We consider these 11 spots the strangest sites in Joshua Tree — do you agree?

Desert towns have always carried some mystery with lonely highways, faded signs and strange relics from another time. In the Joshua Tree area, that mystique lingers on with bizarre roadside attractions and plenty of other off-the-beaten-path amusements to lure visitors in.

Must-see places in and around Joshua Tree include sites where a rock star met his fateful end, an outdoor museum built by a prominent artist, a building that is said to be inspired by otherworldly designs, natural wonders inside Joshua Tree National Park and more.

Here's our picks for the 11 (delightfully) weirdest sites to visit in Joshua Tree.

Joshua Tree Retreat Center at the Institute of Mentalphysics

The Joshua Tree Retreat Center, or The Institute of Mentalphysics, in Joshua Tree

When the Joshua Tree Retreat Center at the Institute of Mentalphysics hosted the Desert Daze music festival in 2017, Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes asked the crowd, "What's mentalphysics?" It's a religion created by British journalist and author Edwin Dingle, who claimed to be guided to Joshua Tree in 1941 by a "beam of light." He envisioned a city with housing, a post office, schools, spiritual temples and more.

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But mentalphysics alone doesn't pay the bills or build a city. Dingle's teachings attracted 200,000 members and they helped raise funds to purchase the 400 acres that became the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. He also hired Frank Lloyd Wright's son, Lloyd Wright, to design the structures on the property according to the younger Wright's brand of California design known as "organic architecture."

Stroll around the property and you'll notice plenty of triangles, which Dingle believed represented mind, body and science. But there are no right angles in any of Lloyd Wright's designs, and the masonry is at a 60-degree angle. Many of the buildings feature large stone walls.

The property hosts regular meditation, recovery and other spiritual-related workshops. It also features the Food For Thought Café, Elemental Treasures/The Artful Bookstore and The Arts Garden. Vortex seekers, rejoice! There are 18 vortices at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, all marked throughout the property, and many believe these spots promote feelings of harmony, personal reflection and physical healing.

If you go: Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. 59-700 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree. Free to walk the grounds, but ticketed events take place throughout the year as well. jtrcc.org

The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum

The late artist and sculptor Noah Purifoy is renowned as the co-founder of the Watts Towers Arts Center and for serving on the California Arts Council, but in 1989, he moved to Joshua Tree and lived in a trailer on the site of what is now The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum featuring 10 acres of his assemblage sculptures made of tires, TVs, ragged clothes, toys and more.

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The museum is open to the public every day of the year — from sun up until sundown — and is free of charge. Visitors are asked to sign in at the welcome kiosk near the mailboxes, and take one of the museum's available brochures to enjoy a self-guided tour.

If you go: Open daily during daylight hours. 62-975 Blair Lane, Joshua Tree. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. noahpurifoy.com/visit

Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum

The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum in Joshua Tree, Calif., August 2, 2023.

You'd expect to see a museum of vintage hair dryers, posters and a perm machine in Palm Springs, but this gem is in Joshua Tree and doubles as a salon owned by Jeff Hafler, who calls himself “America's Hairstorian.” He started collecting hair and beauty memorabilia over 30 years ago and named the salon after the 1960s hairdo of the same name.

In addition to checking out the museum's memorabilia, visitors can get a new haircut in the salon or peruse the items for sale including vintage clothing, accessories or Hafler's husband's (Mikal Winn's) handmade jewelry. Sounds peculiarly fabulous!

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If you go: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily, 61-855 Highway 62, Joshua Tree. Admission is free. Haircut prices vary. facebook.com/beautybubblesalonandmuseum

The Station

Big Josh, a 20-foot-tall Muffler Man, stands adjacent at The Station in Joshua Tree, Calif.,

This 1949 Richfield gas station-turned-store is a landmark, but the oddity is Big Josh, the 20-foot-tall Muffler Man standing outside welcoming visitors. In addition to being a great place to take some photos, there's a variety of items for sale that fit the Joshua Tree area, such as records, home decor, t-shirts, Mexican blankets, beverages, snacks and more.

Whether you're looking for a break before entering Joshua Tree National Park, proceeding on a drive to Las Vegas, or just enjoying a day in the high desert, there's plenty to enjoy such as retro coin-op rides for kids, old playground sculptures and more.

If you go: Open 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday to Monday, 61-943 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree. Price of items for sale vary. thestationjoshuatree.com

The Integratron

Built in 1954 in Landers by aircraft mechanic and flight inspector George Van Tassel, the Integratron's 38-foot-high dome is said to be inspired by Moses’ Tabernacle, the writings of Nikola Tesla and telepathic directions from extraterrestrials. Van Tassel claimed extraterrestrials gave him directions for constructing the all-wood dome on top of a geomagnetic vortex in the middle of the desert, which is renowned for its acoustics and thus now used for sound baths (aka what Cleveland Clinic describes as "deep-sound vibrations made by a soothing instrument" utilized to help people "decompress").

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The Integratron has been featured on TV shows such as "California's Gold with Huell Howser," "Ancient Aliens" and "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," and continues to be a place that draws both UFO enthusiasts and those simply seeking relaxation.

