Comprising 25,000 square miles of spectacular scenery, California’s desert includes the scorching Death Valley and the ghost town and mine-strewn Mojave. Off-road exploring is an option for those with four-wheel drives. Visit Death Valley’s Badwater, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Mojave National Preserve’s red sand dunes, cinder cones, Joshua Tree forests and mountains are home to desert tortoises, Scott’s orioles, mule deer, pinon pine, juniper and startlingly beautiful spring wildflowers.