Things to do / Travel Guide
Horseback Riding in the California Desert
See the California Desert the way the first American pioneers did by booking a horseback riding tour of Joshua Tree National Park. Just 35 miles from Palm Springs, The Joshua Tree Ranch is a 40-horse stable near the entrance to the park that offers weekend horseback riding tours of the park and surrounding area.
Baldwin Lake Stables in Big Bear Lake, offers 1-3 hour and half-day rides along a variety of trails and terrains in the area, all with spectacular views of the mountain scenery that surrounds you. Their special “remote location rides” will trailer your group and a guide out to a backcountry area of the San Bernardino Wilderness Area, where you can really get away from it all. Alternatively, you can opt for one of the outfit's sunset rides, an experience that will quite simply take your breath away.
Sun-gazing in the California Desert
Campers and dreamers are familiar with spending long nights staring at the starry heavens, but what about that great ball of fire that lights our sky during the day? One of only six such facilities in the world, the Big Bear Solar Observatory was specifically chosen to be built in the California Desert as the region receives more than 300 days of sunshine a year and as the clarity of the sky is exceptional. Researchers at the observatory use several large telescopes to study sunspots and all things sun-related. The observatory is located on the north shore of the Big Bear Lake, where you're invited to take an educational tour during the summer months.
Spelunking in the California Desert
Pay a visit to Mitchell Caverns for some splendid spelunking! Make sure you bring along a flashlight as you explore this massive system of limestone caves and rock formations located on the eastern edges of the Mojave National Preserve. Trips through the caves, full of stalactites and stalagmites and including some of the most unique limestone formations found anywhere, are available only as part of a guided tour which lasts about 30 minutes.
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