A Few Hours From Palm Springs, These Places Feel Like Hidden Cinematic Landscapes

Palm Springs has always felt like a scene straight out of a vintage Hollywood film—mid-century modern houses, swaying palms, and sun-drenched pool parties. But venture just a few hours in any direction, and you’ll find a world of landscapes that feel like they were plucked right off a movie set. Whether you’re chasing epic desert scenes, otherworldly boulder gardens, ghost towns frozen in time, or wild, empty coastline, these hidden California getaways feel big-screen grand—yet close enough for a weekend escape.

Pack your road trip playlist and a good camera—here are a few cinematic places near Palm Springs that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into your own private film.

Joshua Tree National Park: Surreal Desert Drama

Roughly an hour from downtown Palm Springs, Joshua Tree is one of the closest and most striking escapes. This rugged park is a backdrop for countless music videos, fashion shoots, and indie films—and when you see its massive rock formations and bristly Joshua trees against blazing sunsets, you’ll know why.

Start your adventure at Hidden Valley for easy hikes and boulder scrambling. Head to Skull Rock for a quirky photo op, then catch the sunset from Keys View overlooking the Coachella Valley. At night, the dark skies transform into an IMAX show of stars—bring a blanket, lie back, and imagine you’re on another planet.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Desert Vastness Worthy of an Epic

About two hours south of Palm Springs, Anza-Borrego feels like a classic Western backdrop—endless desert badlands, rugged canyons, and wildflower super blooms when conditions are right. The park is California’s largest state park, with over 600,000 acres of cinematic terrain.

Drive through the Borrego Badlands for a Martian vibe, or hike Palm Canyon Trail to see a hidden desert oasis. Don’t miss the massive metal sculptures of the Galleta Meadows—an open-air “sculpture garden” where giant prehistoric creatures and fantastical beasts appear to roam the desert plains.

Pioneertown: Old West Movie Set Turned Desert Hideaway

Just 40 minutes from Palm Springs, Pioneertown was literally built as a movie set in the 1940s by Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Today, it’s an atmospheric throwback where you can stroll dusty streets lined with wooden facades and swing open saloon doors like a cowboy extra.

Catch a live show at Pappy & Harriet’s, the desert’s beloved music venue and roadhouse, where stars from Paul McCartney to Arctic Monkeys have popped in for surprise sets. Hang around for sunset when the weathered buildings glow gold, and you’ll feel like you’re in a timeless Western film.

Salton Sea: Eerie Beauty Like an Apocalyptic Film Set

Drive about an hour and a half southeast of Palm Springs and you’ll find the Salton Sea—a surreal, fading lake surrounded by abandoned communities and weird, windswept beaches. Once a glamorous resort area, it now feels like a post-apocalyptic backdrop, full of decaying trailers, sun-bleached signs, and haunting silence.

Stop by Bombay Beach to see the Bombay Beach Ruins, an outdoor art scene with half-submerged sculptures and strange installations. It’s both eerie and strangely beautiful, a place that’s been featured in countless music videos and experimental films. Bring your camera—every corner feels like a frame from an avant-garde movie.

Idyllwild: Mountain Town Straight Out of a Cozy Indie Film

Craving a change from desert drama? Head up to Idyllwild, a quaint mountain town about an hour from Palm Springs. Nestled among tall pines in the San Jacinto Mountains, Idyllwild feels like a peaceful backdrop for a feel-good indie flick.

Browse the art galleries and cozy bookstores, grab coffee at a rustic café, then take a forested hike on the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail. In winter, the snow-dusted cabins look like a movie scene, and in summer, the shady woods and granite peaks feel worlds away from the desert heat below.

Amboy Crater: Black Lava Landscape Like a Sci-Fi Set

On historic Route 66 about two hours away, Amboy Crater is an extinct volcanic cinder cone rising from a flat, stark desert floor. Its rugged black lava fields have a lunar vibe that feels perfect for sci-fi daydreams or dramatic photo shoots.

Hike the short trail to the crater’s rim for wide-open desert views and a sense of isolation that’s pure cinema. Stop at Roy’s Motel & Café nearby for an iconic Route 66 photo—it’s a ghost-town vibe that will make you feel like you’re in an old road movie.

Red Rock Canyon State Park: Painted Cliffs Like a Natural Movie Backdrop

About two and a half hours northwest of Palm Springs, Red Rock Canyon State Park often gets overshadowed by its bigger cousin, Death Valley. But its colorful cliffs and eroded buttes have served as a dramatic backdrop for countless Westerns and sci-fi classics.

Hike Hagen Canyon Trail or Red Cliffs Trail to wander through towering red rock formations, desert washes, and layered cliffs that look like nature’s own film set. If you time it for golden hour, you’ll see why so many filmmakers choose this spot when they need California desert scenery at its finest.

Plan Your Cinematic Escape

Palm Springs has style and sunshine in spades, but if you crave a backdrop that feels straight off a big screen, hit the road and explore these hidden cinematic spots. Desert moonscapes, Western movie sets, misty mountains, and ghostly shores—California’s quiet corners near Palm Springs remind you that sometimes the best stories don’t happen on a screen.