Palm Springs & Mad Max Cities Road Trip

Palm Springs & Mad Max Cities

I-10 to Palm Springs and home through Joshua Tree National Park.

“Let’s plan a fall colors drives on Interstate 10!” Said nobody, ever. 

But hear us out. 

This trip features all the hallmarks of an autumn getaway: quieting the noise, slowing the pace, discovering new places. On this drive, desert horizons usher in meditation. A hotel pool inspires a lingering afternoon. And an apocalyptic wasteland introduces you to a world you never knew existed.

Heading west on I-10, saguaro sightings become fewer, and sand gathers in windswept piles. Just after you cross the California border, drive south on Highway 78. But first, gas up and get snacks. This is the way to the Salton Sea, through the hottest, driest corner of the Sonoran Desert. 

The Salton Sea sounds like a magical place ruled by a Greek god. In reality, it’s more mythological than magical. Accidentally created thanks to an irrigation “oops” in the 1900s, the Salton Sea once reigned as a 1950s retreat. Today, over-salinity has nearly dried it up. What’s left: brackish, murky water, a shore lined with decomposing bird and fish bones and an abandoned beach town. Well, almost abandoned. 

Bohemians and wanderers have made their way here to set up desert communes of makeshift homes and life-size art. One striking example is Salvation Mountain, an art installation of discarded tires, old windows, rusted auto parts and bright paint spelling out spiritual messages. The work is so strangely beautiful that it boasts a stamp of approval from the Folk Art Society of America and has been covered in National Geographic.

From Salvation Mountain, drive north on Highway 111 to join I-10 to Palm Springs. Here, immerse yourself in the fall foliage of the San Jacinto Mountains, which loom over the valley at nearly 9,000 feet. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway ferries you from the foothills to the peaks, and hiking trails let you wander among the vibrant leafy color.

For the trip home, opt for the circuitous drive through Joshua Tree National Park. Start at the West Entrance, then follow a paved, two-lane road scattered with scenic pullouts and dotted not with maples and oaks, but with yucca and ocotillo.

Driving Distance
653 miles round trip from Downtown Phoenix

Turn-by-Turn Directions
From the I-10, go south on CA-78 to CA-115. Turn right. Drive north on CA-115 to Wiest Road. Turn right and head north on Wiest. At Noffsinger Road, turn right, then make a quick left on Highland Canal Road. When you reach Beal Road, turn right and follow it to Salvation Mountain.