Hotels in Baker

Between Los Angeles and Las Vegas sits a quirky desert outpost where the World's Tallest Thermometer towers above the highway like an exclamation point. Grab a gyro at the Mad Greek Cafe, a roadside institution where weary travelers refuel before tackling the desert. The nearby Mojave National Preserve offers otherworldly landscapes with Joshua trees and singing sand dunes. Adventurous souls can explore abandoned mines or hike volcanic cinder cones. Death Valley National Park awaits just beyond, where salt flats and below-sea-level basins create landscapes that feel like another planet. The tiny town punches above its weight as the last reliable pit stop before miles of magnificent emptiness.

Photo by Kwazhe'e Photography