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Slab City, California. Hidden in the California badlands right smack in the middle of the Sonoran Desert is a little community of….well, squatters technically. Sitting just 50 miles from the border of Mexico is a community of desert dwellers. They have taken over the land previously used to house a military base in the 1940s. Here they live tax-free, completely off the grid with no power, water, or trash collection, and officially they don’t exist.
These folks out here are living the free life, but it doesn’t come easy. With temperatures ranging from 20 degrees to 125 degrees, their makeshift homes and RV’s put them at risk of exposure.
Many of the inhabitants get by selling precious jewelry made from stones and rocks gathered from the desert to passersby. But this little “town” has something HUGE to offer lovers of art and desert vibes.
Let’s take a look at what you’ll find on a visit to Slab City.
Salton Sea
Slab City is in the middle of nowhere. Driving out into the middle of the desert we wanted to combine the quirky village with other sights in the area if possible. So we decided to drive out to the Salton Sea.
The Salton Sea is a quick stop.
It’s probably the only beach in California that you will be the only soul for miles around. We watched the birds swooping over the rotting waters that smelled of sulfur and dead fish. The sea stretches farther than the eye can see in the open desert. As we walked to the water’s edge our feet sank into inches of
Our drive through the desert continued. We could see Salvation Mountain coming from miles away. The colorful hilltop seemed like an oasis in the sunshine just sitting in the middle of flat dusty nothingness. As we drove closer we could see signs proclaiming “Welcome to Slab City-The Last Free Place on Earth“.
RV’s and ramshackle homes dotted the desert landscape and I began to wonder who would possibly choose to make this their home?
Salvation Mountain
Leonard Knight, a local artist, created a massive technicolor art installation painted into the side of a man-made mountain. Over 25 years, he crafted the mountain from
You can watch an interview that Vice News did with him. Before he passed away in 2014, he was living just outside the mountain in the bed of a truck he had decorated with biblical verses. During the hot summer months, he could often be seen hanging out in the hammock outside.
Want to donate to Salvation Mountain?
Since then others have been continuing Leonard Knight’s work and collecting donations on site. They also ensure that no one climbs onto the mountain outside of the yellow brick road. To keep it as preserved as possible. According to some of the Slab City locals I spoke with, this money doesn’t go toward the mountain at all. They claim it’s just a scheme by some greedy entrepreneurs so think twice before donating.
Do bring some paint if you want to donate something to the project!
After all, Leonard Knight never collected monetary donations and his mission was to have the monument free for all to see.
Slab City
Salvation Mountain welcomes you to the small village but as you drive further into the make-shift town the landscape becomes no less colorful and eclectic.
As we stopped to take photos of the eccentric decor of some of the homes, a man approached his fence and introduced himself. We learned he was a Gulf War Veteran enjoying the peace and quiet the desert has to offer. He told us about their tight-knit community and invited us to come listen to them all gather to play some music on Saturdays.
He seemed normal. Unsure what I had been anticipating, I realized that these people weren’t the outcasts of society but simply people who enjoyed a friendly community with little outside influence. Sure these people were filled with some wild conspiracy theories and lived a life of isolation. But they seemed happy and FAR more welcoming to strangers than the average everyday person.
East Jesus
Our new friend directed us to East Jesus, an outdoor art garden filled with installments crafted by the local artists in the community.
East Jesus is also home to a self-sustaining community of artists, musicians, survivalists, writers, and scientists. Their homes can be seen behind the walls of the garden and they are unique from the other residents of Slab City in the fact that they are entirely run on solar power and have developed a Human Manure Compost to reduce the impact their community has on the surrounding desert. It’s difficult to capture the essence of the art garden through words alone. I was captivated by the thought-provoking pieces made of desert “trash” and knick-knacks.
It had a kind of Burning Man vibe to it and in fact, many Burning Man sculptures have been created in this very space. My favorite a single chair facing a piece that was made entirely of stacked and painted TV sets proclaiming the statement “Bow Before your Gods” and “Don’t Be Yourself“. Before we burned to a crisp in the 100-degree heat we headed for some shade in the local library. Yes, you read that right.
The Library
Up the road from East Jesus, a house with no floors is home to a large library. National Geographic from the 80’s and books categorized shelf by shelf sit surrounded by used chairs, a friendly pitbull named Crush, and two caged scorpions caught in the surrounding desert. The library is tended by a local who has his very own Youtube channel showcasing the day to day life of living in Slab City. If you want to check it out he goes by the name @wastelandlibrarian.
Many of the encampments we drove past had roadside stands offering goods for sale. The community center our new friend had told us of was easy to find. Locals and their dogs lounging around even in the heat of the day. We only spent a few hours exploring before heading back to Joshua Tree National Park.
For a perfect desert-centered weekend getaway throw in the Salton Sea, 29 Palms, Joshua Tree National Park & Slab City.
The Future of Slab City
Visiting this unique little town is difficult due to its remote location. But if you love art, interesting people, and gorgeous desert landscapes you should check it out before it disappears. Although people have been inhabiting the area for decades the future of this art community is unknown. The state of California has been talking about selling the land for years. If purchased the land would likely be cleaned up, divided for commercial use and the various art installations dismantled. So plan your trip sooner rather than later. And make sure to check Joshua Tree off your bucket list while you’re in the area!
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September 9, 2020 at 9:03 pm[…] No. It’s the entrance to an unexpected off-the-grid community of artists living in one of the harshest climates in the USA. & one of the more interesting off-the-beaten-path attractions I’ve stumbled upon in California. […]