Hicksville Trailer Palace

Hotel · San Bernardino County

Hicksville Trailer Palace

Hotel · San Bernardino County

2517 Foxy Flats Rd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252

Highlights

Unique trailers, activities, and art installations await visitors

2517 Foxy Flats Rd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252 Get directions

hicksvillepalace.com

@hicksvilletrailerpalace

@atlasobscura

19 Unusual Hotels in California

"On Foxy Flats Road inside Joshua Tree, artistic types needing inspiration can find an unlikely oasis. As you arrive at the tall, maroon-colored wooden fence, you will see a curious assortment of personalized parking spots: “The New World,” “The Integratrailor,” “The Pioneer,” “The Sweet,” “The Lux,” “The Pony,” “The Fifi,” and “The Sideshow.” These are the puzzling names of the eight trailers in which you can reside at Hicksville Trailer Park Motel and Artist Retreat. Los Angeles writer and director Morgan Higby Night opened Hicksville in 2010. A longtime admirer of the mysterious and lovely Joshua Tree, he wanted a place to work on his films uninterrupted, and decided to share his hideaway with others. He started collecting vintage trailers and designing each according to a unique theme–some inspired by films or bands, some just plain weird. With a full recording studio and film-editing bay, Hicksville became the perfect place for many to find their muse. Eventually Night decided to open Hicksville up as a motel as well, so that people in every line of work could enjoy the magical place he created. Privacy is paramount: Only guests are allowed inside the gates, which stay locked at all times. No GPS locators are permitted. When you arrive, a gatekeeper meets you outside and asks for your reservation paperwork and ID before you can peek beyond the big red fence. But once the gates open, you are granted access to the coolest trailer park on earth–a bizarro desert wonderland on shockingly green astro turf. The desolate brown landscape of the Mojave Desert disappears inside the gates, and in its place is a trailer park straight out of a John Waters film (with some David Lynch thrown in for good measure). Each trailer stands out as its own little world, completely unique yet somehow complementary to the others. Nighttime comes with a surreal light show: The Lux’s tiki torch flares, The Pony’s green light sets the adjacent corral aglow, The Integratrailor beams red like Venus—whose inhabitants, legend says, inspired the trailer’s namesake Integratron. Hicksville feels less like a motel and more like a resort. The rules are few and simple: Don’t shoot each other with arrows or BBs from the shooting range, don’t smoke anything in the trailers, don’t leave fires unattended, and please don’t have relations in the rooftop hot tub. Otherwise, you’re free to play, explore, and enjoy all of the weirdness and the wonderfulness that exists within the fence. Mr. Night may even come out and have a drink with you, pulling a cold one from his beer-dispensing machine while a never-ending selection of great music plays on the jukebox. With every inch of the property painstakingly cared for and meticulously detailed, you truly feel like you have stepped out of reality and into quite possibly the best movie ever–starring you." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/californias-most-unusual-hotels

View Postcard for Hicksville Trailer Palace

nas konja

Google

The experience while there was really great. Excellent attendant who was kind and helpful. After leaving, we were hit with a $200 damages charge for smoking in the unit. We are non-smokers so we called to figure out what this was about. When we reached out politely, the person on the phone mentioned the cigarette smell and said that "Maybe if you weren't a smoker you'd smell it too". I explained to the person that on our way out, I did in fact use the dustpan to clean the front patio and there were some old cigarette butts on the ground which were thrown away. I disposed of the 3-4 old butts with the rest of the trash I swept up in the garbage bin. They laughed at us, were extremely rude to us, and accused us of lying. This was probably the rudest conversation I have ever had with an employee anywhere, especially while apologizing for putting the outside trash in the inside bin and not walking it across the whole trailer park to find a different trash can. The Skipper itself was pretty cute over all(although it does not sleep 4 unless three want to cuddle in one bed), we had fun, and the attendant was lovely so I rate all that high. The people answering the calls need to learn how to interface with the public. Ruined our entire experience.

Rita K

Google

We spent a weekend here with a group of friends for birthdays and it was adorable. While this is "glamping", it's not quite that besides the price. We stayed in the Peewee and as huge Paul Ruebens fans, it was awesome. It was cold AF (Nov), so it was nice to use the heaters (don't use the vintage one! There's newer one that actually warmed the room). We used the communal bathroom with the warm seat, and there's a sink in the Peewee with cold water. ||The other rentals varied in size/price. The "Stay Sick" was RAD, as was the "Pioneer". Those were pretty small, so keep that in mind if you have more than one person. The bigger ones have bathrooms and are super sweet. ||We had a blast playing mini golf, shuffleboard, archery, etc. The firepit is nice, even though it would make more sense have it right outside the game room, (where we spent a lot of time cuz COLD!). We used all the kitchens and it was super fun.||Luz gave a thorough tour, and Jessica was super sweet when we checked out! ||It's a little over-priced, imo, but if you have a little money-to-burn with friends? GO FOR IT. We had a wonderful bonding weekend and I'd probably do it again; pending monies. It's basically an art installation!

christine b

Google

We had a blast and this place exceeded expectations. Zach was a great guide and presence, very laid back while also being on top of things. A killer combo that was just really appreciated by us, we were very comfortable. As for the palace, it's fantastic. If the concept appeals to you in general, it's even better when you get there and you won't be disappointed. Very well thought out, takes itself seriously unserious, fun to be had in every corner. I hope to get back there sooner than later but if I can't it will be a very treasured memory for a lifetime. Let's get weird.

Amy S

Google

My husband and I stayed at Hicksville Trailer Palace last week. It was such a fun and unique experience! Very accommodating... we felt at home from the moment we arrived. The sunset and sunrise were amazing. Please check out this property when in the area..you won't be disappointed. We hope to return soon!

C W

Google

Incredible. One of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. Staff was great. SO MANY fun activities and amenities! Cute trailers. Beautiful scenes. Good sense of humor everywhere you look. Would definitely return. However, one word of advice - the Pony trailer suggests that it can sleep 1 - 2 people. I HIGHLY suggest you only stick one person in there 😅

Sophie Marion

Google

This place is amazing, perfect for relaxing ! They were thought of every thing that you could need. The circus theme is so fun, they are a lot of games to play. Staff members are great, beautiful views Thank you so much for creating this unique place!

Emily Clara

Google

Loved it ♡ not much more to say! Like a adult playground. Loved the vending machine, it has everything u would ever need. Only thing I could say is bring your own shampoo/ conditioner and body wash. Stargazing was amazing in rooftop hot tub as well as deck hammock on skipper. Loved having a fire in the teepee...I want to try almost all of them :)))

Adam Wilbur

Google

The lure of this place for me as a solo traveler was the idea of connecting with others in a communal setting like hostels have. The problem is the weather was cold/windy and many of the trailers were unoccupied. This left me stuck in a tiny trailer for the majority of my stay. The location is also a little out there being a solid 15 minutes from anywhere. Additional annoyances that drop this to two stars is there was no hand sanitizer in the bathroom for the duration of my stay (3 nights). The hot tub was filthy the only time I used it. I’d rather camp in my tent than stay here again. At least my tent is cheap.