California Desert Glamping
Grab your aviator sunglasses and dust off those cowboy hats, because your white-linen California desert glamping oasis awaits.
What is glamping after all?
Glamping, short for glamorous camping, means a camping structure with extra luxuries and amenities not typically included in tent camping. It’s sort of a hybrid of camping and staying at a bed and breakfast or boutique hotel.
Glampsites typically provide the shelter, bedding, and amenities you need to stay outdoors in a beautiful site that’s integrated with nature. On Hipcamp, glamping structures include luxury canvas tents, yurts, tipis, renovated Airstream trailers, tiny houses, cabins, treehouses, and many other creative, accommodating structures. Make sure to review the listing of the glamping site you’re considering to find out the specifics on what amenities are provided and what you’ll need to bring from home. In some cases, you may need to bring cooking supplies or a sleeping bag, and in other cases, bedding and pots and pans are provided by the Hipcamp.
Like all Hipcamps, our glampsites are special because they are on private land that protects and immerses you within the natural environment. Many have the classic perks of a campsite — fire pits, stargazing, trees, and hiking trails nearby — without you needing to rough it.
Glamping can be especially nice in the California desert, where a little luxury goes a long way. The desert sun is strong, and while temperatures may be warm during the day, they can plummet at night. That means daytime shade and nighttime warmth are key to staying comfortable when sleeping outdoors. Many glampsites also have showers and kitchen set ups, but again, consult each listing to see its specific amenities.
Where to glamp in the California desert
Fortunately for you, the California desert has some of the best glampsites in the American Southwest, and many of them are only found here on Hipcamp.
From Los Angeles, you may want to visit the mecca of California desert glamping: Joshua Tree National Park. Just north of the park’s entrance, the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms are home to dozens of unique Mojave Desert glampsites. These locations make the perfect home base for exploring Joshua Tree National Park. The desert communities surrounding Joshua Tree have long served as artistic, self-care, and spiritual retreats. You will find spas, hot springs, yoga classes, meditation retreats and sound baths. There are also art galleries, music festivals, and vegetarian restaurants with organic coffee and fresh juice in these towns — everything you need to unwind and rejuvenate after a day of hiking and boulder hopping in the park.
South of Joshua Tree the Mojave Desert descends to the Colorado Desert, and here you will find more glamping options in and around Palm Springs, Indio and Coachella. This area has good restaurants and cafes throughout (make sure to try one of the famous date shakes), and gives you access to the adjacent San Jacinto Mountains. We highly recommend taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to these peaks for mountain hiking, panoramic vistas, and highly Instagrammable photo ops.
Push a bit further east from here and you’ll reach the Salton Sea, a slowly evaporating saltwater lake. The cracked mud lakebed is a sight (and smell!) to behold. Migrating birds pass through here on the Pacific Flyway, and the Sea has several prominent art installations along is shores, including the iconic Salvation Mountain.
For desert glamping west of LA, head for the desert desert town of New Cuyama. Here, a collection of high desert glampsites are close to the Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara, making it an ideal spot to visit the desert and the California coast on the same trip.
When to glamp in the California desert
One of the best things about glamping in the California desert is that you can do it year-round. If you visit in the summer be prepared for extreme heat and be sure to stay aggressively hydrated. The desert is beautiful in the fall, winter, and spring, long after the High Sierra is snowed-in and the pacific Northwest has entered its gray season. If you need a winter glamping excursion, the California desert can’t be beat.
Because the dark desert skies provide exceptional stargazing, you may want to coordinate your glamping trip with the lunar calendar. Stargazing will be at its most clear near and during the New Moon. The desert is also beautiful during a Full Moon, when a dim blue light casts a navigable nocturnal glow across the land. Annual meteor showers like the Leonids and Perseids are unforgettable when viewed from the desert.
If the right conditions of temperature and winter rains coincide, there is also a spectacular wildflower bloom in California deserts between February and April. Timing can be difficult to predict, but parks like Joshua Tree post wildflower reports to keep you apprised.
California Desert Glamping
California Desert Glamping
Grab your aviator sunglasses and dust off those cowboy hats, because your white-linen California desert glamping oasis awaits.
