Rusted steel sculptures by Simi Dabah across the desert at the sculpture garden in Joshua Tree

Sculptures in Joshua Tree: A Visitor’s Guide to the Simi Dabah Sculpture Garden

Byadmin

Most people come to Joshua Tree for the park. A short drive from the town center, there’s another landscape worth the trip: more than 350 steel sculptures spread across 8.5 acres of open desert.

This is the Simi Dabah Sculpture Garden. Here’s what it is, how it came to be, and how to plan your visit.

Simi Dabah passed away in May 2026. The garden remains open, cared for by the Simi Dabah Sculpture Foundation, so visitors can keep walking among the work he spent more than half a century making.

What you’ll see

Every sculpture in the garden started as industrial scrap. Simi Dabah collected steel from Los Angeles scrap yards, then cut and welded it into abstract forms. Some pieces are small enough to sit on a table. Others rise well over your head.

Close-up of a rusted welded steel sculpture by Simi Dabah against a blue desert sky

Most of the work is left to rust. Over the years, the steel has turned a warm red-brown that changes with the light. Morning sun and late afternoon bring out the color best, and no two visits look quite the same.

There are no velvet ropes and no gallery walls. You walk among the pieces on the desert floor, with the Joshua trees and the open sky as the backdrop.

How the garden came to be

Simi taught himself to weld in the 1960s, working in his Los Angeles backyard. His first sculpture was an old toolbox he cut apart and put back together in a new shape. From there, the work grew bigger, and so did the yard it needed.

In the early 1970s, he bought land in Joshua Tree. Over the decades he made more than 2,000 sculptures, and hundreds of them found a permanent home here. Read Simi’s full story.

In 2015, Simi and Julie Dabah founded the Simi Dabah Sculpture Foundation to care for the work and share it with the public.

Simi’s work beyond the garden

You may have already seen a Simi Dabah sculpture without knowing it. The Foundation has donated more than 70 sculptures to colleges, parks, and cities across the Southwest. Pieces stand at Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree, Veterans Memorial Park in Twentynine Palms, and Pasadena City College. College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita has the largest collection anywhere, with 44 sculptures on its campuses.

See the full list on our Installations page.

Tall welded steel sculptures in the Simi Dabah Sculpture Garden, Joshua Tree, CA

Plan your visit

  • Where: 5255 Sunfair Road, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
  • When: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., September 1 through May 31. Summer visits (June through August) are by appointment.
  • Before you go: Text Larry at 760-501-1718 to confirm the garden is open that day.
  • Buying a piece: Every sculpture is for sale, and credit cards are accepted.

Tips for a good visit

  • Wear closed-toe shoes. The ground is uneven desert soil, and the steel has rough edges.
  • Bring water and sun protection, even in the cooler months.
  • Give yourself at least an hour. The garden is bigger than it looks from the road.

Make a day of it

The garden pairs well with a morning in Joshua Tree National Park or an afternoon in town. Come early, walk the garden while the light is soft, then head into the park.

Questions? Contact us or text Larry at 760-501-1718. We’d love to see you out here.

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