Indian Wells Valley

Broad high-desert basin around Ridgecrest, framed by bare mountain ranges.

Indian Wells Valley is the open basin that gives Ridgecrest its sense of space. The surrounding ranges look severe and almost empty, but the valley is good at teaching the slower pleasures of the Mojave: long light, hard shadows, and enormous skies.

It is not a single attraction with a ticket booth. The value is in understanding the setting, especially if you are driving onward toward the eastern Sierra, Trona, or Red Rock Canyon.

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