Date of trip: December 2009

I first wanted to visit Palm Springs years ago when I read that Elvis Presley had spent his honeymoon there. I figured if it was nice enough for The King, it was surely nice enough for me. Even though it’s located in the desert, it’s anything but desolate and it’s just under a two hour drive from Los Angeles.

Highlights:

-Since Palm Springs is so flat, it tends to get very windy which makes it the perfect location for a wind farm. You can’t miss the huge one located in the San Gorgonio Pass consisting of more than 3,000 windmills. The giant white structures line the ground in neat rows all the way to the horizon and it’s quite a sight.

-A great way to see the city is to ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top of Mount San Jacinto. No matter where you stand, you’ll get to see everything because the tram rotates 360 degrees as it moves. In fact, it’s the largest rotating tram in the world! At the top there are restaurants and various activities like hiking or snowshoeing depending on the season.

-Palm Springs has many excellent hiking trails and the most popular are located in the Indian Canyons. The canyons sit on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation but are open to the public daily for a small admission fee. Will and I hiked Palm Canyon, so called for it’s large palm tree oasis that winds along the ravine at the bottom. It’s so peaceful and was one of the nicest hikes I’ve ever done. We also really enjoyed Tahquitz Canyon which has a 2 mile loop trail that leads you past Tahquitz Falls, a pretty, 60 foot waterfall.

-I didn’t expect to find a world class art museum in the desert, but the Palm Springs Art Museum is just that. It has an excellent collection of American and local art and a great glass studio. It also hosts a variety of impressive special exhibitions.

-If you happen to drive in or out of Palm Springs via Highway 10, be sure you stop in Cabazon to see the famous dinosaurs at the truck stop there. The huge Apatosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex statues may be random, but they will definitely make you smile. Nearby, Hadley Fruit Orchards is a great place to stop for some of their famous trail mix or a delicious date shake.

Even though most people think of Palm Springs as a seasonal destination, it’s actually a vibrant city year round. It does get very hot in the summer but there are plenty of pools and fun indoor attractions equipped with air-conditioning. It’s a calm, laid-back city but it’s a city none the less filled with people of all ages and a wide variety of things to do.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Palm Springs Links:
Palm Springs Official Site
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Indian Canyons
Tahquitz Canyon
Palm Springs Art Museum
Cabazon Dinosaurs
Hadley Fruit Orchards