If you’re into strange landscapes, forgotten towns, and art popping up in the middle of nowhere, this road trip is perfect for you.
The Salton Sea might not be the first place you think of for a weekend adventure, but trust me, it’s one of the weirdest and most fascinating spots in California.
You’ll find crumbling beaches, massive outdoor art pieces, palm-filled oases, and places that feel like they belong on another planet.
It’s a place full of mystery and history that you need to see for yourself.
1. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the first stop on our road trip and it’s the largest state park in California at over 600,000 acres.
It’s famous for its wild spring super blooms, giant metal sculptures scattered across the desert, and it has 500 miles of dirt roads you can actually drive on.
You’ll find slot canyons, palm oases, fossil beds, and even bighorn sheep if you’re lucky.
Don’t miss the 350-foot-tall serpent sculpture that slithers across the desert sand or the short but stunning Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, which is 3 miles roundtrip.
2. Desert Shores
Just a 20-minute drive from Anza-Borrego, Desert Shores sits right on the western edge of the Salton Sea and feels like a place frozen in time.
This tiny town was once a booming vacation spot in the 1950s, but now it’s known for its crumbling boat docks along the shores.
It’s quiet, a little eerie, and totally fascinating if you’re into weird, off-the-map places.
Bring a camera—between the surreal shoreline and abandoned buildings, this spot is full of post-apocalyptic photo ops.
3. Salton Sea State Recreation Area
From Desert Shores, it’s about a 30-minute drive to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area, where things get a little more outdoorsy and a lot more salty.
This spot stretches along the northeastern shore and has campgrounds, picnic areas, and surprisingly good birdwatching with over 400 species passing through each year.
You can walk along the shore (yes, that crunch under your feet is mostly fish bones), or set up camp at Mecca Beach or Corvina Beach for sunset.
It’s weird, wild, and strangely peaceful, especially if you catch the pink glow of the water at golden hour.
4. Dos Palmas Preserve
Just 10 minutes from Salton Sea State Recreation Area, Dos Palmas Preserve feels like you’ve stepped into a totally different world.
This hidden spot is packed with thick palm groves, natural springs, and trails that wind through a desert oasis fed by springs.
You can take the easy, mile-long trail to see fan palms towering over marshy pools, with lizards and birds darting through the brush.
It’s cool, quiet, and totally unexpected in the middle of all that dry desert but don’t forget water as the trail gets toasty fast.
5. Bombay Beach
Just when you think the Salton Sea can’t get any weirder, you roll into Bombay Beach which is a whole other level of strange and awesome.
This tiny town is a ghost town and an outdoor art gallery, with rusted cars turned into sculptures, TVs displayed on gravel, and random art installations scattered across the shoreline.
The Bombay Beach Biennale has turned it into a cool artist hangout, and even though only 300 people live here, the creativity is off the charts.
Walk down to the old flooded pier at sunset and you’ll feel like you’re on another planet.
6. Salvation Mountain
Just 25 minutes down the road from Bombay Beach, Salvation Mountain is impossible to miss—it’s a 50-foot-tall technicolor hill covered in Bible verses, flowers, and bright paint.
Created by Leonard Knight over several decades using adobe clay, hay bales, and thousands of gallons of donated paint, it’s one of California’s most iconic roadside attractions.
Every inch is hand-painted with love, from the massive red “God Is Love” message to the rainbow steps leading up the side.
Even if you’re not religious, it’s hard not to be amazed by the color, the dedication, and the totally one-of-a-kind energy this place gives off.
7. Slab City
Right next to Salvation Mountain, Slab City takes the weird and cranks it up even more.
Known as “the last free place in America,” this off-grid desert community is built on the remains of an old military base, where people live in RVs, tents, and handmade shelters without electricity, water, or rules.
There’s an outdoor music venue called The Range, tons of street art, and even a library made entirely by volunteers.
It’s wild, gritty, and totally DIY so it feels more like stepping into a post-apocalyptic art camp than a regular town.
8. Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
After all that desert chaos, the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge feels like a total change of pace.
Located at the southern tip of the lake, this peaceful spot is all about birds with thousands of snow geese, sandhill cranes, and pelicans passing through every winter.
There are short walking trails, like the 2-mile Rock Hill Trail, where you can climb a small volcanic hill and get a sweeping view of the sea and wetlands.
It’s quiet, calm, and surprisingly full of life, especially during migration season when the sky feels like it’s flapping with wings.
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