greenhouse tours, orchids and carniverous plants 2200 Belfield Blvd., Landers 800-GUBLERS, www.gublers.com The Integratron Sound baths, special events 2477 Belfield Blvd., Landers (760)364-3126 www.integratron.com

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“National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

– Wallace Stegner, the “Dean of Western Writers,” historian, novelist, and environmentalist

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wo vast deserts come together within the boundaries of Joshua Tree National Park, making the park an excellent destination for those seeking an introduction to the natural beauty, ecology, geology, history, recreational opportunities, and night skies of the desert. The park is immense, and its nearly 800,000 acres brings together the Joshua tree forests and granite rock formations of the Mojave Desert in its western half, with the hotter Colorado Desert’s creosote bushes, ocotillo, and cholla cactus to the east.

The diversity of plant and animal life, geology, and human history, provides an array of fascinating desert experiences.

Visit one (or all) of the five fan palm oases throughout the park, hike to mining districts like the Desert Queen and wonder what it must have been like 100 years ago to hear the stamp mills crushing the ore day and night in these canyons. Look for blooms from the immense assortment of wildflowers and flowering plants found throughout the park (and throughout most of the year in one form or another), and keep a lookout for petroglyphs and signs of the Native Americans who lived here long before the first white explorers arrived.

If you only have a day, do “The Loop,” which serves as a friendly introduction to Joshua Tree National Park. You’ll see the Joshua tree forests, said to be named after the prophet Joshua by Mormon pioneers, with their arms upstretched toward heaven, and the famous otherworldly rock formations that serve as one of the world’s leading rock climbing destinations. Buy a lunch in Twentynine Palms or Joshua Tree and bring it with you, and don’t forget to bring water and gas up the car before you go!

If you have more time, there are numerous hikes, drives, and places to explore around the park. Joshua Tree National Park visitor centers are located in both Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, as well as at the Black Rock Campground near Yucca Valley, and at the Cottonwood Visitor Center at the southern end of the park. Rangers and volunteers at the visitor centers can provide timely suggestions based on your interests and needs, and books and maps are available for help in generating your own list of must-see park destinations.

For those who enjoy camping, the park offers nine campgrounds and many back country camping locations.

Campfire talks by rangers and stargazing under the desert’s night sky help make for a memorable experience. Bring your own water and firewood. The park offers almost no services within its borders, but the nearby towns of the 16

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Joshua Tree Gateway Communities provide everything you may need during your visit. Don’t want to camp? Hotels, motels, unique desert inns, vacation rentals, RV parks, and private campgrounds are plentiful throughout the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities.

Plan your visit before you go at www.nps.gov/jotr. Visit www.sunrunnersw.com for travel ideas and more, for the area around Joshua Tree National Park. Find Joshua Tree Gateway Community visitor information centers, attractions, lodging and dining farther along in this guide, and in The Sun Runner, The Journal of the Real Desert.

Photos: The hike to Barker Dam is one of the more popular short hikes to introduce visitors to Joshua Tree National Park.

A 1.3 mile loop trail ntroduces you to Joshua trees, giant rock formations, local history, Native American petroglyphs, and may even provide a glimpse of bighorn sheep, above.

The hike to the beautiful 49 Palms Oasis reveals a secluded palm oasis hidden in a rugged canyon, right.

A typical view of a Joshua Tree National Park rock climber, left.

The Park is one of the leading rock climbing destinations in North America.

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Things to know when you go: 1. Bring plenty of water and food with you. There are no concessions within the park.

2. Gas up or charge your vehicle before driving into the park or out into rural areas. Distances in the desert can be much farther than many visitors are used to experiencing.

3. Don’t expect your cell phone to always work. Coverage is sporadic.

4. If you’re planning to take back roads and four wheel drive roads, inquire about road conditions at the park visitor centers in Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms. Do not drive regular vehicles on 4WD roads. You do not want to get stranded, but if you do, stay with your vehicle.

5. Follow park regulations that are posted at trail heads, campgrounds, and day use areas. You may not always understand the reasoning for them, but they exist for a reason.

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The easy half-mile hike to Ryan Ranch makes for a good family outing in Joshua Tree National Park. Visit the ruins of the historic adobe house (left), and other remnants of this desert ranch, and think about what it must have been like to live and work here.

The Ryan brothers moved to this area in 1895 and bought a majority interest in the nearby Lost Horse Mine. Keep your eyes open for grave sites from the 1890s, and wildflowers along the trail.

Hike to Samuelson’s Rocks and delve into the philosophy of Swedish immigrant John Samuelson who carved political sayings on the rocks near where he and his wife lived in a tent in 1927, below. Look for the bedsprings that are all that is left of the Samuelsons’ home south of Quail Springs. Wildflowers can carpet the area in spring.

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A Rock Legend Gram Parsons is one of the most influential musicians of 20th century rock music. Whether he was singing with The Byrds, or along with Chris Hillman in the Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons was mixing country, rock, blues, and even soul influences in a way that hadn’t been done before.

He called his music “Cosmic American Music.” Wearing his Nudie suits, his musical career, though brief, had a direct influence on musical legends from Emmylou Harris to Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

Gram tragically died of a drug overdose on September 19, 1973 in Room 8 of the Joshua Tree Inn. His stepfather planned to fly his body to New Orleans. But Phil Kaufman, a friend of Parsons had other ideas.

According to Kaufman, he and Parsons had made a pact.

If one died, the other would take their body out to Joshua Tree National Monument and burn it. Kaufman borrowed a beat-up hearse, found a co-conspirator, and headed to Los Angeles International Airport. There, they managed to convince an employee to turn Gram’s body over to them.

Near Cap Rock, Kaufman conducted an impromptu cremation of his late friend, a fireball erupting skyward into the dark desert night. Gram’s stepfather had what was left of Gram’s body shipped back to New Orleans where he was finally laid to rest. Look around Cap Rock for spontaneous memorials left in memory of Gram, though the National Park Service removes them on a regular basis.

The loop trail to Lost Horse Mine offers a visit to one of the area’s historic mines, and offers a beautiful view of Pleasant Valley, right.

Keep your eyes open for wildlife in and around Joshua Tree National Park, especially in morning and evening hours when they’re most active. Here, a coyote leaps across the rocks of Joshua Tree National Park near Indian Cove during his evening commute, below. Please do not feed the wildlife, and remember that dogs are not allowed on trails or more than 100 feet from a road, picnic area, or campground, and must not be left unattended. Dogs must be on a leash at all times when in the park.

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here is so much to do in Joshua Tree National Park, and so many places to explore, it could take a lifetime to do it all.

Don’t have the rest of your life to visit? That’s a shame.

But you can still enjoy an excellent introduction to Joshua Tree National Park even if you only have a few hours for a drive. It’s called “The Loop.”

Start The Loop from either Twentynine Palms or Joshua Tree. Both have a Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, so you can stop in, ask questions, buy a pass, and load up on water. Make sure to bring water and food with you since there are no concessions within the Park, and gas up the car while you’re at it. There’s no gas in the park either.

The Loop takes you along Park Boulevard from Joshua Tree to Twentynine Palms (or vice versa), through the Mojave Desert portion of the Park. You’ll see Joshua tree forests, extensive and sometimes bizarre rock formations, and much more, just by driving The Loop. But getting out of the car is half the fun.

Things to do on The Loop Explore Hidden Valley Stop at Hidden Valley and explore the rock formations where the McHaney brothers once reportedly stashed their stolen cattle. Hidden Valley’s day use area provides a great picnic location and easy scenic hiking through the rock formations on a loop trail. An excellent location to find a rock to watch the sunrise or sunset—just make sure to bring a light and be very careful on rocks and trails.

