Author
Breanna Wilson
Photographer
Airbnb
Photo courtesy Folly Collection
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Just beyond the reach of fabulous Palm Springs, California, and roughly three hours from Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most naturally stunning landscapes in North America, if not the world. With endless hiking, camping, rock climbing, mountain biking, off-roading, and everything else one might want to do in the desert, the area around Joshua Tree has become a worldwide destination for nature lovers of all types. And that’s exactly where these 15 cabins, pueblo-style casas, and geodomes reside, just waiting for you to check in then check out the region.
Join us in a daydream of riding out this pandemic off-grid, incommunicado style at any of these properties in the charming towns of Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Pioneertown, and Twentynine Palms (where you'll find Out There Bar, a friendly new watering hole by friends of FM). Then book your visit for a few months from now, once things clear up.
Dreaming of doing all of the above elsewhere? Check out our Best Cabin Rentals section for expertly curated lists of the best Airbnb, VRBO, glamping sites, and other vacation rentals in mountain towns, beach communities, and desert getaways around North America.
Rock Reach House - Twentynine Palms, CA
Vibe: Desert Dreamz, with a Z
Built into the boulders, among the ancient juniper, pinón, and desert oak trees, the Rock Reach House is a Field Mag favorite for a reason. Sitting 4,000 feet above sea level in the Mojave Desert, the house is 1,000 square feet of pure desert-dwelling delight. With a full kitchen, wood-burning fireplace, Jacuzzi and cowboy tub, an electric car charging port, and with pets allowed, this hideaway is everything we’ve ever wanted during a desert retreat.
Rate: $1,009/night
Hey Cowboy - Palm Wells, CA
Vibe: Wild Wild West
Originally built in 1954, this stylish off-grid retreat is powered by solar energy. Rustic wooden furniture and ceramic kitchenware give this cabin a campground feel, but an outdoor steel pool and cowboy-style bathtub, plus a grill for cooking up some BBQ, bring in the luxury. (And don't worry, there's WiFi.)
Rate: $607/night
Hawk & Mesa - Yucca Valley, CA
Vibe: Secluded Solace
Sitting on an impressive 120 acres, Hawk & Mesa is the place for seclusion. Spend your days hiking through the nearby canyons and your nights stargazing from the comfort of your cowboy tub, sweating out all the negative energy you’ve been carrying with you over these last few weeks. Not only will your body thank you for this much needed break from the real world, your mind will too.
Rate: $769/night
Modernist Cabin - Joshua Tree, CA
Vibe: Modernist Home, Home on the Range
A property so good you’ll be singing “home, home on the range” in no time? That’s absolutely the appeal of this modernist vacation home designed by architect Ron Radziner in Joshua Tree. With some of the best hiking in California just out your front door and humble accommodations that will have you grounding yourself in more ways than one, this casita is precisely the kind of place we’d like to call home.
Rate: $432/night
Abracadabra Dome in the Desert - Landers, CA
Vibe: A Musician on Mars
This otherworldly dome in the desert is giving us all the right boho vibes. Built in 1981 but recently reimagined by a writer and musician duo, this space hits all the right notes. Read a book from the library or spin a record on the record player while you sit in the cowboy bathtub and take in the vistas. There are plenty of ways to find your creativity at this real-life space station.
(Ed Note: Love Geodesic Domes? This deep dive is for you)
Rate: $295/night
Mojave Mesa - Yucca Valley, CA
Vibe: Treat Yo Self Isolation
While we’re big fans of the architecture at Mojave Mesa, the selling point on this affordable tiny home is the amenities that can be delivered (quite literally) to your cacti-adorned doorstep. From farm fresh eggs to private yoga sessions, a morning visit from a masseuse or a late afternoon hand-poke tattoo—there’s pretty much no better place to stay relaxed and disconnected than from this high desert landscape haven.
Rate: $162/night
Eye of the Desert
Location: Flamingo Heights, California
Vibe: The More the Merrier
This place has a seemingly endless array of well-done spaces, including a yurt and three trailers with their own cozy beds. The mini campus-sized retreat sleeps 12 people total and has plenty of places to lounge including a hot tub and a fancy outdoor swing, so bring some friends.
