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5 » MUST SEE , DO » Explore the Sand Dunes Set your alarm early, and wander among the spectacular Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in central Death Valley near Stovepipe Wells. The rippled dunes provide an unlikely home to hundreds of well-adapted plants and animals. There are also beautiful dunes in Anza-Borrego and near tiny Baker (off Highway 15), where the Dumont Dunes are the highest in California. › nps.gov/deva/naturescience/sand-dunes.htm Ghost Towns The California desert hosts dozens of ghost towns—some so well preserved that you half expect to see someone tumbling out of the saloon. Death Valley is especially rich in abandoned settlements, most of them best explored with a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. Other "ghost towns," like Calico, offer a full range of tourist amenities—including staged gunfights. › ghosttowns.com/states/ca › desertusa.com/mag99/oct/stories/calico.html » » Scotty's Castle Walter Scott hailed from Kentucky, but his passion was gold mining—in Death Valley. Backed by a Chicago millionaire, he built an impressive villa amid the desert sands: Scotty's Castle, complete with a 1,121 pipe organ. Tours are offered by the National Park Service. › nps.gov/deva/historyculture/scottys-castle.htm » Living Desert This 1,200-acre interpretive zoo in Palm Desert is a family favorite, with plants and animals from deserts all over the world—from Gila monsters to giraffes. The Living Desert also cares for and rehabilitates orphaned and injured desert animals. › livingdesert.org » A HIKER explores a remote slot canyon in Death Valley National Park, above; a burrowing owl at the Salton Sea, opposite page. Make a Wish There are seven major meteor showers every year, some producing as many as 100 shooting stars an hour. Depending on the phase of the moon, there are few better places to watch them than in the desert, where there's little stray light from highways, streetlights or cities. Even without meteors, of course, stargazing in the desert is a thrill. Try Death Valley, Anza-Borrego, or along Highway 14 in the Mojave Valley. › stardate.org/nightsky/meteors 2 0 1 3 t r av e l gu i d e to c a l i fo rnia 1 83