Today you’re not going to break a sweat in Needles, California. It’s actually the dead of winter in the Tri-State area where the temperature is in the 60s. Enjoy it! When April comes around things begin to heat up as the daytime average becomes a pleasant 85, but soon, your skin feels the piercing sun as temps hover around 110 degrees in July. One summer day in 2005, it reached a whopping 125 degrees Fahrenheit! Is it hot enough for you?

Though not for everyone is suited for such extremes in weather, the California desert is actually a popular tourist attraction, and Needles provides unique vacation opportunities bordering Nevada and Arizona where you’ll find casinos and lakes for boating & water sports. When visiting, it’s not uncommon to feel the sensation of needles prickling your skin. It’s a feeling that some Californians live for, departing cooler mountains and beaches and heading straight for the desert.

We call the happy dwellers in Needles desert rats because they are truly survivors of extremes. And they have little sympathy when it hits 100 in Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Needles is located in the Mojave Desert, approx. 4 hours from Los Angeles. It is located off 1-40 just a few miles before you get to the Arizona state border.