Hike to Barker Dam Turn off Park Boulevard to nearby Barker Dam for a 1.3 mile (easy) loop trail that takes you among the rock formations to a dam built to hold rainwater for cattle, and by petroglyphs left by Native Americans. It’s a great little walk and works well with kids. If you go at the right time, you may even see bighorn sheep!

Keys View & Cap Rock Turn off to go to Keys View if you have time. From this high vantage point you can gaze across Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, the San Andreas Fault, and the Salton Sea, all the way to Mexico on a clear day. Note the rock formation at the turn to go to Keys View. Look at the top—that’s Cap Rock, and it plays a role in American pop music culture (see A Rock Legend, page 20). There’s a short nature trail at Cap Rock that provides a great break from the car.

Geology Tour Road If you have a 4WD or high clearance vehicle, Geology Tour Road (dirt) makes for a great drive through Pleasant Valley.

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can habitation and petroglyphs near Squaw Tank, and old mining activity. The one-way loop section past Squaw Tank is rougher, but well worth the drive. For the real adventurous—and very well prepared—Berdoo Canyon Road (4WD high clearance required), can provide an interesting back country drive south out of the park into the Coachella Valley. Visit the ruins of Berdoo Camp, built in the 1930s during the construction of the California Aqueduct. Check with rangers on road conditions before taking this route or any other back country routes. Weather conditions can greatly impact the condition of these roads and may, at times, render them unpassable.

Desert Queen Mine The dirt road going north from the turnoff for the Geology Tour Road takes you on a short drive to the Desert Queen Mine (usually passable for passenger cars), a historic mining district where you can visit the remnants of a stone cabin and a number of mines (never, ever go into mines). Imagine the sound of giant stamp mills crushing ore 24 hours a day as these mines were in production. Look for the remains of an old stone cabin, and think of how harsh life could be for Native Americans, prospectors, miners, ranchers, and homesteaders in earlier times.

Cholla Cactus Garden, Ocotillo Patch & Cottonwood If you have time, at the junction of Park Boulevard and Pinto Basin Road, you may want to head south and visit the Cholla Cactus Garden. Walk among these hearty desert cactii, but be careful—they can jump! They glow at sunset though! A little farther south is the Ocotillo patch, which is beautiful in bloom. You can even visit the Cottonwood Visitor Center and hike to nearby palm oases, but be aware that this adds hours to your trip. You can take this southern route to reach Interstate 10 and the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area.

Well prepared drivers with a 4WD high clearance vehicle in very good condition may take the Pinkham Canyon or Thermal Canyon roads out of the south end of the park to Interstate 10. The rangers recommend bringing emergency supplies with you for these roads. ALWAYS ask a ranger about road conditions for back country travel.

Rock Climbers In the western portion of The Loop, as you drive along the Wonderland of Rocks, especially between the Boy Scout Trail and Jumbo Rocks, keep an eye out for rock climbers on the massive faces of the granite rock formations along Park Boulevard. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the leading rock climbing destinations in North America, so you’ll frequently see climbs in progress.

Visit Keys Ranch If you’ve got the time, plan a ranger-led tour of Keys Ranch and see for yourself how early homesteaders made their life

in this part of the Mojave Desert. Bighorn sheep are known to occasionally pay a visit, and special artist/photographer tours are held from time to time. Ask the rangers about the Keys family and their tumultuous history here in the desert, and their friends, Death Valley Scotty, and Erle Stanley Gardner, as well as the shooting of Worth Bagley (there was a stone marker commemorating the shooting on the trail to the Wall Street Mill, but it has been removed by the National Park Service.

Picnic in the Park Purchase a box lunch in Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms and enjoy a picnic along the way. There are several day use areas along The Loop that make for excellent picnic spots and offer parking, restrooms, and picnic tables. But remember—bring your own water and food.

Dine, Shop & Browse After taking The Loop through Joshua Tree National Park, enjoy lunch or dinner outside the park in Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms, browse the art galleries and shops, tour the Oasis of Murals and public art projects in Twentynine Palms, or stop to go antiquing in Old Town Yucca Valley before heading back to the hotel or home.

Remember—the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Centers in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree are excellent places to plan your visit to the park and make the most of your time.

Bring plenty of water and make sure you fill-up your tank before entering the park.

Photographers call it the sweet light,” below. It appears for a brief moment at dawn and dusk and in Joshua Tree National Park, everything is bathed in a magical golden glow. Whether you’re a photographer or you just love stunning desert vistas watch as the desert reveals her subtle beauty. From deep, dark night skies to breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, light, in all its forms, plays a leading role in the drama of the desert.

Joshua Tree National Park is one of North America’s leading rock climbing destinations. Pull over into a day use or parking area to watch, but only try this activity with professional guidance.

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Morongo

Valley’s springs and wetlands, its mild hi-desert climate, and its location among the Little San Bernardino Mountains, has made it a hospitable location likely to have been seasonally inhabited for thousands of years.

Serrano and Chemehuevi Indians came here for hundreds of years to gather food from desert plants and to hunt.

Settlers began to arrive in the area during the mid-1800s to farm, ranch, or mine the desert, and their’s was no easy existence. Supply wagons came through Morongo Valley on their way to the Dale Mining District east of Twentynine Palms, and cattle drives came down from Big Bear in the nearby mountains to winter their herds out of the snow.

The 1909 hunt for Willie Boy, the last great posse manhunt of the West, came through Morongo Valley. The story was made into a movie, Tell Them Willie Boy Was Here, starring Robert Redford as the sheriff and Robert Blake as Willie Boy. Many questions remain about what really happened to Willie Boy, and who may have killed whom. Nah, the posse never did get Willie Boy. Honest.

By the 1940s, electricity arrived to Morongo Valley, and by the 1960s, Route 62 was widened to four lanes. Morongo Valley began to welcome more and more visitors to the hidesert.

Today, this small community still welcomes visitors and offers dining, shopping, and gas for travelers. Morongo is home to Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center, a meerkat preserve (not open to the public) that has worked with Animal Planet on the television show Meerkat Manor, films like Meerkat Madness and The Power of Play. The center’s director worked as a consultant for Disney Studios’ The Lion King. Members, however, can arrange to spend time with the meerkats. For information: www.fellowearthlings.org.

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Things to Do

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve The Preserve is a fantastic wild place for birders, wildlife lovers, hikers, families, and wildflower enthusiasts. There are plans to create a new national monument through Morongo Valley that will protect the Preserve and other nearby wildlands for future generations.

Covington Park Near the Preserve is Covington Park, with its large shady cottonwood trees, picnic tables, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, a playground area, and “the Slab,” a skateboard, razor, and BMX park. The park’s community building is host to the Children’s Library and the Morongo Valley Art Colony. The multi-purpose room, kitchen, and pavilion are available for rentals for gatherings or weddings.

Local History & Mystery It is said Indians avoided upper Big Morongo Canyon, and some residents to this day report a “dynamo hum,” emanating periodically from the canyon.

The canyon is also home to Angel Canyon Circle, the first of seven sacred circles created around the world by The Foundation of Heaven, a group led to the site by visions and channeled messages. Find this mysterious healing stone circle and experience your own desert vision. You’ll have to channel your own directions to the circle though.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve Big

Morongo Canyon Preserve is one of the most beautiful natural wonders of our region. Existing between the lower and hotter Colorado Desert and the higher elevations of the Mojave, this unusual oasis thrives and is the perfect place for a hike or picnic.

Here, lush vegetation—willows, cottonwoods, and clematis, grow near yuccas, cholla, buckwheat, creosote, saltgrass, mesquite, and odd-sounding companions like bladder pod and paper-bag bush (one of our favorites!). There’s Mormon Tea and wild cucumber, native herbs Yerba Mansa and Yerba Santa, a large seasonal selection of wildflowers, and much more.

