Things To Do
Desert Hot Springs (DHS) is close to both Palm Springs, Pioneertown, and Joshua Tree National Park.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway takes visitors on a 10-minute tram ride from the Valley Station, located at 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs, to the Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet. Experience sweeping views of the Coachella Valley and rugged Chino Canyon during the ascent to Mount San Jacinto. Once at the top, the Mountain Station is equipped with the Peaks Restaurant, Pines Café, Lookout Lounge, observation decks, Natural History Association Museum, and over 50 miles of hiking trails at Mount San Jacinto State Park.
PS: They only pre-sell 50% of the tickets so if you can't get tickets online, go anyway and they'll probably have tickets.
This is very cool (plus it's about 30 degrees cooler uptop)!
Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California. It's characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees, the park straddles the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert, which is higher and cooler. Keys View looks out over the Coachella Valley. Hiking trails weave through the boulders of Hidden Valley.
PS: Go early, stop at the visitor's center for advice from a ranger. BRING WATER and sunscreen. Easy one-mile hikes include Hidden Valley and Barker's Dam.
Pioneertown is an 1880s-themed town developed as a shooting location for actors working on Western films and TV series which includes businesses and residences. The Main Street Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The winding, 4-mile (6.4 km) drive northwest to Pioneertown from Yucca Valley has been designated a California Scenic Drive, and the area is now surrounded by both privately and federally protected lands. The Sawtooths are a small mountain range to the south, while Black Hill is to the north.
PS: Can be combined with a trip to Joshua Tree. Pappy and Harriet's is an old restaurant that's good for lunch.
Lively Downtown Palm Springs is a compact hub that draws crowds with eclectic shops, the Walk of Stars, and the Palm Springs Art Museum, home to 2 sculpture gardens and a performing arts theater. Farm-to-table bistros, classic Italian restaurants, and bars with live music and drag shows bring evening crowds, while weekly night market VillageFest has stalls with art, vinyl, gourmet foods, and crafts.
PS: Palm Springs has been the home of Peter and Page since 2021!
Forever Marilyn is a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe designed by Seward Johnson. The statue is a representation of the image of Monroe taken from Billy Wilder's 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. Created in 2011, the statue has been displayed in a variety of locations in the United States, as well as in Australia.
PS: Worth a visit if you're downtown and want to check out Marilyn's underwear or visit the Art Museum.
Coachella Valley Preserve is a nature reserve around a palm-filled oasis offering picnics & hikes in a desert wilderness setting.
The McCallum Trail is a less than 2-mile roundtrip hike to an oasis and back. Nice and easy and flat. The Pushwalla loop is a more vigorous
4+ hike.
PS: Other hikes in the Palm Springs area include the Taqhuitz Canyon hike to a waterfall, the Garstin trail to a high point up the ridgeline, and several hikes in the Indian Canyons including Phil Meese's favorite - the Seven Sisters trail.
See Peter (or Philip) for more info on these and other hikes.
Cabot's Pueblo Museum is an American historic house museum located in Desert Hot Springs, California, and built by Cabot Yerxa, an early pioneer of the Colorado Desert. A large, Hopi-style pueblo, built in the Pueblo Revival Style, it contains artworks, artifacts of American Indian and Alaska Native cultures, and memorabilia of early desert homesteader life. https://cabotsmuseum.org/
PS: Odd but kind of fun. This was built by the first white guy in the area that "discovered" hot and cold running water in the ground.
And in addition to the Art Museum, there's an Architecture Museum, an Air Museum, and the Cahuilla Indian Museum. There's also golf, tennis and hiking galore.