Desert Christ Park statues

Yucca Valley, California, United States

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

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Desert Christ Park in Yucca Valley, California, is a hillside park of white concrete biblical sculptures by Frank Antone Martin, begun in 1951 on land of the Rev. Eddie Garver and now run by a volunteer foundation.

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Desert Christ Park statues

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Site-level location · 34.1233° N, 116.4453° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A ten-foot figure of Christ that nobody wanted at the Grand Canyon ended up on a Mojave Desert hillside, and a park grew around it. Desert Christ Park in Yucca Valley holds more than 40 concrete sculptures of biblical scenes.

According to the park's foundation, the sculptor Frank Antone Martin, an engineer by trade, made statues from steel-reinforced concrete and hoped to place his "resurrected Christ" on the rim of the Grand Canyon. When that request was refused, he called it the "unwanted Christ" and accepted an offer from Rev. Eddie Garver, known as the Desert Parson, to put it on a hill in Yucca Valley. The statue arrived by truck a week before Easter 1951, drew national interest, and was covered by Life magazine; the park was dedicated on Easter Sunday.

Martin settled in the area in 1952 and, per the foundation, made more figures over the following years, including a three-story, 125-ton Last Supper facade. A 2016 news report puts the Christ at about three tons, while the foundation's history says five. Martin died in December 1961. San Bernardino County described the park in January 2025 as having more than 40 sculptures, including the Last Supper facade and Blessing of the Children.

The desert has been hard on the work. A 2016 news report described crumbling figures after weather and vandalism, and a volunteer foundation formed in 1996 now cares for the site. A local radio report in 2018 said it had fully restored 12 sculptures from the Blessing of the Children display. The foundation says the original Christ, the tomb and half of the Last Supper remain on neighbouring church property.

San Bernardino County lists the address as 56200 Sunnyslope Drive; the SPACES archive gives 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

A hillside sculpture park with dozens of concrete figures along walking paths. San Bernardino County listed it in January 2025 as free, open daily 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; another source gives sunrise to sunset. Some statues are weathered and under restoration.

ACCESS

Overlooking Yucca Valley near Joshua Tree. San Bernardino County listed it in January 2025 at 56200 Sunnyslope Drive; the SPACES archive gives 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway. Run by a volunteer foundation; confirm hours before visiting.

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