5 Best Sights in Joshua Tree National Park, California

Set among Joshua trees, pinyon pines, and junipers, this popular picnic area has barbecue grills and drinking water. It's one of the few with flush toilets.

Shady trees make this a pleasant place to picnic. It has drinking water and restrooms with flush toilets.

Set among huge rock formations, with picnic tables shaded by dense trees, this is one of the most pleasant places in the park to stop to eat.

More often than not, California's, and specifically the high desert's, reputation for being wacky and weird is blown out of proportion. But in the case of this woo-woo wellness offering—namely, a 60-minute sonic healing session/sound bath during which someone plays 20 quartz singing bowls keyed to each body chakra while you lie on the floor of a white, domed structure in the middle of nowhere—believe the hype. If you go in with an open mind, you might just find inner peace, a clear mind, and deep relaxation. Even if you don't, think of the tale you'll be able to share with relatives at the next holiday get-together. 

This picnic area tucked in the middle of interesting rock formations is near a stand of Joshua trees.