Palm Springs: A Desert Oasis

Taking the Aerial Tramway, you have breathtaking views of Palm Springs and the desert.
The windmills as you drive into the city.
Hiking in Palm Canyon.
The festival held downtown every Thursday. The main street is closed off for local vendors.
Jeep tour up the Santa Rosa Mountains.
Taking a ride out to Joshua Tree National Park - the rock formations are unbelievable.
Sitting back and enjoying the magnificent sunsets.

Quick Tips:

I would check the internet for upcoming events. Each month, they have a calendar of events with festivals, art shows, entertainers, and sports.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you are within walking distance from the downtown area, you do not need to rent a car. We decided to rent a car for both of our visits because it is worth taking a drive out of the city to see the landscape.

You can fly directly into Palm Springs, but the ticket might be more expensive. I would check out other airports if you do not mind driving an hour or two. LAX is about two hours away and Orange County is about one hour away.

The Hilton is located two blocks from downtown Palm Springs. The hotel offers large rooms with cable TV, hook up for your laptop, sitting area and either a balcony or a patio depending on your room location. Your view off of our balcony was magnificent. We overlooked the downtown area with the mountains as a backdrop. We enjoyed watching the mountains change many colors at sunset.

The hotel restaurant food is good but I would recommend eating downtown since you are within walking distance of many outstanding restaurants. The restaurant in the hotel is in the courtyard overlooking the pool. The pool area is very large. After our excursions in the morning, we would enjoy relaxing by the pool sipping on a cool drink.

The hotel offers a spa, concierge service, fitness room, lounge, game room and gift shop. If you are looking for more of a spa type accommodation, I would not stay at this hotel. Outside of Palm Springs in the Palm Desert and Rancho Merage area, there are many upscale spas.

We enjoyed staying at the Hilton because of the price and how it is centrally located to shopping, restaurants and the casino. It is nice you do not need to get in your car and drive every time you want something to eat or you just want to take a stroll to window shop. The people at the hotel were very friendly. Since this was our first visit out there, we did depend on the concierge service for information. They gave us great suggestions on things to do.

One of the concierge suggestions was to visit the fair downtown. Every Thursday night in the downtown area, Palm Canyon Drive is closed for local vendors to set up their stands. They have a wide variety of crafts, art and food. The concierges recommend we try their popcorn. It is cooked in a cooper kettle and the popcorn is sprinkled with sugar. It was some of the best popcorn we ever ate. Our second visit to Palm Springs, we made sure we went to the Thursday fair to eat more popcorn.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is one of the top attractions. Located a few miles outside of the city on highway 111, it is worth the adventure. At the base, you are at 2,600 feet and you ascend up to 8,500 feet.

Our first trip up the tram was in April during El Nino. At the base, we saw magnificent yellow flowers that only bloom during this time. As we ascend up the mountain, we passed through four or five different environments. It was absolutely a breathtaking experience. We started in the desert and at the top there were pine trees covered in snow. I think the temperature at the base was in the 80°F, and 40°F at the summit.

There are different lookout points overlooking the desert and the city of Palm Springs. You can hike through the San Jacinto Mountains. The trails are well marked. Cross country skiing is available at certain times of the year (usually winter). Check their web-site for more information: pstramway.com
Tram Prices Adults $21 Children $14 Seniors $19

Address: Tramway Rd., off Hwy. 111, Palm Springs
Phone:(888) 515-TRAM, (760) 325-1391
Website: pstramway.com
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun 8am-8pm

Indian Canyon is one of Palm Springs best-kept secrets. Located on Agua Caliente tribal land, only minutes away from downtown Palm Springs, this is something you do not want to miss.

When we visited this area, only three canyons were opened, Palm, Murray, and Andreas. Since then, Tahquiz Canyon opened. Each canyon has its own beauty, from rows of tall palm trees to magnificent rocks and flowing streams. You might be lucky and see a big horn sheep.

Our first stop was Palm Canyon. At the opening, you can stop at the trading post for refreshments and a map. Our first glimpse was an awesome view of Palm Trees for miles and miles. The trail is about 15 miles long. Once you walk down the path into the canyon, you are surrounded by palm trees reaching high into the sky.

Andreas Canyon is a great place to sit back and pack a picnic lunch and relax by the stream. It was very unusual hearing water run in the middle of the desert. Our first visit, we found a waterfall as we hiked through the canyon. Our second visit, we had fun looking for that same place.

We did not have much time to spend in Murray Canyon. Maybe we will our next visit.

ADMISSION TO INDIAN CANYONS
Adults $6.00 Seniors (62+) $4.50 Children (6-12) $2.00 Equestrians $10.00 Students & Military $4.50

Open Daily Fall/Winter: 8:00 am, to 5:00 pm Ranger-led hikes are available for an extra $3.00, daily 10:00am to Palm Canyon; 3 miles, easy-moderate. 1:00pm to Andreas Canyon; 1 mile, easy.

A great way to experience the desert is with a jeep tour. We visited Palm Springs twice and both times did this. I would recommend using Desert Adventures Eco-Tours.

Our first tour was up the Santa Rosa Mountains. Our tour guide, Pete, pulled our jeep up to a gated dirt road. He told us to make sure our seat belts were fastened because we were on our way to an exciting trip up the mountains. As the jeep ascended, up the narrow windy dirt road, we held our breath when looking down. At times it felt like our jeep might roll off of the road. We made various stops along the trail. Pete was a great guide - he knew everything to know about the desert, the flowers, cactus, and wild life. We were lucky we were there during El Nino -all of the desert flowers were in full bloom. We also had a magnificent view of the valley below.

Our second trip was out to the San Andreas Fault. We thought we would see a big crater running along the desert - we were wrong. It is easy to identify the fault; just look for plant life. All along the fault you will see vegetation. Our tour guide was very informative. We learned how the fault line feeds the valley with water. If there was no fault line, Palm Springs would not be an oasis. We were in all of the natural beauty of the desert.

Phone number 760 324 JEEP (5337) Toll Free 888 440 JEEP (5337) email - info@red-jeep.comPalm Springs

Prices vary from $60 to $80 per person, depending on the time of year. Check out their website for coupons.