If birds are your passion, the Big Morongo Canyon is likely to become your new favorite haunt. The Preserve is an internationally recognized birding site. There have been 254 species recorded here, with several rare or unusual species known to nest here. The Preserve has been designated as one of our country’s Important Bird Areas by the American Bird Conservancy, the American Birding Association, and Watchable Wildlife National Program, and is featured in the National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites.

You may also encounter other wildlife drawn to the waters of the oasis here. Bighorn sheep, coyotes, deer, and even the occasional cougar or bear have been spotted, though not frequently.

The Preserve offers a great selection of hiking trails, in-

A red-tailed hawk keeps an eye out for dinner at the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, a birder’s paradise. cluding one through the oasis marsh that is wheelchair accessible. Hours are from 7:30 a.m. to sunset every day. Admission is free, donations welcome. Please keep an eye on children, and be respectful of others enjoying the Preserve.

This is an ideal picnic site, so make an afternoon of it and relax. Check the Preserve website for special events, guided bird walks, and nature hikes at www.bigmorongo.org.

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Things to Do

Yucca Valley

is a community of about 22,000 residents located at the northwestern end of Joshua Tree National Park on Route 62.

The town’s commercial corridor along the highway is the bustling retail hub of the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities and offers a wide range of amenities for visitors, including camping supplies, pharmaceuticals, sporting goods, groceries, equestrian and hiking gear.

At a 3,300 foot elevation, Yucca Valley offers a cool alternative to nearby Palm Springs, making it a good base for exploring the desert or just relaxing, and is known as an affordable place to retire (Yucca Valley was listed by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 10 most affordable places to retire).

While Yucca Valley offers limited access to Joshua Tree National Park, the town itself offers some fun opportunities to explore local culture and history.

A good first stop is at the California Welcome Center located at 56711 29 Palms Hwy., for local information from helpful volunteers.

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Antique Hunting & Shopping Old Town Yucca Valley is filled with great opportunities to find unique, one-of-a-kind antiques and original works of art at low prices unheard of in most cities. Shops are friendly and offer hours of great browsing for that special something you just have to take home.

The Sky Village Outdoor Marketplace (weekends) is a memorable swap meet shopping experience, the likes of which you’ll only ever find in the desert. Looking for a desert souvenir nobody else will ever duplicate? Yep. We’ve got it.

Hiking & Camping Joshua Tree National Park’s Black Rock Campground provides camping and hiking opportunities, and serves as a base for horseback riding into the park and equestrian camping. There are 253 miles of equestrian trails and trail corridors in the park.

Desert Christ Park Stroll among dozens of biblical sculptures created by one of the area’s early prolific artists, Antone Martin, who began his work here in 1951 with the support of the Desert Parson, Eddie Garver.

It was this park that first brought national attention to Yucca Valley, when LIFE magazine covered the delivery of Martin’s “unwanted” Christ statue from Los Angeles up Route 62. Thousands went on to attend Easter sunrise services at the park and

A Family-Friendly Fun Stop!

The Town of Yucca Valley’s Community Center is home to the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, a great stop for the whole family.

The museum offers exhibits of local art, history, and nature, along with a mini-zoo. It hosts a busy schedule of superb programs for children, families, and adults, and is at the center of some of the community’s most popular events all year long.

Look for the owl at the Community Center, 57116 Twentynine Palms Highway, call (760)369-7212, or visit www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org for information. visitors from around the world still wander between the large sculptures and biblical scenes. Dedicated to peace and ravaged by time, Desert Christ Park remains one of our favorite places.

Local Art & History Hike up anytime to the Rhythms of Life Earthworks Sculpture

by Andrew Rogers, north of town on Highway 247, or stop by the Warren’s Well historic landmark and ponder what life must have been like in 1881 when Chuck Warren settled here after driving cattle from Arizona.

The last cattle drive up into the mountains near Big Bear took place in 1947, while the last posse manhunt came through this area in 1909, but if you poke around a bit, you’ll find a touch of the Old West—and the new— here in Yucca Valley. Watch for signs the spirit of the West lives on out here in the desert.

A work of desert art at the Sky Village Outdoor Marketplace glows in the sun, opposite page top left. Jesus with the small children at Desert Christ Park, opposite page bottom right. Family fun at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, top left. The wise owl outside the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, above. Antique shopping in Old Town Yucca Valley can lead to interesting finds, bottom left.

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Set

among dramatic icons of the West—the Sawtooth Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, Joshua trees, and stunning buttes—Pioneertown may remind you of many a scene in an old Western movie. And that’s no accident.

This Old West town is no long forgotten ghost town, and it didn’t spring up during a 19th century mining boom.

Instead, Pioneertown was begun in 1946 by Dick Curtis, a popular silver screen outlaw, as a movie set for the ubiquitous Westerns of the time.

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Named for the Sons of the Pioneers, Pioneertown was designed to serve as a replica of an 1880s town in the West.

Built with real buildings instead of Hollywood-style facades commonly used in filming, Pioneertown offered real accommodations for film crews, and even a bowling alley where crews could relax when not filming (Roy Rogers ceremoniously threw out the first ball).

Original investors included Roy Rogers, the Sons of the Pioneers, Bud Abbot, Lou Costello, and Russell Hayden, who played Lucky in the Hopalong Cassidy movies, according to

an excellent history by Harvey B. Legrone, Historic Pioneertown: How the West Was Once, available through the Morongo Basin Historical Society and at a number of local shops.

Things to Do

Amble Down Mane Street Stroll quietly down Mane Street and imagine Pioneertown’s movie and TV heyday when Gene Autry might be filming on one side of the street, and Barbara Stanwyck might be filming on the other. Keep your eyes open for the Cisco Kid, Judge Roy Bean, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill Jr., a host of singing cowboys, and the Pony Express thundering into town, as you explore.

Listen to the wind as you walk Mane Street. You may hear Gene Autry and Edith Piaf singing a distant duet. Both were here—Autry riding on the back of Champion, Piaf smuggled up here in the trunk of a car by her lover, French Algerian champion boxer Marcel Cerdan.

Pioneertown Bowl is often closed, but visitors can still peer through the windows at the authentic comic western movie murals on its walls. When the lanes are occasionally open, pins are still set by hand at the bowling alley.

At the north end of Mane Street stands the OK Corral, and nearby is the Pioneertown Post Office, the most photographed Post Office in the West. Please be respectful when visiting Pioneertown as many houses on Mane Street are private residences and a portion of the street is closed to all but foot and equine traffic. Keep an eye out for artist studios where you can find something special to take home.

Old West Shoot Outs Mane Street hosts free seasonal weekend gunfight re-enactments with groups like the Mane Street Stampede and Gunfighters for Hire (2:30 p.m. most Saturdays and Sundays, April through October), and occasional historical encampments.

A Legendary Adobe Roadhouse Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace is a legendary adobe roadhouse featuring mesquite barbecue, drinks in Mason jars, and live music ranging from national touring bands and outdoor festivals to a lively open mic night.

Pioneertown Mountains Preserve North of town you can turn off on a dirt road for the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve where you can hike up and around Pipes Canyon. This 25,500 acre preserve is owned by The Wildlands Conservancy. It is open daily from sunrise to sunset and offers hikers the opportunity to explore the transitional ecosystem where the mountains descend to the hi-desert. Some guided hikes are available, and the preserve is an excellent location to look for spring wildflowers along a cool mountain stream.

The area is at a higher elevation, so dress accordingly.

The Pioneertown area also offers a back road (U.S. Forest Service dirt) to nearby Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains suitable for four wheel drive vehicles (a federal interagency pass is required if you intend to stop en route and can be purchased at Joshua Tree National Park visitor centers). Inquire at the California Welcome Center in Yucca Valley for route information. This road is the scene of one of the more unusual sporting events in the world—the Pioneer Pass Golf Tournament—a cross country golf competition that runs from the mountains down to the Pioneertown area. This ain’t your country club golf. This is real desert golfing.

