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Manilow. And shopaholics are in for a treat: Art galleries, haute couturiers, and boutique stores specializing in retro mod- ernist décor offer a dash of retail therapy between your spa treatments. Natural Wonders Brimming with the glories of nature, the desert is a paradise for anyone who appre- ciates stupendous landscapes. The scenery is far more diverse than you might imagine, ranging from below sea level to almost 11,000 feet atop Mount San Jacinto. Abundant rains in winter carpet the desert with wildflowers—nowhere more spectacular than the springtime bloom of Antelope Valley Poppy State Reserve, near the town of Mojave. Snaking south through the Coachella Valley, scenic palm-lined Highway 111 will deliver you to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Capital of desert botanica, this 500,000-acre park is ablaze with fiery red poppies and other wildflowers. A 30-minute drive northeast from Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park spans 1,240 square miles of Mojave and lower Col- orado deserts and protects one of the most spectacular desert regions in North America. Popular with rock climbers, its dramatic landscapes are made surreal by the "Joshua tree" species of yucca, with strange, arm-like branches. From Joshua Tree, historic Route 66 unfurls past Mojave National Preserve, where the Kelso Dunes tower almost 1,000 feet above the desert floor. They're known as the "singing dunes" because they emit a buzz or rumble when sand slides down the dune-face. Nearby, 32 ancient volcanic cones stud Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark—a gateway to the stand-out draw of the northern Mojave: Death Valley National Park. The highest ground temper- ature ever recorded on earth was here, at Badwater, a sunken trough that reaches 282 feet below sea level. Yet Death Valley is rimmed by 11,000-foot mountains. Winter months are deliciously temperate, when tourists flock to marvel at chromatic canyons and sun-bleached salt pans. Well- paved roads lace the park, while dirt roads open up a world of extreme adventure for visitors with suitable vehicles. Family Fun Kids love the desert, which offers heaps of family fun, including old ghost towns such as Pioneertown, an old movie set where shoot-out recreations bring old Westerns back to life. Another favorite is the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, exhibiting nearly 400 species of animals, from aardvark to zebra. With luck you might even spot bighorn sheep in the wild on a Desert Adventures eco-tour by Jeep. Even camels add to the fun at Indio's Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in February. In summer, beat the heat splashing about at Knott's Soak City. Or take to the air with Fantasy Balloon Flights for a bird's-eye view of the Coachella Valley. Then delight the kids, and yourself, with a ten-minute jaunt to Alaska (at least metaphorically) aboard the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. It ascends through four life zones to the mountaintop station, where the air is 30 degrees cooler than it is in the desert below. 2 0 1 7 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A 115 PALM SPRINGS PALM DESERT SALTON CITY COACHELLA VALLEY VISTA POINT BORREGO BADLANDS BORREGO SPRINGS GALLETA MEADOWS ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK VISITOR CENTER DRIVE TOUR » Start in downtown PALM SPRINGS and follow Highway 111 southeast to PALM DESERT, then head into the San Jacinto Mountains along steep, twisting Highway 74 to the COACHELLA VALLEY VISTA POINT for a sensational view. Retrace your route to Highway 111 and continue east. Turn south onto Highway 86 past date palms and vineyards and the Salton Sea to SALTON CITY, then head west along Highway 522 through the BORREGO BADLANDS to the artists' community of BOR- REGO SPRINGS. Explore the fantastical metal sculptures in GAL- LETA MEADOWS, then lace up your hiking boots to explore cactus- studded ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK.