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We got curious about Slab City since many people have reported on and dramatized it. So, we took a road trip in our camper van to visit the desert community for ourselves.
Well, we found that the people live freely, and even had the chance to talk to some residents. There’s a lot of upcycled art, which is pretty cool.
I’ll tell you all about our experience, what to know and expect, and share our personal photos. You might want to see it for yourself!
Getting There
We were van camping in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which was a little bit of a drive. This area has interesting places to see.
Surprisingly, the directions took us through backroads, and we preferred to take the main roads.
But if you have a 4-wheel-drive like we do, you shouldn’t have any problems on the dirt and sand.
Along the way, we saw many trailer houses and RVs that looked abandoned. Looking closer, there were signs of life.
A creek ran along the road. I’m not sure where that water source came from, but there’s a lot of farmland in the area.
We ended up in the remote area of Niland, California. The small town itself didn’t have much of a grocery store or gas station.
When we finally arrived at our destination, the signs greeted us. We knew we were in the right place.
Visiting Slab City
The first building I saw looked like an entrance booth of some sort. I thought maybe we had to check in.
There are no reservations or tickets to buy. You just drive in like visiting any other city.
There are many points of interest in the area. In the 1940s, during World War II, it was a Marine Corps base. So you may see slabs.
That’s how the city got its name—from the slabs left behind from the military. After the military moved out, squatters moved in.
Salvation Mountain
The first point of interest we came across was Salvation Mountain. There’s a little parking area, where you might find other vehicles on the side of the road.
The colorful mountain with Jesus’ name all over it awed me. Wow! This must have taken forever!
How many cans of paint did they use to color this mountain? Well, I found out later that the residents keep it up.
While thinking about this, the first resident greeted us. He wore a hat and sat outside a blue house beside the mountain. Behind his fence, a brown cat pranced off in the distance.
“Hello! Welcome,” he said. I could barely hear him, but I knew he was speaking to me.
“Hi! Thanks, it’s hot out here,” I said.
“Yeah… I’ll be able to work in a little bit… once the sun goes down. I have an art project I’m working on.”
“Yeah, be careful with the heat out here!”
Leonard Knight Plaque
After getting a closer look at the mountain’s colorful glory, I thought about the blood, sweat, and tears put into this thing.
It had to be years in the making, and I wondered who started this whole thing.
Walking around, I found a plaque in honor of Leonard Knight. He came to Niland seeking a simple religion and wrote his message for the world to see.
In 1984, he created Salvation Mountain with things he found at the dump. People also donated items as well.
That’s pretty creative!
One of the decorated trucks near the mountain is where he lived. It was interesting to see, and many people took pictures in this area.
Community Areas
After looking at Salvation Mountain, we drove down the road toward more things to see. The good thing is that signs will point the way.
The places are not very far and the city isn’t huge. Because of the heat, we didn’t get out and explore everything.
But we did stop to take pictures of some community areas.
We saw the Church of Enlightenment, next to the bird sanctuary and botanical gardens. They appeared closed.
The Range is a stage where people hang out and have performances at night. We didn’t stop because we didn’t see anything going on.
There’s also a skater park, campground, and a restaurant. We didn’t stop at these places because I really wanted to see the art exhibits before dark.
At the end of the road, we saw a sign pointing right to the library. We turned left to get East Jesus.
By the way, I saw warning signs that said not to take pictures or trespass. Remember, people live here, and you’ll want to respect them.
We didn’t see many residents hanging around outside. The heat more likely kept them inside.
A man walked barefoot on the side of the road, munching on a big bag of chips. He was just minding his own business.
East Jesus
When we finally got to East Jesus, we parked in a little lot. I recommend going only in the designated areas.
East Jesus is a big outdoor art gallery. That’s the only way I can describe it.
You don’t have to pay to enter, but they have a little set-up to make donations.
There are cool exhibits made of upcycled stuff. I saw many impressive things that must have taken a long time to create.
We saw two other visitors walking around with a professional camera. Then, they disappeared down a path.
I saw they had gone into a ‘no trespassing’ area. Not a good idea.
Some people live around the art exhibits too, so you don’t want to disturb them.
The wind picked up, and the lonely sounds of windmills chimed in the wind. Other than that, the desert was quiet.
We walked around the artistic expressions that sent messages about politics, religion, society, and race. East Jesus had a lot to see.
House of Dots
When we exited East Jesus, a lady in a bikini top waved us down. She is a popular resident and you may run into her on your visit.
“You’re welcome to come over here and check out my place, House of Dots,” she said.
“Oh! I saw the sign way back there…” I pointed to somewhere behind me.
“Come and walk around,” smiled. She shielded her eyes from the sun’s rays as we came near.
In the few minutes we chatted, Dot told me how she ended up at Slab City. A few years ago, she was traveling and found this place.
A black cat with big turquoise eyes crept over to us. Dot said that this fur baby belonged to her neighbors.
They had left weeks ago, and she had been caring for the cat ever since. She’s known as ‘the cat lady’ and will foster up to three cats at a time.
We explored House of Dots. You can see her creativity at work with her Taxidermy Party exhibit.
Slab City Safety
Dot asked me if I had heard bad news about the place. I admitted to watching videos of people sharing both good and bad experiences.
Some painted it as a dangerous place.
She rolled her eyes, saying it wasn’t as bad as people claimed. Many Slabbers, or residents, attend Burning Man and come fromall walks of life, Dot said.
She knew she wanted to stay when she first arrived in this off-the-grid community.
“I love it here!” Dot yelled with her arms outstretched as if hugging the whole desert.
Hundreds of artists have created the exhibits at East Jesus. They welcome anyone to submit ideas, Dot said.
We didn’t stay around to find out if the city became more alive at night. We were just passing through and taking it all in.
Nothing bad happened to us during our visit. We heeded the warning signs and respected the residents.
As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, we left in our van. And although we found the art exhibits very interesting, we left before sunset.
Travel Notes
When we arrived in the early evening, it had cooled down since earlier in the day. But the sun still shined fiercely in the parched desert.
Traveling in the spring, the heat topped out at 95°! It felt much hotter with the sun’s rays bouncing off everything.
Our camper van and had air conditioning. Thank goodness! There wasn’t much of a breeze out in the desert.
Expect hot weather if you come between April and November. The desert gets sweltering hot, so take care.
Final Thoughts
While visiting Slab City, we saw many impressive exhibits and sites. It’s elusive when the images you see in pictures come alive in person.
I’d like to return to explore other areas and perhaps speak to more residents. But I don’t think I’d stay overnight.
More Travel Adventures
I have many related posts on my blog. You might want to check them out.
- We love exploring Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is about an hour away.
- By the way, while at Anza-Borrego, you may want to check out the metal sculptures at Galleta Meadows.
- While in Anza-Borrego, we hiked the mysterious Ghost Mountain to find the Marshal South home remains.
- Bombay Beach is another community we visited with similar kinds of artwork.
- If you like historic places, we visited Calico Ghost Town, and it was a treat.
I’d love to hear about your travel adventures!
Originally published: May 27, 2024
