Deserts

The Deserts region spans the broad arid country in southeastern California, three different deserts converging — the Mojave to the west and north, the Sonoran in the southeastern corner, and the Great Basin reaching down through the Owens Valley east of the Sierra. Elevations swing dramatically: from 282 feet below sea level at Badwater in Death Valley to over 14,000 at Mount Whitney just 85 miles west. Inyo, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial, and Tulare counties cover the region. Bakersfield is the largest city; Bishop and Lone Pine anchor the Owens Valley; Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley draw resort traffic; Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms hold the Mojave. Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park hold the public-land scenery. Trips here split sharply by season. Winter and spring carry desert wildflower and warm-weather visitors to Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and the Coachella Valley; summer is for the Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierra. Low-desert summer can exceed 120 degrees.