Sky Village Swap Meet

Very eclectic swap meet. Great stuff that is different every time. All used stuff, recycled, salvaged or sustainable junkies delight, so if your looking for 1000 different kinds of socks from China you won’t find that. But that’s what’s fun about it, you never know what you’ll find.

Fun place to Visit, went on a Sunday not too many dealers but so many neat cactus and characters it was almost something out of Twilight zone. On Sunday we went thru the gates to find parking and there was plenty close by it is off highway 62 behind the” Food for Less” look for the signs, I would never think it was there with such a funky lay out but well worth the drive to see. Funky California at its best!

For the people saying this place is nothing but junk — not sure what you are actually expecting at a swap meet?
I like this place. Yes, there’s a lot of kooky characters, a lot of worthless crap, sure… most swap meets/​flea markets are just that. But I found a lot of great things including a vintage, hand-​made trunk from a WWII era sailor for $ 40… which is killer.
Having a home in the desert, its easy to find really rustic and desert-​authentic décor, doodads, decorations, on every booth. Some of the merchants over-​value their stuff, but some are pretty much underpriced.
We were also looking for a quad helmet for a youth, and picked up a brand-​new one for $ 5, a Bell, which goes for $ 59.99 at Wal mart.
Met a lot of cool folks, too.
And the décor of the overall swap meet is great.
Love this place.

My kids call it «The Hippie Place». It’s fun to go to, filled with great unusual fonds, great prices, & fin folks. Always an interesting place to visit

This place is great! I had a bunch of stuff to sell because I was moving. The costs were cheap! $ 22 per lot plus $ 10 for the second. I had my pick up and a trailer full of stuff. The buyers were right there at 6 am as we were unloading. It was a great experience. So many great people there too. Best Experience I have had at a swap meet! Not mention the great atmosphere!

Best swap meet I’ve EVER been to outside of Quartzsite!
I didn’t buy anything on either of my visits, but the layout and the ambiance is INCREDIBLE — like an old-​timey western town, all funky little wooden shacks with stained glass windows, and this amazing spray-​foam masterpiece called the Crystal Cave in the center of it all. I’ve never been to a swap meet with that kind of awesome, artsy infrastructure — usually it’s just card tables and pop-​up shades.
The place is full of wonderfully friendly kooks, especially the man who built the Crystal Cave. He was one of the most wonderfully sincere, friendly people I’ve ever met.
The only downside is, like most swap meets… the action takes place early in the morning, and I’m not a morning person. On both my visits, most of the vendors had already gone home by the time I got there… even at noon :/​
I will DEFINITELY come here again!

Don’t waste your time ! Real bad junk. stuff you would really take to the dump ! If you do find «Something «you like good luck the sellers thinks it’s Gold ! BTW 90% of the sellers are there every single week ! Horrible dirty crapfest

We’re from LA visiting Joshua tree our air bnb lady told us to check this place out. Over all pretty disappointing and dirty. Thought I’d leave with something but. Nope didn’t want to rummage through junk to find anything worthy.

So cool, I found lots of awesome desert stuff at great prices. Old books, geodes, some animal bones and definitely spend some time in Bill’s Crystal Cave. SO RAD! The only reason I give 4 stars is there weren’t as many larger items as I would have hoped (furniture, rugs)

If you know east coast flea markets then you’ll feel at home at this west coast swap meet. Super fun spot to wander around with friends looking for trinkets to buy or just looking for a fun spot to spend a few hours walking around. I enjoyed my time here. The Crystal Cave was an awesome surprise being a crystal enthusiast and all. I would come back here just to visit the Crystal Cave.
Cool desert spot for sure.

This is not your typical swap meet. I’m not really into these kinds of places, but my husband is and he saw an ad for Sky Village swap meat while we were driving around Joshua Tree and wanted to check it out.
We stopped by on a Sunday morning in May; it was windy so unfortunately some stores were closed. It’s easy to find, right off 29 Palms highway on Deputy Gariepy Hwy. The have signs. It has its own free parking lot.
This place is open only in the weekends.
I loved this place, it’s more than a swap meet, it is a funky village full of cute stores, some sell vintage merchandise (anything you can think of), some sell wonderful local art, which is pretty cool. They have a restaurant inside, decent bathrooms, it’s a well put together place. It’s just fun to walk around, to look at the décor, it’s something cool to check out in every corner. This place is so of its area– full of art created from recycled objects that looks effortlessly cool.
Sky Village is so unique, you have to check it out if you’re in the area in weekends. I’d love to revisit it sometime when more little stores inside will be open and do some shopping.

