Things to Do in Palm Springs, CA - Great Outdoors

THINGS TO DO IN PALM SPRINGS - THEfilifera palms, found only in Arizona and Southern
CALIFORNIA DESERTCalifornia.
Palm Springs Desert Resorts, CA - Tucked awayIf off-roading is your style, the desert offers
in the folds of the San Jacinto Mountains andtours to outlying areas in California Governor
foothills of Joshua Tree National Park, nearby, yetArnold Schwarzenegger's favorite mode of
worlds away from any city, one can find quiettransportation: The Hummer.
beauty and enchantment in canyons that wereOutdoor Activities / California Desert
once the summer home of the Agua CalienteCustom hiking and nature walks into Joshua Tree
Band of Cahuilla Indians.National Park, Borrego Springs, Indian Canyons,
Nearly 9,000 feet atop Mount San Jacinto itself, aThe Big Morongo Preserve and all other points of
towering national monument that keeps ainterest in the Coachella Valley. Over 200 miles of
watchful eye over the village of Palm Springs thathiking trials in Coachella Valley's scenic mountain
lies along its base, more than 50 miles of hikingbackdrop covering 272,000 acres from sea level
trails await the adventurous, amid an evergreento 10,834 feet atop Mt. San Jacinto.
forest and temperatures averaging 30 degreesTo experience a desert sunrise or bask in the
less than the desert below.wonder of its brilliant star and moonlit nights, climb
These are but a few of the outdoor journeysaboard one of Desert Adventures' famous red
one can find in California's great country, wherejeeps, the desert's original eco-tour which also
exploring the natural beauty, history, and geologyoperates a 1,000 acre private preserve on the
of this heavenly paradise gives visitors goodSan Andreas Fault.
reason to return, again and again.Two favorite tours are offered during warmer
If hiking is to one's liking, Palm Springs Indiansummer months: the Cool Morning San Andreas
Canyons are a great place to start. Owned andFault Adventure, which gives a first hand look at
operated by the descendants of early Nativethe world famous San Andreas Fault Line, as well
American settlers, Indian Canyons includes Palm,as the flora, fauna, and natural wonders of the
Andreas, and Murray Canyons, which are open toColorado-Sonoran desert. For night owls, the Cool
the public for hiking, picnicking, horseback riding,Night Watch Adventure provides guests the best
and exploring. About one mile from Indianof both worlds, beginning with an exploration of
Canyons lies a fourth desert gem: the sacredthe desert at dusk turning to a nocturnal voyage
Tahquitz Canyon, which provides guided toursamong surreal shadows and darkness on a cooling
deep into the crevices of Mount San Jacintodesert landscape. Guides bring halogen lamps to
where one will find a cascading waterfall thatlight up the canyon walls and the occasional desert
served as "Shangri-La" in Frank Capra's 1937 filmanimal.
Lost Horizon.There are also on or off-road biking tours with
Several of the gorges still contain evidence oflocal companies like Big Wheel Tours, and high
early native inhabitants, including bedrock grindingoff-road adventures (hot-air ballooning) with
tools and pictographs etched on rock walls inFantasy Balloon Flights. Special flights include
isolated areas. The canyons are also home to thechampagne or group discounts.
official plant of Palm Springs, the Washingtonia