We take off from where we left on our great American road trip – Los Angeles! The city of angels is a masterpiece, regardless of which way you look at it. Once you’ve had your fill of the cityscapes and the numerous attractions across the city, it’s time to start packing up and heading towards your next destination – the entertainment capital of the world, a city that never sleeps and alive around the clock – Las Vegas. It is said that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but how you get there is no big secret. Of course, popular opinion would be to pick a cheap flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). However, it would be less fun, though. Instead, consider taking a Los Angeles road trip on your car to Las Vegas through the desert of Interstate 15. Compared to the road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the journey from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is comparatively short. It only requires you to take a four-hour drive at the maximum to complete. However, there is more to the Los Angeles road trip than just miles and miles of sandy deserts. Let’s dive into some of these exciting pitstops that can be made in between to make your trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas a memorable one.
Mormon Rocks
As with all the road trips, there are always two ways to take on the challenges. The first of these lot would be a straight day trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, whereas the second one involves the scenic and adventurous route. Just like the crossroad in Robert Frost’s poem, ‘The Road Not Taken,’ you reach a detour along the Interstate, from where you could turn west to travel through the less-traveled Mormon Rocks. Located around 64 miles off from Los Angeles, the iconic rock formations with the blue skies with spots of clouds welcome you to the Mojave Desert. You can either move through the Mormon Rocks or take a pitstop, spend a night in the desert and consider going for a morning hike before continuing the day trip. One thing’s sure; you would not regret taking this detour for sure!
California Route 66 Museum
From featuring in countless movies, and photographs to playing a significant role in historical and monumental events, the United States Highway 66 (fondly known as the US Route 66) has seen it all. The California Route 66 Museum can be defined as a fitting tribute that highlights and pays homage to the majestic route in all its glory. The museum offers replicas of iconic landmarks that you would’ve encountered when you take on the Los Angeles road trip through Route 66 back in the day. The museum features numerous photo-op settings like a diner from the 1950’s and hippy Volkswagen hippie vans, among others. Owing to the ongoing pandemic breakout of the coronavirus COVID-19, the California Route 66 Museum operates with restrictions and limitations. You might want to consider scheduling a visit after ringing up the museum at 760-951-0436. Don’t worry about parking. We have you covered with plenty of Los Angeles city parking spots.
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch
Road trips are often a treasure coven of memories. Be it a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, a skinny dip break on a clear pond along the road, or just casually feeling the wind brush your air from the passenger seat. It was a similar quest from the late Elmer Long that led to the formation of Bottle Tree Ranch at Oro Grande along Route 66. The Bottle Ranch is an artistic artificial forest that comprises bottle trees so neatly arranged that it resembles a gorgeous pine forest. When the wind comes in, one can hear the bottles whistle in unison. More than being a ranch, the Bottle Tree Ranch is a memoir to the bygone days with some of the bottles, dating back to the early 1900s and beyond. The best thing about Bottle Tree Ranch is that you cannot visit a similar spot anywhere else across the United States! Make sure you stop by. Peak hours could be busy with plenty of tourists around, so it would probably be a good idea to reserve a parking spot in advance.
Calico Ghost Town
If you are into ghost stories, haunted mansions, and history in general, you need to consider adding a pitstop at Calico in San Bernardino County, California. Formerly a mining town, Calico is now a ghost town converted into a county park. Calico Ghost Town will probably be one of your final stops before Las Vegas. The renovated Calico Ghost Town features a revived version of Calico’s original buildings from the Silver Rush Era (1873 onwards). If you have time to spare and is interested in going on a silver rush, why not stop at the Ghost Town for a quick break?
Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains
Located just 15 miles away from the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas signboard, Seven Magic Mountains by Ugo Rondinone is your last pitstop on the road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Regardless of which all pitstops you choose to make, this is one stop not to miss, and for good reasons too. The Seven Magic Mountains is a desert art installation that features seven painted totems made up of rocks and towering over 30 feet. The installation, which was inaugurated in 2016 May, was initially meant to be allowed for display for two years. However, Seven Magic Mountains became an instant hit, especially among travelers moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, which led to the organizers deciding to issue an extension until the end of 2021. If you do take on the road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas before 2022, you should visit the Seven Magic Mountains.
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