Some of the area near Pioneertown was devastated in 2006 in the Sawtooth Complex Fire that burned a 100 square mile swath from the desert into the San Bernardino Mountains. Look for signs that plantlife and animals are making a strong comeback in burn areas, and please be careful with fire and cigarettes during your visit. The critters are counting on you!

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Homestead Valley

(which includes Landers, Flamingo Heights, Johnson Valley and Yucca Mesa) is a picturesque rural area found north of Yucca Valley along Route 247.

Here you will find many small cabins dotting the landscape, a reminder of the Five-Acre Homestead Act of the early and mid-1950s. Homesteaders received a five-acre parcel of desert land if they built a small cabin on it. Many did, and while some homestead cabins have been incorporated into larger homes, more stand abandoned, waiting patiently for their owner’s return, part of mid-20th century desert history.

Today, Homestead Valley is home to some of the more unique historical attractions and outlandish stories of this part of the California deserts.

The Landers Earthquake of June 28, 1992 wreaked havoc on the area. But that’s not the only natural—or supernatural—force at work here, if early Landers resident, George Van Tassel is to be believed.

Van Tassel took up residence in 1947 in a home under Giant Rock, an enormous freestanding seven-story boulder.

Van Tassel, who had worked at Douglas Aircraft, Hughes Aircraft, and Lockheed, began repairing airplanes that landed on the dry lake bed nearby. His wife became somewhat of a celebrity for her delicious apple pies, and Hollywood types, including Howard Hughes, reportedly began to fly out to visit with the Van Tassels at their rock.

While at Giant Rock in 1951, Van Tassel began to experience alien encounters. In 1952, Van Tassel was visited by Venutians who encouraged him to construct a wooden, domed, cellular rejuvenation machine using principles along the lines of Nikola Tesla’s work. Near Giant Rock, Van Tassel began construction of the dome—the Integratron.

Van Tassel, a “contactee” (aliens didn’t evidently begin abducting humans until later), began hosting The Giant Rock Spacecraft Convention from 1953 to 1978. As many as 10,000 contactees and UFO fans made the trek to Giant 32

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Rock each year during that time.

By the time of Van Tassel’s somewhat mysterious death in 1978, the Integratron was nearly complete. Reportedly, “men in black” stripped the technology from the Integratron, and the Bureau of Land Management obliterated the home under Giant Rock.

In 2000, Giant Rock split, either a sign of the millennium, or due to a roaring campfire built alongside the enormous boulder on a frigid winter night. In the desert, there are two stories for just about everything. You choose which story to believe.

Things to Do

The Integratron, Landers Sound baths and special events regularly take place at the Integratron, which to this day seems to be a powerful energy vortex of the sort only the desert can provide.

Gubler Orchids, Landers Gubler Orchids (across the street from the Integratron), offers tours of their greenhouses where award-winning orchids—and carnivorous plants—are grown commercially, and is also home to the annual Orchid Festival.

Giant Rock, Landers You can visit Giant Rock where Van Tassel once lived. A 4WD and high clearance vehicle is recommended.

Rock Corral, Johnson Valley Out in Johnson Valley was where the legendary Willie Boy manhunt of 1909 came to its conclusion (almost—he really got away), and you can find the Rock Corral where cowboys used to water horses and cattle in the early 1900s. A nice location for a picnic or hike.

Off-Road Recreation, Johnson Valley Off-road recreational fun awaits visitors to the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area. Here you can enjoy adventures on four, or two wheels, rock crawling, camping, hiking, rock hounding, and wildlife watching. At nearly 200,000 acres, there’s plenty to explore!

Don’t forget to pay a visit to King Clone and the Creosote Rings Preserve where you can see some of the oldest plants

The Integratron may no longer have its cellular rejuvenation technology purportedly designed by Venutians, but it does offer superb acoustics in the dome where cosmically soothing sound baths resonate from crystal bowls, above.

The Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area in the northern part of Homestead Valley offers excellent off-road recreational opportunities, below. The area is one of the leading off-road destinations in California, and host to a number of competitive events including The King of the Hammers rock crawling contest. Camping is allowed and the area’s 188,000 acres of varied terrain offers an endless variety of trails and places to ride and explore.

Indian Paintbrush brings a bright splash of red to canyons around the western edges of Homestead Valley. Look for it near the Rock Corral in Johnson Valley.

The Creosote Rings Preserve may not be that glamorous to look at, but many of the creosote rings here are up to 9,000 years old and the preserve is home to King Clone himself— nearly 12,000 years old. on the planet. Some of the creosote rings here date back 9,000 years, and the king? He may be nearly 12,000 years old. Always respect your elders!

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ing on in and around the town of Joshua Tree.

Things to Do

Outside

the west entrance to Joshua Tree National Park lies the unincorporated town of Joshua Tree. Being unincorporated suits Joshua Tree just fine as this eclectic little town is about as anti-mainstream corporate as you can get. To many here, Joshua Tree is as much a state of mind as it is a town.

Welcome to Joshua Tree, a small, friendly community comprised of regular folk, spiritual seekers, artists and musicians (some internationally award-winning), flocking here from all over the world to soak up the JT vibe and mingle with like-minded, like-hearted creative souls. You’ve got yogis, environmentalists, painters, found-object assemblage artists, child TV stars turned bards, guys who monitor the colors around the moon to predict earthquakes, rock climbers from every corner of the globe, organic farmers, gurus, activists, ice cream kings, performance artists, a guy who pushes pianos down the highway for peace, folks passing through—for years, European and Asian tourists, LA folks out for the week—it’s a colorful and vibrant little desert village.

The result of this lively mix is that there is always a lot go34

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Joshua Tree National Park The Joshua Tree National Park Visitors Center on Park Boulevard just off Route 62, offers visitors up-to-date park information, sells passes, and can help with camping and hiking suggestions, where to look for wildflowers in season, and how best to plan your time if you’re on a tight schedule.

Before heading into the park, remember to gas up the car, and bring plenty of water and food as there are no services inside the park.

You can get everything you need in town.

The Arts Abound Browse the art galleries and shops and grab a bite to eat before heading up Park Boulevard toward the national park entrance.

The headquarters for High Desert Test Sites, founded by nationally award-winning artist Andrea Zittel, is located in downtown Joshua Tree, as is the headquarters for the Mojave Desert Land Trust, the Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council, and the local headquarters for the National Parks Conservation Association.

Keeping in character, the Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce also functions as an art gallery.

Catch Some Culture If you’re looking for something cultural to do in Joshua Tree, there’s an eclectic variety of offerings available. The Harrison House hosts excellent performances of music and dance in an intimate setting (often along with a resident art show), while the Hi-Desert Cultural Center offers concerts, comedy, and touring shows.

Joshua Tree offers one of the more unique museums in the desert—the World Famous Crochet Museum at Art Queen (it’s in the back of the courtyard). The museum, located in an old film processing kiosk, is curated by Bunny, a crochet alligator. Art Queen and the other galleries in Joshua Tree, host opening receptions that often include live music performances by local and national artists, and often join for a monthly gallery crawl.

Downtown, the Joshua Tree Saloon offers live music several nights per week, and an open mic night, while artist Bobby Furst hosts film, music, and arts events at his studio.

The Joshua Tree Retreat Center (formerly the Ding Le Mei Insitute of Mentalphysics), hosts a broad range of events and festivals on their extensive grounds. The oldest and largest retreat center in the western U.S., the center was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright and his son Lloyd.

