Surrounded by the arid desert landscapes of the Antelope Valley, Palmdale is a lively city north of Los Angeles. It’s famed as the site of a U.S. Air Force manufacturing and testing centre where state-of-the-art aircraft are built by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Things to do in Palmdale
Aviation enthusiasts can visit Joe Davies Heritage Airpark, which occupies the corner of the United States Air Force Plant 42. It’s home to more than 20 retired military aircraft that include a vintage Lockheed F-104A Starfighter and a Convair B-58A Hustler dating from the post-World War II years, as well as a more recent Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Travelling with kids? They’ll love cooling off at the Dry Town Water Park, which is open between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year. It’s home to thrilling waterslides, a four-lane racer and a children’s water playground with spray fountains and a giant splash bucket. Winding its way around the park is a 280-metre-long lazy river.
West of Palmdale’s city centre is Ritter Ranch Park, which encompasses 1,600 hectares of mountainous desert terrain that can be explored on foot or by bicycle. If you want to learn more about the plants and animals that call the Antelope Valley home, visit the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve. Forming part of its interpretive centre is an excavation station and a petroglyph wall.
Getting around Palmdale
Palmdale is around 1.5 hours’ drive from the centre of Los Angeles and two hours from Los Angeles International Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Trains travelling along the Antelope Valley Line stop at the Palmdale railway station and buses connect to attractions throughout the city.