By late afternoon, when the desert light turns a molten color of honey across the sky, the town glows golden amber, shadows stretch long, and for a brief, perfect moment, Pioneertown feels suspended between two centuries.

For those who wander slowly, the magic of Joshua Tree comes in the details: a lizard sunning itself on warm stone, the wind whispering through the branches, or the sun melting behind distant peaks at the end of a quiet trail.