The center includes three large meeting halls, lodging, dining facilities, a labyrinth, medicine wheel, and tai chi circles, and ongoing spiritual events, yoga, meditation, tai chi, Lakota sweat lodge, wellness center and bookstore.

Fans of outdoor art installations won’t want to miss the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum in north Joshua Tree, a fantastical collection of assemblage art structures and installations on a 10 acre site (donated by artists Debby Brewer and Ed Ruscha), and a photographer’s delight.

Purifoy, who died in 2004, was an artist whose earliest works of sculpture were constructed from the charred rubble of the 1965 Watts riots (he was a founding member of the Watts Towers Art Center). His work is found in the collections of the LA County Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and others, and has been exhibited at the UCLA Hammer Museum, MOMA, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Martin-Gropius-Bau (Berlin), and additional venues.

One of the desert’s best natural resources is our night skies, and the Joshua Tree Astronomy Arts Theater, based at Joshua Tree Lake RV Campground, has found a way to make the beauty of the heavens accessible for everyone.

Their night sky presentations include projection of stellar imagery for easy viewing, accompanied by live musical performances. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the cosmos and spend a heavenly evening with the Joshua Tree Astronomy Arts Theater!

Life in Joshua Tree is filled with festivals and celebrations, performances and presentations. The spirit of country rock music pioneer, Gram Parsons, lives on in the annual Joshua Tree Music Festival, the Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival, and the frequent and informal concerts and performances that take place around town. Those drawn to the desert for spiritual renewal, meditation, and enrichment, can enjoy a host of offerings, from seminars, services, and workshops to large festivals. All around Joshua Tree there is always some-

The Joshua Tree Certified Farmers Market, in downtown Joshua Tree on Saturday mornings, is a feast for the palate and the senses. Piano Bob plays for shoppers, above, while farm fresh produce, along with goods from local artists and craftspeople await. Joshua Tree offers everything from fresh pesticide-free produce for your own cooking, to health foods, vegan and natural dining, as well as diner and pub food.

Spiritual seekers have come to the desert for renewal and replenishment for thousands of years. The Joshua Tree Retreat Center, left, offers a source for spiritual learning and exploration through a variety of seminars, workshops, services, retreats, yoga, concerts, drum circles, screenings, and festivals.

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thing going on, from mythological roundtables and storytelling, to stargazing,yoga, and learning to breathe.

Whether you want to venture far inside your own spiritual realm, or get as far outside of your everyday life as possible, Joshua Tree can take you there.

And when you’re filled with all the music, art, dance, yoga, shopping, and dining you desire, the desert awaits.

Native American petroglyphs at Coyote Hole, an unprotected site south of Joshua Tree. Vandals have damaged much of the Coyote Hole area. Joshua Tree National Park has had to temporarily close two areas recently due to vandalism. Please respect historic and sacred sites, and the natural beauty of your public lands.

Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum in north Joshua Tree, above, offers 10 acres of assemblage art installations— an art lover and photographer’s paradise. For directions, please contact the Noah Purifoy Foundation at www.noahpurifoy.com, e-mail tarashall@att.net, or call (213)382-7516.

The Joshua Tree Music Festival and Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival, below, offer international musical performances twice a year. Check www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com for the dates and line-up.

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Out

on edge of the desert, the City of Twentynine Palms has long been a place of refuge for the desert traveler.

The cool waters of the Oasis of Mara and the shade of its palms beckon to the weary wanderer, the way they have for thousands of years. It was around this life-giving oasis where Native Americans made their home. Later, prospectors and miners, cattlemen, and others came this way.

In the years following World War I, veterans arrived, seeking health and vitality in the dry desert air, along with resourceful, determined homesteaders, and a community began to take hold.

Now,Twentynine Palms is the home of the headquarters of Joshua Tree National Park and proud host of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, the world’s largest Marine Corps training base.

Known for its clear skies, brilliant star-filled nights, desert and mountain vistas, wide-open spaces, and world-class murals and public art, the city offers a haven for artists and nature lovers, a quiet getaway for visitors, a scenic location for photography and filming, a supportive climate for small businesses, and a friendly community and healthy environment for families and retirees.

The area was first inhabited by Serrano, and later Chemehuevi and Cahuilla Indians, who lived at the Oasis of Mara, the original heart of the community and location of its namesake, the legendary 29 native Washingtonia filifera

palm trees counted by desert surveyors in the 1850s that gave the city its name.

The miners and cattlemen arrived in the 1870s, lured by gold and silver in the nearby Dale Mining District, and open pastures, followed by World War I veterans and homesteaders in the 1920s. Six decades later, the community was incorporated as the City of Twentynine Palms.

Serving as a gateway community to the nearly 800,000acre Joshua Tree National Park on the south and the 932-square-mile Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center on the north, Twentynine Palms is also a gateway to the Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Desert wilderness areas, Route 66, the Colorado River, and other exciting desert destinations.

Today, the city provides accommodations for many of the 1.4 million annual visitors to Joshua Tree National Park and convenient lodging and dining for contractors and families visiting the Marine base, offering lodging choices ranging from historic inns and classic roadside motels to modern hotels and RV facilities, plus more than three dozen restaurants and bars, and casino.

A comprehensive visitor information website, www. visit29.org, provides a great starting point for travelers to the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities. The City of Twentynine Palms operates a visitor information center, downtown on Route 62, and Joshua Tree National Park’s Oasis Visitor Center is located on Utah Trail and National Park Drive.

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Things to Do Tour the Arts of the Oasis of Murals Once a budding art colony in the 1940s-50s, Twentynine Palms experienced a renaissance in the mid-1990s that spawned a world class Oasis of Murals, a resurgence of artistic residents, and an Art in Public Places program that features ongoing exhibitions and public art installations throughout the city. The city’s artistic heritage continues to play an important role in its planning and revitalization efforts and ongoing cultural growth.

Pick up a murals map at the Visitor Center & Gallery (at the Chamber of Commerce office downtown) and tour the dozens of murals and public art installations throughout the city. Take in the gallery showing of desert art while you’re at the visitor center too!

Additional arts attractions feature several galleries, including the 29 Palms Art Gallery, home to the 29 Palms Artists’ Guild, located in a historic adobe building. The guild is the oldest arts organization in the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities, started by famed desert landscape painter John Hilton and other artists in 1951. The adobe, originally built as the home of western author Tom Hopkins, hosts rotating art shows, classes, receptions, and special events throughout the year.

Drop by the 29 Palms Creative Center where you can not 38

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only view and purchase works by desert artists, but you can join in an arts class or arrange a private session to learn how to make monotype prints, mosaics, and more. Make your own souvenirs and gifts for those back home!

Go Back in Time A visit to the Old Schoolhouse Museum is a trip back in time. Home to the 29 Palms Historical Society, the museum includes the city’s original 1927 one-room schoolhouse. The museum provides an excellent introduction to the history of Twentynine Palms and hosts regular lectures on topics of historical interest. It also is the site of two famous annual events—the Old Timers Gathering during Pioneer Days, every October, and the Weed Show (a true desert classic) in November.

Catch a Play Theatre 29 produces half a dozen major stage productions— musicals, comedies and dramas—throughout the year.

Nearly all plays performed are family oriented, and the Halloween haunted house, created, directed, and staffed by local ghouls, has become legendary. Plays by local authors are also staged at this community theatre. Enjoy dinner and a play after a day exploring Joshua Tree National Park!

Drive Into Classic Americana While they’re getting increasingly hard to find across the country, in Twentynine Palms you can still pile into the car and head for the drive-in movie theater. Smith’s Ranch Drive-In opened in 1954 and still screens first-run movies today, Thursday through Sunday nights.

Get Stars in Your Eyes The Sky’s the Limit Observatory & Nature Center under development next to the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park (one of the best stargazing destinations in the world), provides opportunities for exploring the desert’s deep, dark night skies. Remember the Milky Way? It’s still up there.

Events and Fun for Everyone Twentynine Palms hosts a variety of festive events each year, from the Pioneer Days celebration to art festivals like the Weed Show, a long-running homegrown arts event involving natural and found objects that could only happen in the desert, and motorcycle races.

Recreational amenities include two community parks with

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Bucky Bucklin Park, top, showcases the City of Twentynine Palms’ murals and public sculpture, next to the visitors center.

The 29 Palms Art Gallery, above, is housed in a historic adobe where famed desert landscape painter John Hilton once taught Jimmy Cagney painting lessons. Public art is scattered across this Oasis of Murals, below. Welcome to 29!

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p l ayg ro u n d s and ballfields, a public swimming pool and skateboard park, two golf courses, and, of course, rock climbing, hiking, and camping in our backyard—the national park.

The main business district of Twentynine Palms lies in a scenic valley halfway between the national park entrance and the main gate of the Marine base, placing retail, dining, and lodging less than 10 minutes from either destination. Small businesses form the backbone of the local economy, along with arts and tourism, and the majority of lodging venues in the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities are found in Twentynine Palms.

To the east lies Wonder Valley, a rural unincorporated community filled with more artists and musicians and true “desert rats” and past that there is 100 miles of Route 62 taking you through the desert to the Colorado River. To the north you’ll find Route 66, Amboy Crater, and the Mojave National Preserve, all easily accessible from Twentynine Palms.

Over the years, the call of the Mojave has lured artists, musicians, naturalists, writers, poets, photographers, and a dazzling variety of urban escapees to become desert denizens. Many visit and return one day to stay. We invite you to explore the desert landscape, enjoy the quiet desert solitude, and catch the spirit of our friendly community out here on the edge of the desert.

Welcome to 29!

For comprehensive visitor information for the City of Twentynine Palms, please visit www. visit29.org.

At

932 square miles, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center just north of Twentynine Palms has been an integral part of life in this area since the first troops arrived in 1952, nearly a decade after the U.S. Army shut down its World War II aviation training field here.

Known as “the crown jewel of Marine Corps training,” MCAGCC also serves as the crown jewel of the area, contributing more than $600 million annually to the local economy as the hi-desert’s largest employer. The base also regularly partners with other federal and civilian agencies to improve the quality of life on base and off.

MCAGCC’s Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command is responsible for administering Enhanced Mojave Viper, the Marine Corps’ premier live-fire and maneuver training. More than 45,000 Marines and sailors train via EMV and other annual training exercises conducted aboard the base.

The base also is home to the 7th Marine Regiment (reinforced) and other Fleet Marine Force units, as well as the Marine Corps Communications-Electronics School, the largest training school in the Corps, which trains thousands of service members for service in the communications and electronics fields.

MCAGCC’S Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital is a state-ofthe-art naval medical facility serving active-duty service members and their families, as well as retirees from around the region.

In addition to staying on point with the Marine Corps’ mission, MCAGCC prides itself on being a good steward of

both cultural and environmental resources, with programs in place for preservation and conservation.

Since 2007, cultural collections have been housed at the Archaeology and Paleontology Curation Center on Del Valle Road. The facility features limited indoor displays, and a colorful series of outdoor gardens that include a desert tortoise habitat.

Award-winning environmental programs like energy conservation and recycling save the Marine Corps millions of dollars annually, and the base has reduced night lighting by 60 percent over the past few years.

The Marines, sailors, family members and civilians of MCAGCC—which number about 25,000—also add a personal touch to life in here; many are deeply involved in the community as volunteers for everything from service projects to youth sports teams.

Above, Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment patrol the streets of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center’s new Combined Arms Military Operations in Urban Training mock city during a pre-deployment exercise. (Photo by Cpl. Andrew S. Avitt) Joshua Tree Gateway Communities

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Less

than an hour away from Twentynine Palms lies America’s “Mother Road,” historic Route 66. Take Amboy Road from Twentynine Palms through Wonder Valley, over Sheephole Pass, and past the chloride mining operations on the dry lake bed, and you’ll reach the “town” of Amboy. The town of Amboy is owned by one man. It’s only services are found at Roy’s where you can find simple snacks and drinks, gas, basic restrooms, and a whole lot of stories.

About 10 minutes west from Amboy on Route 66, you

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can visit Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark. You can walk through lava flows into the center of the 250 foot high crater. If you can, hike up to the rim of the crater and look across the landscape of the desert. There are 24 square miles of lava flow and lava lakes, collapsed lava tubes and sinks, spatter cones and massive basalt flows. To the west along Route 66, and to the north in the Mojave National Preserve, lie many more signs of the desert’s volcanic history.

Amboy Crater can be an excellent site to view spring wildflowers, and is always home to a variety of lizards and snakes. There are picnic and restroom facilities on site. Be cautious when hiking to the rim as much of the volcanic material is loose.

The section of Route 66 between Amboy and Ludlow is excellent for train watching. Train lovers can follow Route 66 west all the way to Barstow where you can visit Casa del Desierto, the classic Harvey House railroad station that is home to the Western American Railroad Museum (and the Route 66 Mother Road Museum). The Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail company has one of its largest railway yards here with 48 classification tracks.

See our website at www.sunrunnersw.com for more Route 66 travel destinations.

Two trains pass each other between Amboy and Ludlow, above. A Mojave Route 66 sunset, left.

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Not far

from Twentynine Palms you can find a vast 1.6 million acre desert wonderland filled with Joshua tree forests, “singing” sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones and lava flows, dramatic mountains, lonely canyons, long forgotten mines and homesteads, long trains snaking across the distance, and a historic road leading westward across the sands.

The Mojave National Preserve (the difference between a national park and preserve is that hunting is allowed in preserves), provides an incredible variety of desert experiences for day trips or longer. Camping is available across the preserve but buy your provisions and gas up in Twentynine Palms as there are no concessions within the preserve.

If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas, taking Route 62 and then heading north through the Mojave National Preserve provides a beautiful and relaxing alternative to sitting in traffic on Interstate 15.

Things to Do Kelso Depot Visitor Center A good place to begin your visit to the Mojave National Preserve is at the Kelso Depot Visitor Center. This historic railroad depot now houses exhibits, an art gallery, bookstore, and an orientation film. Rangers can help you plan your trip and provide information on hikes, road conditions, and camping options. Water and restrooms are available, and picnic facilities are located where you can enjoy a view of the Providence Mountains and passing trains. Ranger-led programs are available.

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Kelso Dunes The Kelso Dunes have some of the highest sand dunes in the region. The dunes reach up to 600 feet high and extend into the Devil’s Playground. Created over the last 25,000 years, the dunes cover a 45 square mile area and are known for their “singing” sounds. Run down a dune slope (not on the vegetation) and when the sand slides down the steep slope, listen for a booming or singing sound. Watch the sunset over the Devil’s Playground from the top of a dune, or take a full moon hike (ask the rangers for more information).

Cima Dome & Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark Within the Mojave National Preserve you can see a number of red and black cinder cones and lava flows. Cima Dome and 31 other volcanic cinder cones dot the landscape along Kelbaker Road north of the Kelso Depot. Eruptions began about 7.6 million years ago and continued until at least 10,000 years ago, near the end of the most recent ice age.

If you have a 4WD high clearance vehicle, Aiken Mine Road makes for an interesting side trip and provides access to a lava tube cave. The cave is not maintained by the National Park Service, so visitors explore it at their own risk.

Teutonia Peak Trail Off Cima Road you can take a three mile round trip hike on the Teutonia Peak Trail. This trail provides views of Cima Dome, cinder cones and lava flows, as well as the world’s largest and densest Joshua tree forest.

Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center Visitors here can take the 1.5 mile Rings Loop Trail up Banshee Canyon, and the half-mile Hole-in-the-Wall Nature Trail, an easy introduction to desert plants.

The “singing� Kelso Dunes are beautiful and fun to explore, above (photo courtesy Linda Slater/National Park Service).

The historic Kelso Depot Visitor Center, left.

Desert wildflowers in bloom at the Mojave National Preserve, below (photo courtesy Linda Slater/National Park Service).

Zzyzx/Soda Springs Visit this historic 1940s health resort (the Desert Studies Center continues to host classes here), Lake Tuendae, and Soda Dry Lake. If classes are in session, please do not disturb participants.

Mojave Road Visitors who have 4WD vehicles may want to consider driving the section of the Mojave Road within the preserve.

Overall, the preserve offers more than 1,000 miles of dirt roads to explore.

WARNING Roads within the Mojave National Preserve are in poor condition, though there are plans to repair them. Speed limits have been reduced in many places to 45 mph due to the potential for damage to vehicles. Use caution.

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Keep in touch -

The Sun runner and southwest stories with steve brown

mondays at 6:30 pm beginning march 16, 2015 on Joshua Tree Gateway Communities

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TWENTYNINE PALMS 9 Palms Inn (760)367-0334 73243 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

Lodging Baby owls peer out from their perch at Roughley Manor.

While inside Joshua Tree National Park, there are no hotels, only campgrounds, but a broad selection of lodging facilities awaits visitors to the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities.

29 Palms Inn (760)367-3505 73950 Inn Avenue (at National Park Drive) www.29palmsinn.com Historic Inn on 70 acres at Oasis of Mara, family-owned since 1928.

Adobe bungalows, cabins, artfilled restaurant, bar, poolside dining, acoustic music nightly.

Sunday brunch, daily lunch, dinner, continental breakfast. Weddings and catered events. Heated pool.

Best Western Gardens Hotel (760)367-9141 71487 Twentynine Palms Hwy. Circle C Lodge (760)367-7615 6340 El Rey Avenue Country Inn Twentynine Palms (760)367-0070 71829 Twentynine Palms Hwy. El Rancho Dolores Motel (760)367-3528 73352 Twentynine Palms Hwy. www.elranchomotel29palms.com A long established family-owned motel in downtown 29, hosting desert travelers since 1940. 31 rooms, small singles, to large suites with kitchenettes. Rooms have minirefrigerators, microwaves, satellite TV, AC, phone, wireless Internet.

Swimming pool.

Fairfield Inn & Suites (Mariott) (760)361-5000 6333 Encelia Avenue (at Hwy. 62) www.marriott.com Breakfast buffet, fitness center, business center, boardroom, swimming pool, patio, BBQs. 80 suites with wired/wireless Internet, data ports, AC, cable TV, microwave, refrigerator, in-room coffee, separate living area with sofa sleeper, work desk. Film-friendly hotel.

Harmony Motel (760)367-3351 71161 Twentynine Palms Hwy. Holiday Inn Express & Suites (760)361-1000 72535 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

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Hotel 29 Palms (760)361-4009 71809 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

Joshua Tree Retreat Center 59700 29 Palms Hwy. (760)365-8371

Motel 6 – Twentynine Palms #1085 (760)904-6992 72562 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

Mojave Sands Motel 62121 29 Palms Highway (760)799-1603

Motel 29 Palms (760)367-3484 73842 Twentynine Palms Hwy.

Safari Motor Inn 61959 29 Palms Highway (760)366-1113

Roughley Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn (760)367-3238 74744 Joe Davis Drive A 1928 stone mansion on 25 acres surrounded by Washingtonian palm trees. Gardens, beautiful guest rooms, pool and hot tub. Gourmet breakfast served in the great room. Wireless Internet, satellite TV. Per diem accepted for military, contractors.

Sunnyvale Garden Suites (760)361-3939 73843 Sunnyvale Drive Twentynine Palms Resort – RV Park/ Cottages/Golf (760)367-3320 4949 Desert Knoll Drive

Wonder Valley Joshua Desert Retreats (310)558-5544

Joshua Tree National Park Camping Only

Joshua Tree National Park 74485 National Park Drive 1-877-444-6777 www.nps.gov/jotr

Joshua Tree High Desert Motel 61310 29 Palms Highway (760)367-3898 www.highdesertmotel.com Close to the entrance for Joshua Tree National Park, pool, laundry facilities, guest BBQ areas, cable TV. Joshua Tree Inn 61259 29 Palms Hwy. (760)366-1188 Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground 2601 Sunfair Rd. (760)366-1213

Pioneertown Calmada Boutique Hotel & Resort 3569 Calmada Road (760)228-3141 High Desert Eden (760)228-2288 www.HighDesertEden.com A private retreat to soothe your soul, adjoining 33,000 acres of a wild lands preserve. Private yoga retreats available.

Pioneertown Motel 5040 Curtis Road.

(760)365-7001

Yucca Valley Americas Best Value Inn & Suites 56377 29 Palms Hwy. (760)418-5900 Best Western Hotel & Suites 56525 29 Palms Hwy. (760)365-3555 Desert Sky Motel & RV Park 55492 29 Palms Hwy. (760)365-2886 Desert View Motel 57471 Primrose Dr. (760)365-9706 Sands Motel 55446 29 Palms Hwy. (760)365-4615 Super 8 Motel 57096 29 Palms Hwy. (760)228-1773 Thunderbird Lodge Retreat 8282 La Contenta Road (760)408-0768 www.thunderbirdlodgeretreat.com Beautiful, unique cabins, pet friendly, free wi-fi, near Joshua Tree National Park.

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YUCCA VALLEY LODGING continued...

Travelodge Inn and Suites 54850 29 Palms Hwy. (760)365-3311 www.yuccavalleyresort.com Digital HDTV, HBO, large pool, hot tub, courtyard rooms, extended stay suites with kitchenettes, restaurant/bar on site.

DESERT HOT SPRINGS Aqua Soleil Hotel & Mineral Water Spa 14500 Palm Drive (760)329-4481 www.aquasoleilhotel.com Three mineral water pools, well appointed rooms, Soleil Suites with private jetted in-ground mineral water pool, full service spa, restaurant/bar, ideal getaway.

Sea Mountain Resort (760)251-1230 www.nudespa.com Luxurious nude romantic hotel and resort, premier adults only day spa hotel.

5-star guest rooms, 24-hour lounge club, complimentary beverages, mineral water spas and pools, massages,

in-room dining. Ranked Top Celebrity Spa, Best Private Retreat in the USA, and one of the top 5 places to be naked in the world.

Note: Desert Hot Springs is located just east of Route 62, Twentynine Palms Hwy., and is known for its restorative mineral waters.

The 29 Palms Inn has been operated by the same family since 1928, at the historic Oasis of Mara, above. Water from the oasis supports the Inn’s gardens.

Produce from the gardens can be found regularly in dishes on the menu of the Inn’s restaurant. Live music is featured at the Inn nightly, making for an extraordinary desert oasis experience.

The Sun Runner Guide to the Joshua Tree Gateway Communities is published by: The Sun Runner, The Journal of the Real Desert PO Box 2171, Joshua Tree, CA 92252 (760)820-1222 www.sunrunnersw.com ©2015 The Sun Runner For our enhanced digital edition of this visitors guide and additional travel information, please visit us at www.sunrunnersw.com.

Cover art by Rik Verlin Livingston 50

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Cover Artist: Rik Verlin Livingston Rik Livingston, the creative spark behind Zono Art, first graced Sun Runner covers in October 2009 for the Annual Desert Art Issue. Rik produces a broad spectrum of work, making use of “mass culture imagery, appropriating a popular visual vernacular, caricature method and cast off materials in seriously humorous, Post-Pop artworks of layered meaning.” Rik notes, “It’s Pop Art without the irony. Instead I use the ‘language’ of popular culture to ‘mythologize’ every day life and the deeper truths that lie beneath.”

