Guest Post: Joshua Tree’s Hicksville Trailer Palace

This guest post if from Johnie Gall of DirtbagDarling.com, all images courtesy of Hicksville.com.

Somewhere outside of Joshua Tree National Park, I stumbled across the Hicksville Trailer Palace, a surreal little hotel made up entirely of themed Airstream trailers, train cars, and tiki huts sitting on a patch of Astroturf in the desert. The clever encampment is an isolated desert getaway—part kitschy tourist attraction, part artist retreat—that offers eight different trailers and two off-site properties to rest your head in after a day of getting lost among the boulders.

Choose from rooms like the Sideshow (a circus train car complete with Fortune Teller robot), the western-themed Pioneer, The Integratrailor (an alien-themed trailer that pays homage to The Integratron building in the Mojave Desert) or the Fifi, designed by Ry and Marci Hessling of Fifi Mahony’s wig store in New Orleans. The motel is solar powered and offers other little oddities like a saltwater pool, an archery and BB gun range, a tipi with its own fire pit, an outdoor shower and Fort Dog, a little fenced off area for your pup.

What You Should Know:

This isn’t the ACE Hotel and Swim Club. This place is for people who want a little adventure, so bring your own food, water, and shampoo and prepare for a totally new kind of camping (and yes, each trailer has towels, a fridge, heat and air conditioning!).  Only registered guests can get on the property.

Rates:

Rates vary by trailer, but start at $100 a night. You can book right on the Hicksville website or by emailing info@hicksville.com.

Getting There:

Every time of year is the right time to visit the desert. The ride from Los Angeles takes about two hours depending on traffic. The owners prefer to keep the address secret to protect the privacy of their guests, so book a room to find out more!

What to Do:

Visit Joshua Tree National Park! Giant boulders and the Joshua trees make this place look like some alien planet. Just be sure to pack enough water. When you’re done, take a trip to see Noah Purifoy’s Art complex (if you can find it) or stop by Pappy and Harriet’s for food and live bands.

All images courtesy of Hicksville.com.