By Allison Fitts & Lillian Robinson
The Coachella Valley (just 2.5 hours from the Escape LA camper van rental location) is the perfect place for a road trip, especially in the winter months. Areas that reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer are now close to perfection in the 70s. There are several great pit stops to cover on our Coachella Valley road trip guide.
Earlier this month, we took a weekend trip to Palm Springs, CA to make the trek to Joshua Tree National Park. It’s our 11th National Park and has been on our radar to visit for a long time. Little did we know, the surrounding areas turned out to be the most magical parts of the trip.
Here are a couple of stops and things to do that we recommend for a weekend getaway that’s full of nature with a heavy dose of strange!
International Banana Museum
On the way back into Palm Springs, make sure to stop at any of the Salton Sea beachside spots for views of the mountains. Another place you should you stop? The INTERNATIONAL BANANA MUSEUM. This quaint little place holds the world record for most banana memorabilia.
As you pull off the highway, it has about as much visual appeal on the exterior as a music festival port-a-potty. Trust us and soldier on–you’ll want to go in and experience this for yourself.
One of the lovely owners is there to greet you and give you the rundown, along with a handful of banana puns that will have you groaning (in a fun way). One of our favorite lines was during their rundown on rules and expectations while in the museum: “We do ask that you go bananas.” There’s a $1 entrance fee, or you can buy something and have the fee waived. We got a scoop of fresh banana ice cream–worth it.
Joshua Tree National Park
Next on the Coachella Valley road trip guide is Joshua Tree National Park. We entered from the south entrance–it’s fun to drive through and see the changes in topography between the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. You won’t see any Joshua Trees in the south part of the park, but once you hit them, it’s a sea of trees unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Sure, there are no majestically towering mountains or roaring rivers like at many other national parks, but the landscape is otherworldly.
Rock climbers scale giant rock faces and desert wildlife is abundant. Keep your eyes peeled for turtles, foxes, snakes, and tarantulas (mostly to run away from the last two). Some highlights of the park we recommend checking out are the Cholla Cactus Garden, Skull Rock, and Key View Point. Drive on up to that last one for great views of the Coachella Valley and a peep at the San Andreas Fault line.