Glass Outhouse Art Gallery, a Unique Spot Near Joshua Tree NP

As we crawled victoriously out of the Chasm of Doom in Joshua Tree National Park, Dustin and I realized that we only have a couple of hours of daylight left to get to the Glass Outhouse Art Gallery. This off the beaten path place is located in Twentynine Palms, a few miles from the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. As a lonely spot in the desert, this unique gallery not only draws artists and art collectors from all over the country, it also attracts people that love “weird”, recycle art, like us. This place exceeded our expectations for being what we thought was just a roadside attraction. And if you get to meet Laurel, the owner of the place, that is even better.

STATS:

Where:

Glass Outhouse Art Gallery:
77575 Twentynine Palms Highway, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Coords: 34°08’06.9″N 115°58’06.9″W

Parking:

You can either park on the side of the road on 29 Palms Highway or the official parking lot on Thunder Road. If you park on the street, please make sure to pull your car all the way off the road.

Fee:

Glass Outhouse Art Gallery is free. However, they do accept donations.

Hours:

The outdoor art display, including the chapel, is open 24/7.
The indoor exhibit (also if you want to enter the Glass Outhouse) hours are:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Sunday: 1pm – 5pm

Restroom:

If you visit during open hours and ask nicely, you can use the official Glass Outhouse!

Estimated Completion Time:

About 45 minutes to 1 hour if you want to look at every single detail inside and outside. You can spend more time if you want.

Ideal Weather:

Dry days are best. It’s in the desert so cooler weather is the better.

Ideal Time:

Mornings or evenings have the best light if you want to spend time at the outdoor exhibit.

Accessibily:

It is wheel-chair accessible.

Dog-friendly:

I properly wouldn’t recommend bringing your dogs here. These are priceless artworks. We want to keep it that way.

Weather:

Video:

About Glass Outhouse Art Gallery

Glass Outhouse Art Gallery is a nonprofit organization created by Laurel Siedl. The gallery opened its door in September 2009. Laurel refurbished a building where she raised rabbits into an art gallery. The place now transformed into a cozy space that features artists from all over the country.

On the first Saturday of every month, except for July and August, Glass Outhouse Art Gallery has a Grand Opening. Everyone is invited to this event, a gala affair with live music, dancing, and refreshments. It is quite spectacular.

Each month, the gallery features the works of one or two artists. The Grand Opening marks the start of a new show every month. Since its beginning, Glass Outhouse Art Gallery has become “the place to show” for all artists all over the country.

Exploring the place

The surrounding

The indoor gallery is pretty neat. However, our favorite part is actually all the interesting and awesome “art” pieces sprinkled all around the property. There are a few trails circling the area, giving you access to all this unique art.

Before getting here, we didn’t realize how much there were to see here. This place is not massive or anything but there are so many intriguing and amusing little art pieces that require you to spend extra time to actually appreciate them.

The artwork ranges from intricate metal art like the winged dragon, the rooster, or the colorful peacock to whimsical recycled art such as the bicycle fence, the turtle built out of an old VW bug, or a gym full of skeletons. There are big pieces such as the giant Pepsi can or the pirate ship mixed in with much smaller pieces such as the metal grasshopper, little bug cafe, and more.

One thing about this art gallery that stood out to us is the tiny, but functional church. This tiny church is big enough to fit 4 people and fully decorated. It is open 24/7. Neither I nor Dustin is religious by any means. However, this is such an awesome idea that this church is available at any time for anyone who wanted a place to seek out solace and peace. Next to this church is a small graveyard. This is where all bad things are buried such as war, greed, malice, and hate. Such a cool concept.

Don’t forget to spend sometimes toward the back of the property as well. There are so many interesting or whimsical pieces of art back there. There is a whole family of goats grazing the hillside. The babies are super adorable.

The glass outhouse

If you want to visit the glass outhouse, the namesake of this art gallery, it’s actually located toward the indoor exhibit. We actually didn’t know that it was there. Because we got there late, the exhibit was about to close. However, Laurel saw us running around outside and willing to let us join her in the indoor exhibit. She then offered for us to check out the glass outhouse.

The glass outhouse is just like its name. It is an outdoor functional restroom that has one-way mirrors for its door and walls. This means you can go tinkle or 💩 with the door closed but still able to enjoy to outside. It’s a one of a kind experience, sitting on the porcelain throne with a panoramic view of the sky. When it first opened, everyone would take their photos with it, but no one was brave enough to use it. Nowadays, everybody uses it.

The glass outhouse used to open 24/7 as well. Unfortunately, due to its misusage, you’ll need a key to access it. If you visiting the area during its open hours, Laurel will happy to let you take a look, if you ask nicely.

Meeting Laurel

Laurel is such a kind and amazing person. We got a quick chance to talk to her as she showed us around the exhibit. If you come here during a hot day, there are free drinks in the fridge for you to enjoy. She also mentioned that the Chapel is free for anyone that wanted to have their wedding there. In fact, there were several weddings that had taken place here. Of course, donations are always appreciated, but not required.

Since it was late, we didn’t want to keep Laurel any longer. As we said goodbye to her, we knew we wanted to come back to this awesome place again, even just to say hi to her. We hope that you’ll stop by and say hi to Laurel and visit this amazing place she and all of the artist’s creations. If you’re visiting, please make sure to respect the property and all the artwork here. Also, they also appreciate a donation, to keep this place alive and running for years to come! You can also check out their Facebook page and help support this place!

Other things to do

If you’re heading over to Joshua Tree National Park, check out Hidden Valley Nature Trail, a short but beautiful hike. That is also where the Chasm of Doom, a series of tunnels between the mountain. It is not for the faint of heart. So if you’re adventurous enough, you can do both. Barker Dam is another cool trail that will take you to the only water source in Joshua tree (depending on the season). Don’t forget to check out Arch Rock trail, a short trail that will take you to a super cool natural rock arch and other neat rock formations. Cholla Cactus Garden is another stop we recommended. You don’t need to spend a lot of time, but it is pretty cool to see these unique Cholla Cactus. This place is especially beautiful early morning or at sunset. If you love off the beaten path places, check out Samuelson’s Rocks.

There are more unique art collections like this around Southern California. If you love this place, you’ll love Bombay Beach in Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain, or Slab City. There are also the Olancha sculptures, the artwork of Jael Hoffmann, or the Galleta Meadows in Azna Borrego.

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RECOMMEND GEAR:

These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

The majority of these links are through our affiliate links so if you buy something, it is at no extra cost for you but it helps us support the site. That being said, don’t buy something just to support us, buy something if you think it will enhance your travels and adventures.

• Hiking shoes

You’ll want to go rock scrambling here. Make sure to wear good shoes with tractions. Vy’s shoes are Merrell Women’s Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot. Dustin’s shoes are TARGHEE III WATERPROOF.

• Snacks/Lunch

Always bring snacks with you! This trail has some beautiful areas for a quick lunch too!

• Sunscreen

Bring sunscreen! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter – Zinc Oxide – Coral Reef Safe, and All Good Sport Sunscreen Lotion – Coral Reef Safe (3 oz)(2-Pack) or Stream2Sea SPF 30 Reef Safe Sport Tinted Sunscreen.

• Water

Doesn’t matter when you go, always make sure to bring plenty of water. Especially if you go in the afternoon. Bring extra because you have to hike in to start this trail. Vy uses the Camelback L.U.X.E. Dustin uses the Clik Small pack (sadly Clik is no longer around). Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is also a great backpack for a shorter hike like this.