What is glamping after all?
Glamping, short for glamorous camping, means a camping structure with extra luxuries and amenities not typically included in tent camping. It’s sort of Read more...
California Desert Glamping
Grab your aviator sunglasses and dust off those cowboy hats, because your white-linen California desert glamping oasis awaits.
What is glamping after all?
Glamping, short for glamorous camping, means a camping structure with extra luxuries and amenities not typically included in tent camping. It’s sort of a hybrid of camping and staying at a bed and breakfast or boutique hotel.
Glampsites typically provide the shelter, bedding, and amenities you need to stay outdoors in a beautiful site that’s integrated with nature. On Hipcamp, glamping structures include luxury canvas tents, yurts, tipis, renovated Airstream trailers, tiny houses, cabins, treehouses, and many other creative, accommodating structures. Make sure to review the listing of the glamping site you’re considering to find out the specifics on what amenities are provided and what you’ll need to bring from home. In some cases, you may need to bring cooking supplies or a sleeping bag, and in other cases, bedding and pots and pans are provided by the Hipcamp.
Like all Hipcamps, our glampsites are special because they are on private land that protects and immerses you within the natural environment. Many have the classic perks of a campsite — fire pits, stargazing, trees, and hiking trails nearby — without you needing to rough it.
Glamping can be especially nice in the California desert, where a little luxury goes a long way. The desert sun is strong, and while temperatures may be warm during the day, they can plummet at night. That means daytime shade and nighttime warmth are key to staying comfortable when sleeping outdoors. Many glampsites also have showers and kitchen set ups, but again, consult each listing to see its specific amenities.
Where to glamp in the California desert
Fortunately for you, the California desert has some of the best glampsites in the American Southwest, and many of them are only found here on Hipcamp.
From Los Angeles, you may want to visit the mecca of California desert glamping: Joshua Tree National Park. Just north of the park’s entrance, the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms are home to dozens of unique Mojave Desert glampsites. These locations make the perfect home base for exploring Joshua Tree National Park. The desert communities surrounding Joshua Tree have long served as artistic, self-care, and spiritual retreats. You will find spas, hot springs, yoga classes, meditation retreats and sound baths. There are also art galleries, music festivals, and vegetarian restaurants with organic coffee and fresh juice in these towns — everything you need to unwind and rejuvenate after a day of hiking and boulder hopping in the park.
South of Joshua Tree the Mojave Desert descends to the Colorado Desert, and here you will find more glamping options in and around Palm Springs, Indio and Coachella. This area has good restaurants and cafes throughout (make sure to try one of the famous date shakes), and gives you access to the adjacent San Jacinto Mountains. We highly recommend taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to these peaks for mountain hiking, panoramic vistas, and highly Instagrammable photo ops.
Push a bit further east from here and you’ll reach the Salton Sea, a slowly evaporating saltwater lake. The cracked mud lakebed is a sight (and smell!) to behold. Migrating birds pass through here on the Pacific Flyway, and the Sea has several prominent art installations along is shores, including the iconic Salvation Mountain.
For desert glamping west of LA, head for the desert desert town of New Cuyama. Here, a collection of high desert glampsites are close to the Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara, making it an ideal spot to visit the desert and the California coast on the same trip.
When to glamp in the California desert
One of the best things about glamping in the California desert is that you can do it year-round. If you visit in the summer be prepared for extreme heat and be sure to stay aggressively hydrated. The desert is beautiful in the fall, winter, and spring, long after the High Sierra is snowed-in and the pacific Northwest has entered its gray season. If you need a winter glamping excursion, the California desert can’t be beat.
Because the dark desert skies provide exceptional stargazing, you may want to coordinate your glamping trip with the lunar calendar. Stargazing will be at its most clear near and during the New Moon. The desert is also beautiful during a Full Moon, when a dim blue light casts a navigable nocturnal glow across the land. Annual meteor showers like the Leonids and Perseids are unforgettable when viewed from the desert.
If the right conditions of temperature and winter rains coincide, there is also a spectacular wildflower bloom in California deserts between February and April. Timing can be difficult to predict, but parks like Joshua Tree post wildflower reports to keep you apprised.