Los Angeles Times

Want a desert experience that’s not Joshua Tree? Here are 3

This is not about Joshua Tree, California. That’s not to say the trendy desert town isn’t worth visiting — it absolutely is! But its skyrocketing popularity carries with it an unpleasant side. “We don’t want it to become Tulum,” one Joshua Tree tourist told my colleague Christopher Reynolds earlier this year, referring to the Mexican beach town overwhelmed by upscale tourists. So, as we enter ...
A snowplow sculpts a ridge atop the summit at Mammoth Mountain on Oct. 27, 2021, in Mammoth Lakes, California.

This is not about Joshua Tree, California.

That’s not to say the trendy desert town isn’t worth visiting — it absolutely is!

But its skyrocketing popularity carries with it an unpleasant side. “We don’t want it to become Tulum,” one Joshua Tree tourist told my colleague Christopher Reynolds earlier this year, referring to the Mexican beach town overwhelmed by upscale tourists.

So, as we enter my favorite time of year for desert journeys, I thought I’d share a few slightly more off-the-beaten-path destinations across the Mojave.

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