Rate: $694/night
Folly Off-Grid Stargazing Cabin - Twentynine Palms, CA
Vibe: Adult Camp Sleepover
Tiny house living has never looked quite so appealing–these modern, minimal steel structures might not look comfy, but trust us when we say that they are. Choose to sleep under the night sky in the open bedroom or opt to sleep indoors in the second bedroom loft, there are plenty of places to make yourself right at home in these tiny off-grid cabins.
Rate: $590/night
Cielito Lindo Retreat - Joshua Tree, CA
Vibe: Spring Break Desert Style
Please let us know if you stay here. Also please feel free to send an invite. With a $1,321/night price tag, the more the merrier, right? Best for large groups or events, this recently remodeled homesteader cabin is equipped with four sleeping quarters, a state of the art, fully equipped kitchen, mid-century modern decor, an outdoor dining table and shower, plus a hot tub/deck combo overlooking the local conservation area. Book this spot far, far in advance for a post-quarantine reunion with all your buddies because who wouldn't want to celebrate here?
Rate: $1,321/night
Hi-Desert Fade Summer - Pioneertown, CA
Vibe: The Desert Dweller
Sitting at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains, part of the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve, this abode boasts two bedrooms and two bathrooms, making it an excellent getaway for couples or small families. Perfect for desert dwellers and the geologically curious, the surrounding fauna of desert scrub oaks, Joshua trees, yuccas, cholla, and creosote make this spot one that isn’t to be overlooked when you need to get reacquainted with your inner Bedouin.
Rate: $567/night
Flamingo Social Club - Yucca Valley, CA
Vibe: Birds of a Feather
If birds of a feather flock together, we want to flock with whoever dreamed up this colorful little hideaway. With bright colors, a hot tub and cowboy tub, a private desert dock (check the photos to see what we're talking about, it's actually very cool), a propane gas fire pit, and surrounded by literally nothing but desert solace, this is a dream destination for getting away from it all.
Rate: $454/night
Pause House - Yucca Valley, CA
Vibe: The Wake Up Call You Needed
With a level 2 charger ready to juice up your electric vehicle, Casper mattresses and pillows, Frette linens and towels, a hot tub and cowboy tub, and only a 10-minute drive from Joshua Tree, the Pause House: AM is the wake-up call you didn’t realize you needed. With no shortage of desert views and a minimalistic aesthetic, the property is worth pausing real life for, even if it’s only for a day.
Rate: $606/night
Mod West Ranch - Joshua Tree, CA
Vibe: Mid-Century California
Mod West Ranch isn’t just a ranch. It’s a state of mind. With a vintage water tower, gas pizza oven, three fireplaces, and a 7-person hot tub, and an outdoor living room complete with hammocks and hammock chairs, this property will help you find that everything-is-going-to-be-okay mindset you’ve been looking for this last year.
Rate: $475/night
Casa Mami Pioneertown - Pioneertown, CA
Vibe: Real Life Rothko
Sitting on five acres of property, with simple, yet well thought-through details that are hard not to love–hello, out-swinging French doors, Moooi Cloud Sofa by Marcel Wanders, outdoor shower and mid-century Malm wood burning fireplace–Casa Mami is just the place we could use in our lives right now. The property owners specifically warn that there’s no cell phone service at the house, which normally might deter some, but right now, might be just the ticket.
Rate: $299/night
Invisible House - Joshua Tree, CA
Vibe: Extreme Rich Guys Only
We know what you're thinking—is this thing real? (It is.) And it’s making us realize we want to be friends with whoever is paying the $4,050 a night price tag to sleep in this dreamy glass cage of giving-us-all-the-feels emotions. A mirrored 22-story skyscraper turned on its side and a master of disguise in the desert landscape, this property is only outdone by the 100-foot indoor swimming pool and 90 acres the property sits on. Which means, it has its own mountain and shares half a mile border with Joshua Tree National Park. So this is what f**k you rich looks like.
Rate: $4,050/night
Published 12-06-2021
