If you were to ask me where I would spend a perfect day, I would immediately say the California desert. It wasn’t always that way. As a child, before I moved to California, the only perception I had of the desert was that it was sandy, windy and full of tumbleweeds blowing around. My idea of hiking...

Conglomerate Mesa lies in the southern Inyo Mountains, sandwiched between the Sierra Nevada range and Death Valley National Park. The nearest towns are Olancha to the southwest and Lone Pine to the northwest. The mesa itself is an impressive landform when seen from a distance, extending from 3,800 to...

A California desert jewel lies about eight miles north of the Barstow in the Calico Peaks Range: Rainbow Basin Natural Area. As the name suggests, the rocks in the area are colorful, ranging from pinks and tans to greens and purples. However, Rainbow Basin does not look like a basin. It is merely an...

The yellow-billed cuckoo is a rather striking bird. It has grayish brown plumage above and white below, red primary flight feathers, and tail feathers that have a bold pattern that almost looks like a white and black braid. The yellow-billed cuckoo is a member of the avian family Cuculidae. Some ornithologists...

The Cadiz Valley is located in the eastern Mojave Desert, south of the Mojave National Preserve and Historic Route 66 and east of the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. Cadiz Valley is a postcard of the California desert, surrounded by mountains, sand dunes, dry lake beds, ancient creosote plants and...

Were you one of the lucky people who was able to visit the Carrizo Plain National Monument earlier this spring to witness the spectacular superbloom of multi-colored spring flowers? How would you feel if the president of the United States took the Carrizo Plain away from you and handed it over to corporations...

The sign for exit 239 on Interstate 15, six miles southwest of Baker, says “Zzyzx Road.” Have you ever gotten off at that exit to explore? Have you wondered what is down that road? First, you might be wondering how to pronounce this strange word. Zzyzx is pronounced “Zī – zĭx,” with the...

One of my favorite destinations in Death Valley National Park is located in Wildrose Canyon, where you will find what are believed to be the best known surviving examples of charcoal kilns in the western states – plus a great hiking trail and campground. The Wildrose Charcoal Kilns are among the...

Are you planning a trip to Death Valley soon? While there are many great places to visit and interesting things to see in the park, I encourage you to make a stop on your way to the park – and it does not even require that you take a different route. About an hour north of Baker along Highway 127 lies...

More than two million people visit Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park each year. While there are many beautiful and interesting places to visit in each of those parks, there are many desert treasures that can be found outside of those national parks. One of those treasures, Trona...