Crappy swap meet. More like a recycling plant. Smells like cat urine from the wild cats that run through it to help keep the rodent population down. there is so much junk that’s been laying around there for years. It just looks like a junk heap. Buildings are not rustic, they are falling down. It can be dangerous to walk around here so if you go I would recommend closed toe shoes.

I love this insane, dusty flea market. Bring your boots because it’s mostly soft sand. The central area and little shanties hide some really unusual and not-​so-​unusual items. Prices are moderate to pricey depending on the vendor, but most are wiling to haggle. To be honest, I didn’t mind haggling since it resulted in good conversation afterwards with the owner. Mostly everyone is nice and chatty. If you’re in Joshua Tree on the weekend — this place is a must-​do on a Saturday.

I’ve been here a total of 3 times, each time hoping it would be better than the last, but it never has been.
The first time I went was back in ²⁰⁰⁶⁄₂₀₀₇. It was drab, dirty, weird, and slightly creepy… I usually like weird and creepy things, but this was just… different…
I ended up not buying anything because it was all super junky and overpriced for what it was.
The second time was just about the same, the only thing I saw that peaked my interest was a large Freddy Krueger cardboard cut-​out. That was cool, but they wanted too much for it. Again, left empty handed and dusty.
The last time was not so long ago, same old crap, left empty handed.
I don’t even know why I even bother checking it out anymore to be honest lol I guess I have hopes that they’ll make it a bit nicer, or maybe i’m just curious as to why the heck it stays open for so long!
If you’re into looking at junk (not even yard sale or thrift shop worthy, maybe garbage dump worthy) and you don’t mind getting dirty, this is the place for you.

fun fun. People watch all kind of different things. Bob is the owner and one of the nicest guys you will ever met. Coffee is great too. Be daring and you will have fun.

This place is so random! I would recommend everyone to drive over and just check it out. But the same time, I can tell you there is nothing much to buy, just to see bunch of old stuff organized in the most twisted way on the desert ground.
It is… ummm…intersting! :)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…
This place is a trip! I love the old Western vibe and the cool art installations. My bf and I found several neat jewelry pieces. There was some old junky stuff, sure, but I am so glad I went! Prices were pretty fair from what I saw, but I got there 1 hour before closing and some of the vendors were already gone. The public restroom needs an upgrade and a good cleaning, though.

Last weekend took us further afield to scenic Yucca Valley, home of the wonderfully strange Sky Village Swap Meet. Originally a drive-​in, the swap meet is comprised of numerous tiny hand-​made shanties made from, and decorated with, all manner of old wood, rusted metal, cactus and ancient desert detritus. Amid the vintage stuff for sale, some of these buildings are actually art projects associated with the High Desert Test Sites,
. If you like weather-​worn old appliances, wagons, signs, tools and curios, this place has more antiques to dig through than the Rose Bowl. Now I know where all the cabin-​owners in the Joshua Tree Highlands find the junk they decorate with.
Some random person saw me taking pictures and called out to me a few times — presumably to make me stop, since I was either profiting somehow from photographing their junkheap, or «stealing their ideas.» (This happens often when you carry a real camera instead of a cell phone.) I become hard of hearing in these situations and keep walking. I suppose I am «stealing an idea» on private property, but it’s doubtful this idea will become a Steven Spielberg movie.
More ‘stolen ideas’ appear on my Facebook page
which includes descriptions of other wanderings around Southern California. Hope you like it.

Junk. If you’re looking for junk, you’ve found it.
Okay, there are a few items that would be worth the trip, if they happen to be PRECISELY what you’re looking for. That’s not the flea market experience I’m used to… usually I go in with some things in mind, but walk out with treasures I never imagined I’d find. Maybe I’m spoiled, I dunno, but this was 99.95% junk and I really didn’t feel like sifting through to find the remaining items that might (MIGHT) be worth a buck.

So when you drive up, you don’t expect much. Its hidden behind a shopping center.
Inside it doesn’t begin much better. Its all dirt and cactus all over the place and it was pretty early on a Sunday morning. But as you explore the grounds, there are so many cool things there. Lots of artwork and stalls that have been affixed here for ages.
I didn’t expect this on a random trip to the desert: filipinos selling filipino vegetables! Seriously, everything I needed to make pinakbet. Wtf. And Ampalaya! WOW! Awesome.