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Pioneertown

Joshua Tree National Park


Looking like an 1870s frontier town, Pioneertown was actually built in 1946 as a Hollywood Western movie set. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were among the original investors, and more than 50 movies and several TV shows were filmed here in the 1940s and '50s. These days, it's fun to stroll around the old buildings and drop into the local honky-tonk for refreshments. Mock gunfights take place on ‘Mane St’ at 2:30pm every second and fourth Saturday, September to June.

It's about 5 miles north of 29 Palms Hwy/Hwy 62.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Joshua Tree National Park attractions

1. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

9.01 MILES

Named as one of California’s important birding areas by the Audubon Society, this preserve encloses a natural spring-fed desert oasis that’s a native…

2. Beauty Bubble Salon & Museum

10.52 MILES

Jeff Hafler loves hair and everything to do with it, which is why his Steel Magnolias–type home salon brims with related vintage beauty paraphernalia he's…

3. World-Famous Crochet Museum

10.53 MILES

An old lime-green photo booth is the home of Bunny, Buddy and hundreds of their crocheted friends collected by Shari Elf. The artist, singer, fashion…

4. Integratron

10.82 MILES

It may look just like a white-domed structure, but in reality it's an electrostatic generator for time travel and cell rejuvenation. Yup! At least that's…

5. Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum

12.14 MILES

The 'Junk Dada' sculptures and installations of African American artist Noah Purifoy (1917–2004) are collected by the world's finest museums, but some of…

6. Cabot’s Pueblo Museum

13.75 MILES

Cabot Yerxa, a wealthy East Coaster who traded high society for desert solitude, hand-built this rambling 1913 adobe from reclaimed and found objects,…

7. Indian Cove

20.08 MILES

Rock hounds love the hulking caramel-colored formations in this northern corner of the park, while birders are drawn by feathered friends hiding out among…

8. Keys Ranch

20.37 MILES

Old West history buffs will delight in the 90-minute ranger-led tour of this ranch named after its builder, William Keys. He and his family built a…