Joshua Tree · Things to do

$30 per private vehicle for seven days, $25 by motorcycle, $15 on foot or bicycle; the Joshua Tree annual pass is $55. Two entrances from the north at Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, one from the south at Cottonwood off I-10. Bring all your own water — there is very little in the park.

About a 20-minute drive off Park Boulevard down Keys View Road, on the crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains. You look straight down at the San Andreas Fault running along the Coachella Valley, with the Salton Sea to the left and San Jacinto and San Gorgonio to the right. The lookout is wheelchair accessible; a 0.2-mile loop climbs the ridge behind it.

Ten acres of assemblage sculpture Purifoy built from salvage in the open desert outside Joshua Tree. Free, open every day from sun-up to sundown, donations welcome. Sign in at the welcome kiosk by the mailboxes and take a self-guided brochure; there is no shade, so come early or late in summer.

A domed wooden building at 2477 Belfield Boulevard in Landers, about 30 minutes north, where you lie on the upper deck while quartz bowls are played. Reservations are required to get in at all, and it opens Wednesday to Saturday only, with an annual summer closure through early September. Book by phone or through their site.

50048 Twentynine Palms Hwy in Morongo Valley, open daily 7:30am to sunset, free. A cottonwood-and-willow stream oasis with boardwalks through it and 263 bird species recorded — an eBird hotspot with free guided bird walks Wednesday and Saturday mornings. No dogs, and you must be out by sunset.