The Best Sunset Spots Near the House

Sunset is the desert's headline act. The dry air and big sky turn the last half hour of daylight into something operatic — and around here you're spoiled for places to watch it.

Start with the backyard

Honestly, you may not need to go anywhere. The lot faces a wide desert sky, and as the sun drops the whole place lights up — the pool goes gold, the signs start to glow, and blue hour settles over the cactus garden. Pour something (no glass by the water), find a spot, and let it happen. Half our guests never leave for sunset, and they're not wrong.

Worth the short drive

• Keys View, in the national park, is the grand option — a 5,000-foot overlook of the Coachella Valley. Arrive with time to spare and dress warm; it's breezy up top.
• Pioneertown's Mane Street glows at golden hour, and you can roll straight into dinner at Pappy & Harriet's.
• Any high open rise on the back roads will do — the desert doesn't hoard its sunsets.

Stay for the encore

Don't pack up when the sun's gone. The twenty minutes after sunset — blue hour — are when the lit signs and the first stars share the sky, and they're the best photograph of the day. Then the fire pit's right there for the after-party.