Glad you asked!

WHR is an airbnb vacation rental near Joshua Tree, California. But wait, there's more.

What sets WHR apart, beyond its 40 acres of private desert, amazing setting, and comfortable amenities including a pool and hot tub, is that embedded into the property is a fully optional yet totally awesome interactive escape-room style puzzle quest immersive experience waiting to be discovered.

Wild Heart Ranch is on a 40-acre parcel of land between the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, in the beautiful California Mojave desert. We're about 20 minutes from the world-famous Joshua Tree National Park, 15 minutes to the nearest towns, and between 15-30 minutes to nearby stores and restaurants. The area is about 2.5 hours from Los Angeles, 3 hours from Las Vegas. The desert around Joshua Tree is absolutely stunning with many things to discover. You're going to love it.

We don't want to spoil too much, but Wild Heart Ranch offers much more than your typical Airbnb. If you're staying at the Ranch, there is a secret escape-room style quest built right into the space just waiting to be discovered. Should you choose, you embark on a journey that reveals the (fictional) history of the Ranch, setting you on a secret mission that will have you solving escape room style puzzles, discovering new spaces, unfolding an interactive story, and perhaps even revealing special treasures for you to take home. All in and around the place you are staying. So despite how involved you get in the experience, you'll never be far from the pool, hot tub, or fire ring to wind down after a day of exploring.

There is no precise answer to this - it's up to you and the type of desert adventure you want to have! Many people stay two nights (our booking minimum) and some people stay up to a week. In terms of the escape game experience, it varies group to group but generally it’s about a couple to a few hours worth of straight gameplay. Most guests split it up into a couple different sessions. Unlike most escape rooms we encourage our guests to really take their time. There’s plenty of narrative and backstory content to dive into, and it’s fun to simply soak up the scenes. Plus we want you to be able to enjoy everything the Joshua Tree desert has to offer.

Kind of! But not really. This is certainly not your typical escape room. Wild Heart Ranch shares many similarities to typical escape rooms: themed puzzles that need to be solved in order to progress a story, clues in the environment, clever reveals, and crazy fun.

We differ from typical escape rooms in that you do not need to "escape" anything, you are not timed, there is no "gamemaster," and you do not need to overturn every corner of the space.

Think of it as an escape room in which you can take in your time, soaking in the setting and story. You can split your journey up into different times. In the end, Wild Heart Ranch is a new and unique spin on the escape room format, and we encourage you to embrace your adventurous spirit.

WHR is located in the high desert, so each season has very unique weather. Fall and Spring are probably the "best" times to visit, having the most comfortable weather. It's also most popular then. Winter is lovely and a different experience, though does get quite cold at night. Summer can get extremely hot, often over 100 degrees during the days. For June-August, we strongly recommend keeping your immersive experience exploration to the nighttime hours (which has its own kind of magic).

You bet! We love furry friends. Each listing has a pet fee and we ask that you take full responsibilty for your furry ones. The Ranch is in the open desert, so always be alert to keep your pets safe. Coyotes and snakes, while not uncommon, are rarely a threat as long as you're able to keep an eye on your own. More information regarding the pet policy on the Airbnb pages for each listing.

These are two different rental listings situated on opposite ends of the 40 acre property. You can rent one or both of them. The Ranch is a 2-cabin compound that can sleep 8+, and has a pool and hot tub. The Pink Cabin is an intimate standalone cabin with a porch swing and cowboy tub, perfect for a couple. The two listings are far enough apart that you can be assured there is more than enough privacy between them.

While the term is used very broadly these days, at its core an immersive experience is a story where you are the star. Immersive experiences, like our own, often involve an interactive story. You are "immersed" in the setting. Our experience involves puzzles, art, stories, some multimedia, and other surprises. Think of it as a currated adventure!

Nope! Not at all.

The Ranch is a single listing that contains 2 cabins (the "Yellow" and "Green" cabins) together, enclosed in the fenced area. The Ranch listing also includes a pool, hot tub, BBQ, fire pit, picnic table, private driveway, the surrounding land, and access to the Wild Heart Ranch immersive experience.

The Pink Cabin is a completely separate listing perfect for couples on the opposite end of the land.

Wild Heart Ranch was founded in 2020 by Blake and Bea Hodges-Koch, who built and designed The Ranch. The immersive experience component was designed by Blake Hodges-Koch and Thomas Meston. The Ranch features an incredible art installation designed by artist Marina Fini (Meow Wolf) and others.