Visit Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch on Route 66: A Glass Forest in California’s Desert

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is a unique roadside attraction on Route 66 in California. This peculiar place in the desert contains hundreds of trees made from steel and glass bottles. It’s Americana at its finest!

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is a highlight on Route 66 in California’s Mojave Desert. The 2.3 acre ranch encompasses more than 400 trees made from steel and glass bottles.

These trees were constructed by hanging dozens of glass soda bottles uniformly on short metal rods that have been welded to tall steel poles.

Some of the bottle trees have unique decorations placed on top, for example, a typewriter, a gumball machine, a rake, and an electric guitar.

The glass forest is surprisingly beautiful, especially when the sun shines through the glass, making them glisten. Sun rays reflect off the bottles creating colorful beams of light that dance all around.

Not only is it an oddly beautiful place, a visual feast for the eyes, but ears too! I loved hearing the clinking of glass on glass, and the whistling sound the bottles made whenever the wind blew. It was a very soothing sound.

Other art installations you’ll see here include a boat filled with bottles, various farm equipment, a jeep, and metal sculptures.

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch was created by Elmer Long. Elmer began building his forest in 2000 and says he never imagined it to become one of the most popular attractions on California’s Route 66.

Elmer’s father was a bottle collector. The pair of them spent many years taking trips to the desert together in search of discarded bottles and other throwaway odds and ends.

When Elmer’s father passed away, he inherited his father’s bottle collection. Since he had his own sizeable collection of glass bottles, he decided he would make use of them by creating something. Bottle trees.

His trees eventually turned into a forest. A forest that began to attract visitors from around the world. Elmer has said that some of his visitors have come from far flung countries like Japan, Australia, Germany, and France.

It was not something he expected at all when he first began creating his art installation, especially since he is a self-proclaimed hermit that has said that he enjoys being alone.

During our first visit in 2017, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of the artist himself. He seemed friendly enough and said hello. Even though it seemed like he didn’t mind us and other visitors wandering through his maze of trees, you couldn’t help but feel like you might be trespassing. After all, this place was never intended to be a tourist attraction.

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is situated in Oro Grande, just 11 miles from Victorville off Interstate-15. If you’re headed to Las Vegas, it’s totally worth taking the easy detour to visit this one-of-a-kind place!

You can read this post to see more fun stops on a road trip between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Or, if you’re interested in discovering more unusual places along historic Route 66, check out this guide to the best stops on California’s Route 66.

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. Entry is free, but donations are accepted. Donations will go towards keeping this place up and running for others to enjoy.

*Unfortunately Elmer Long passed away in June, 2019. His family have stated on their website that they will continue to preserve and protect Elmer’s legacy. After all, his creation became a thing of wonder and a place that brought strangers together.

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