San Bernardino Travel Guide

The Mojave Desert is a vast desert in southeastern California, known for its iconic Joshua Trees, dramatic desert landscapes and extreme climate. Its unique wilderness beauty, vast horizons, dark night skies and role as a gateway to Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks make it a key destination for Western desert exploration and road trips. The Mojave spans parts of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah — in California it is famous for Joshua Tree forests, sweeping sand dunes, rust-red rock formations and dramatic highway scenery. Driving through, visitors see endless desert with Joshua Trees in bizarre shapes, spectacular sunrise and sunset light, and stunning night skies. Notable sites include the Calico Ghost Town (a 19th-century silver-mining settlement) and the singing Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve. Driving through the Mojave is a liberating, awe-inspiring American West road trip.

Lake Arrowhead is a reservoir in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains, named for its arrow-like outline, ringed by pines and granite and one of LA's favourite summer and weekend escapes. Lake Arrowhead Village blends boutiques, cafés and lakeview dining; the marina offers sightseeing cruises or kayak rental on clear water. The rim road links overlooks and forest trails — autumn colours, summer swimming, fishing and boating. It mixes mountain quiet with small-town ease, a quick retreat for city dwellers.