Joshua Tree, Palm Springs & Anza-Borrego

The park sits at the collision of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts — the Joshua trees themselves (actually a yucca, named by Mormon settlers who saw the raised arms of a prophet) grow only above 3,000 feet in the Mojave section. The drive from the north entrance to Skull Rock passes the best boulder formations, including the Wonderland of Rocks.

A short, paved quarter-mile walk to a 5,185-foot overlook facing south into the Coachella Valley, Salton Sea, and on clear days the mountains of Baja California. Morning light is ideal but midday works well in winter. One of the easiest 'wow' moments in the entire park.

A flat, quarter-mile nature trail through the densest stand of teddy bear cholla cactus in the park — the backlighting effect in late afternoon is extraordinary, but a midday visit lets you study the individual plants before the crowds thin out. Don't touch: the spines are barbed and detach on contact.

A 1.7-mile loop past one of Joshua Tree's most photographed features — a massive boulder eroded into the unmistakable shape of a skull. The trail connects several boulder piles and gives a feel for how the desert's granitic monoliths form through a process of subsurface exfoliation.

A Palm Springs institution open since 1951 — massive deli sandwiches, housemade matzo ball soup, and a bakery counter piled with rugelach and black-and-white cookies. The booths fill with locals every morning; the evening counter crowd is a different, quieter Palm Springs.

Intimate, country-chic eatery with a patio for farm-to-table Provençal fare, including breakfast.

The world's largest rotating tramcar climbs 8,516 feet from the desert floor to the edge of the San Jacinto Wilderness in under 10 minutes — the view on ascent, watching the desert shrink and the pine forest appear, is one of the most dramatic in California. The temperature drops 40°F between the valley station and the top.

A Palm Springs breakfast institution on Palm Canyon Drive — the seasonal menu rotates weekly and the bacon flight (four preparations) has become a local legend. Arrive before 11am or expect a wait.

The Uptown Design District along North Palm Canyon Drive is the best self-guided mid-century architecture walk in the country — buildings by Albert Frey, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and E. Stewart Williams are within blocks of each other. The Palm Springs Art Museum anchors the south end.

A Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians-managed canyon with a 60-foot waterfall at its head, accessible via a guided or self-guided 1.8-mile loop. The canyon walls are covered in ancient petroglyphs and the stream runs clear year-round.

A James Beard-nominated restaurant in a converted downtown building — an open kitchen, concrete floors, and a menu built around local desert ingredients executed with precision. The cocktail program is exceptional.

A short drive on a washboard dirt road to a sandstone overlook 1,000 feet above the Borrego Badlands — one of the most otherworldly vistas in California, with eroded clay formations extending for miles in every direction. Early morning light turns the badlands gold and pink.

A 0.75-mile slot canyon south of Borrego Springs with 30-foot conglomerate walls less than 3 feet apart in places — cool even in summer, and geologically spectacular. The canyon was carved by flash floods through ancient alluvial fan deposits.

The best lunch in Borrego Springs — a no-frills Mexican restaurant with handmade tortillas, cold margaritas, and a covered outdoor patio that the desert town gathers around.

A 3-mile round trip into the largest native California fan palm oasis in the state — over 1,000 palms in a canyon fed by a reliable stream. Bighorn sheep come down from the ridges to drink; late afternoon is peak sighting time.