If you go: Closed June 30-Sept. 11 for a summer break. Upon reopening, grounds and gift shop are open 9:45 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Only those with reservations for the sound bath sessions are allowed in the building. 2477 Belfield Boulevard, Landers. integratron.com

The Joshua Tree Inn

There's a tragic story of a rock 'n' roll icon linked to The Joshua Tree Inn. It's where Gram Parsons of International Submarine Band, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers fame died in room 8. The official cause of death was listed as "drug toxicity, days, due to multiple drug use, weeks."He had been visiting the area since the late '60s and was said to have encountered UFOs in the Joshua Tree area. But there's more to the Gram Parsons story that continues at another location in Joshua Tree National Park mentioned below.

The Joshua Tree Inn is still a boutique-style hotel and it leans into its spooky history. Room 8 is often sold out, but merchandise is typically available for sale.

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If you go: 61-259 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree. Room and merchandise prices vary. joshuatreeinn.com

Pioneertown

Buildings and structures at the Wild West Theater in Pioneertown were covered in snow, January 25, 2021.

For those who have never visited Pioneertown, it's a surreal experience. Visitors step into a town that's been preserved since it was built as a Western film set in 1946 by a group of actors and investors lead by Dick Curtis. Many Westerns were filmed in the town such as "The Cowboy and the Indians," "Riders in the Sky," "Satan's Cradle," and episodes of "The Cisco Kid" and "The Gene Autry Show."

Today, visitors walk the cheekily named Mane Street to see the historic (working) post office, old (fake) jail, Pioneer Bowl bowling alley (open special hours, check online) and several modern businesses including Mazamar Pottery, Pioneertown General Store, Red Dog Saloon and of course the iconic Knitting Factory-owned music venue/restaurant Pappy and Harriet's.

If you go: We recommend starting your visit with a drink or bite to eat at Pappy & Harriet's, 53-688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown, before taking a walk down Mane Street to check out the businesses. visitpioneertown.com

Desert Christ Park

During the 1950s, Yucca Valley preacher Reverend Eddie Garver planned to open a Christian theme park known as Desert Parson. He met sculptor and poet (Frank) Antone Martin — who wanted to put his 10-feet, 3-ton statue 'resurrected Christ' on the rim of the Grand Canyon but was denied due to separation of church and state — and invited Martin to place the statue renamed 'the unwanted Christ' on the property.

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Life Magazine showed up to photograph the installation for its April 23, 1951 issue and Martin created more items on the property. There are more than 35 statues made from plaster, steel and concrete, as well as a three-story façade depicting The Last Supper.

If you go: Open daily from sunrise to sunset, 56-200 Sunnyslope Drive, Yucca Valley. Free admission, but donations welcome. desertchristpark.org/visit

The World Famous Crochet Museum

The World Famous Crochet Museum in Joshua Tree, Calif., August 2, 2023.

Artist, fashion designer and singer-songwriter Shari Elf's Crochet Museum in the form of an old Fotomat kiosk is literally world famous. It's appeared in an advertisements for HSBC Bank in the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and more. It's filled with an eclectic mix of crochet animals, dolls and other figures, and it's a fun stop for anyone swinging through downtown Joshua Tree.

Don't forget to stop by the Art Queen studio next door where there are posters, stickers, pins and crochet items for sale associated with the museum.

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If you go: Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 61-855 Highway 62 (enter via the pathway to the left of La Matadora Gallery), Joshua Tree. sharielf.com/museum.html

Joshua Tree National Park

Skull Rock

The aptly named Skull Rock dwarfs a visitor in May at Joshua Tree National Park.

Sometimes nature creates oddities, which can be observed at Skull Rock, located near the Jumbo Rocks Campground at Joshua Tree National Park. The rock's appearance is said to be caused by erosive action of water over long periods of time, which created the creepy resemblance of a human skull with eye sockets and a nasal cavity.

It's a renowned attraction in the park and many visitors pose for photos in front of it, sometimes with their fingers inside of the nasal cavity, sitting atop of it, or cramped inside of the eye sockets.

If you go: See below for general Joshua Tree National Park information

Cap Rock

Here's the second part of the Gram Parson's story. Parsons' manager, Phil Kaufman, stole the singer's body from the airport in Los Angeles, he drove to Joshua Tree National Park and burned it at Cap Rock near the north end of Keys View Road and close to Park Boulevard, which was said to be according to Parsons' funeral wishes. Even though Parsons also wanted his ashes spread at the site, what remained of his body was buried in Garden of Memories Cemetery inMetairie, Louisiana.

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Aside from Parsons' story, the formation of Cap Rock has a unique feature of a boulder shaped like a newsboy cap at the top.

According to the National Park Service, the area is a popular rock formation in the park with a picnic area featuring grills as well as the Cap Rock Nature Trail for a short walk through nearby rock formations.

If you go: Joshua Tree National Park is technically open 24 hours per day, but the visitors centers are typically open 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and the park has three entrances: West Entrance: 6554 Park Blvd., Joshua Tree; North Entrance: 74-485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms; South Entrance: Remote and has no physical address, but is located near Cottonwood Spring, with an access point along I-10 (if using a map app, type in "Cottonwood Visitor Center" for directions). Day admission is $30 per vehicle. nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit

Brian Blueskye covers artsand entertainment for the Desert Sun. Hecan be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Integratron, Skull Rock: 11 strangest sites to visit in Joshua Tree