Page 182 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

HOT AIR BALLOON adventure, right;
hikers in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
take a break to enjoy the view, below;
Palm Springs Art Museum, opposite.
There’s no shortage of activities and
attractions. The dining is fabulous. The
spas are among California’s best. And the
region boasts several ritzy casinos.
Museums cater to WWII aviation buffs, art
fans and nature lovers keen to experience
desert ecology. El Paseo gives Beverly Hills’
Rodeo Drive a run for its money in its
quality and range of boutiques. Palm
Springs’ music, film and arts festivals are
world-renowned. More than two million
visitors come annually to play golf on
more than one hundred courses. Almost
as many arrive to explore the palm groves,
alpine summits or spectacular desert
landscapes of Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park and Joshua Tree National Park. And
farther afield, Death Valley National Park
outdoes them all for its kaleidoscopic
physical beauty.
Active Adventures
You might be forgiven for thinking that a
desert offers little to do and that it’s just too
darn hot to do it in any event. Wrong on
both counts! The region is replete with
exciting recreational activities. Fabulous
winter weather spells Nirvana for hikers,
rock-climbers, cyclists and other out-
doorsy folk.
Let’s start with golf. There’s no more
quintessential image of the Palm Springs
region than an emerald greensward
studded by palms and framed by boulder-
strewn mountains gloriously snowcapped
180 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
in winter. In fact, the Coachella Valley has
earned the distinction of “Golf Capital of
the World,” with more golf courses than
you can shake a 4-iron at: about 120 in all.
Incising the slopes of the San Jacinto
Mountains, the three Indian Canyons
tempt hikers with 30 miles of trails and
picnic sites. Fed by natural springs, stands
of desert fan palms crowd the canyon
floors, providing sheltering oases for kit
fox, bighorn sheep and coyote. Ancient
petroglyphs can be seen while hiking
Andreas Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon,
with its spectacular 60-foot-tall waterfall.
Natural Wonders
Brimming with the glories of nature, the
desert is a paradise for anyone who appre-
ciates stupendous landscapes. The scenery
is far more diverse than you might imagine,
ranging from below sea level to more than
10,000 feet atop Mount San Jacinto.
Abundant rains in winter carpet the
desert with wildflowers—nowhere more
spectacular than the springtime bloom of
Antelope Valley Poppy State Reserve, near the
town of Mojave. Snaking south through the
Coachella Valley, scenic palm-lined Highway
111 will deliver you to Anza-Borrego Desert
State Park. Capital of desert botanica, this
500,000-acre park is ablaze with fiery red
poppies and other wildflowers.
A 30-minute drive northeast from Palm
Springs, Joshua Tree National Park spans
1,240 square miles of Mojave and lower
TOMMY BREWSTER/PALM SPRINGS CVB. STEVE HEAP/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: PALM SPRINGS CVB