Check out Rik’s imaginative work, from independent comic books to a controversial Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce gallery show, at www.zonoart. com.

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Dining Twentynine Palms

29 Palms Inn

(760)367-3505 73950 Inn Ave. at National Park Dr. www.29palmsinn.com Alex & Serge, Inc. 6427 Mesquite Ave. A Andrea’s Family Restaurant 73780 29 Palms Hwy. Bamboo Garden Chinese Restaurant 73633 29 Palms Hwy.

Little Caesar’s Pizza 6432 Adobe Road Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken 73768 Gorgonio Dr. McDonald’s 6455 Adobe Road

Oasis Grill/Shelly’s Lounge Tortoise Rock Casino

Burger King 71707 29 Palms Hwy.

73829 Baseline Rd. www.TortoiseRockCasino.com

Cantonese Restaurant 6248 Adobe Road

Papa John’s Pizza 73549 29 Palms Hwy.

Carousel Café 72317 29 Palms Hwy.

Passion Desert – Chinese 5692 Historic Plaza

Del Taco 72636 29 Palms Hwy.

Pizza Hut 72526 29 Palms Hwy.

Denny’s 73669 29 Palms Hwy.

Quizno’s 6470 Desert Queen Ave.

Domino’s Pizza 3668 Adobe Road

Red Lotus – Thai & Vietnamese 73511 29 Palms Hwy.

Edchada’s Fine Mexican Food & Cocktails 73502 29 Palms Hwy.

Rocky’s New York Pizza 73737 29 Palms Hwy.

Fosters Freeze 73629 Two Mile Road

Santana’s Mexican Food (760)361-0202, 73680 Sun Valley

Fuji Restaurant – Teriyaki 73603 29 Palms Hwy.

Subway 71757 29 Palms Hwy. 3664 Adobe Rd.

Indian Cove Market & Deli 69131 29 Palms Hwy. Jack-in-the-Box 73750 29 Palms Hwy. Jelly Donut 73570 29 Palms Hwy. King Kitchen – Chinese 73845 29 Palms Hwy. Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant 73741 29 Palms Hwy. 52

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Thai Cafe 73501 29 Palms Hwy. The Palm Kabob House 6341 Adobe Road The Rib Co. – Mesquite BBQ 72183 29 Palms Hwy. TK’s Chinese Express – Thai & Vietnamese 71757 29 Palms Hwy. Top 100 Chinese Restaurant 72115 29 Palms Hwy.

Young’s Liquor & Deli 3668 Adobe Rd. WONDER VALLEY The Palms Restaurant & Bar 83131 Amboy Road Yucca Valley Aki Sushi 57045 29 Palms Hwy. Algoberto’s Taco Shop 56143 29 Palms Hwy. All Star Burgers 55692 29 Palms Hwy. Applebee’s 57796 29 Palms Hwy. Asian Buffet 57675 29 Palms Hwy. Blimpie’s Subs & Salads 57387 29 Palms Hwy. C&S Coffee Shop 55795 29 Palms Hwy. Carl’s Jr. 57222 29 Palms Hwy. Carrow’s 57044 29 Palms Hwy. Del Taco 56748/57736 29 Palms Hwy. Denny’s 56895 29 Palms Hwy. Domino’s Pizzza 58146 29 Palms Hwy. Good China Star 58080 29 Palms Hwy. Hero Market 1160 Old Woman Springs Rd. Jack in the Box 57930 29 Palms Hwy.

Jelly Donut 56153 29 Palms Hwy. John’s Place 56249 29 Palms Hwy. Jose’s 57113 29 Palms Hwy. Kasa Carniceria y Taqueria 56089 29 Palms Hwy. KFC 56945 29 Palms Hwy. Kimi Grill 7500 Camino del Cielo Trail La Casita Mexican Restaurant 57154 29 Palms Hwy.

Sizzler 57084 29 Palms Hwy.

Santana’s Mexican Food 61761 29 Palms Hwy.

La Palapa #7 57173 Sunnyslope Drive

Sonic Drive In 58145 29 Palms Hwy.

Subway 61794 29 Palms Hwy.

Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant (760)369-7164 55792 29 Palms Hwy.

Starbucks 57744 29 Palms Hwy.

Little Caesars Pizza 7021 Airway Avenue Ma Rouge Coffee House (760)365-4100 55844 29 Palms Hwy. www.marouge.net Mandarin Cuisine 57069 29 Palms Hwy. McDonald’s 56244 Papago Trail Mojave Pizza 282 Old Woman Springs Rd. Panda Chinese Restaurant 56091 29 Palms Hwy. Papa John’s Pizza 57274 29 Palms Hwy.

Subway 57266 29 Palms Hwy. Taco Bell 57622 29 Palms Hwy. Utopia Yogurt 57746 29 Palms Hwy. Joshua Tree Country Kitchen 61768 29 Palms Hwy. Crossroads Café 61715 29 Palms Hwy. Joshua Tree Coffee Co. 61736B 29 Palms Hwy. Joshua Tree Saloon 61835 29 Palms Hwy.

Papa’s Smokehouse & BBQ 56098 29 Palms Hwy.

Natural Sisters Cafe (760)366-3600 61695 29 Palms Hwy.

Pizza Hut 58012 29 Palms Hwy.

Park Rock Cafe 6554 Park Blvd.

Quiznos 57750 29 Palms Hwy.

Pie for the People New York Style Pizza 61740 29 Palms Hwy.

Route 62 Diner 55405 29 Palms Hwy.

Royal Siam Thai Restaurant 61599 29 Palms Hwy.

Santana’s 56547 29 Palms Hwy.

Sam’s Pizza and Indian Food 61380 29 Palms Hwy.

Pioneertown Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace 53688 Pioneertown Rd. Homestead Valley Mojave Pizza 162 S. Old Woman Springs Road Western Coffee Pot Family Cafe 1141 Hwy 247 Morongo Valley Sand to Snow Monument Bar & Grill 49827 29 Palms Hwy. Morongo Valley Cafe 49780 29 Palms Hwy. Village Food Mart & Deli 49727 29 Palms Hwy. Willie Boy’s Saloon & Dance Hall (760)363-3343 50048 29 Palms Hwy.

For the best in desert dining check the dining guide in each issue of the sun runner Joshua Tree Gateway Communities

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Visitor Information Twentynine Palms

Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters & Oasis Visitor Center 74485 National Park Drive Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597 1-877-444-6777 www.nps.gov/jotr Twentynine Palms Visitor Center and Chamber of Commerce 73484 29 Palms Highway Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 (760)367-6197 www.visit29.org

Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center 6554 Park Boulevard Joshua Tree, CA 92252 (760)Â 367-5500 www.nps.gov/jotr

Yucca Valley California Welcome Center 56711 Twentynine Palms Highway Yucca Valley, CA 92284 (760)365-5464 www.cwcdrta.org

Desert Travel The Sun Runner www.sunrunnersw.com Southwest Stories with Steve Brown www.southweststories.us

Desert Parks & Recreation Joshua Tree National Park: www.nps.gov/jotr Big Morongo Canyon Preserve: www.bigmorongo.org Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/amboy.html

Death Valley National Park: www.nps.gov/deva Red Rock Canyon State Park www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=631 Anza-Borrego Desert State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

Mojave National Preserve: www.nps.gov/moja

Coachella Valley Preserve www.coachellavalleypreserve.org

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument www.friendsofthedesertmountains.org

Blythe Intaglios www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/cultural/intaglios.html

Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/johnson.html

San Bernardino National Forest www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf

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