Page 76 - 2022-2023 Travel Guide to California

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, top; wild
coyotes, Death Valley National Park, above;
family fun in Palm Springs, opposite upper;
metal sculptures of prehistoric grasshopper
and scorpion at Anza-Borego Desert SP,
opposite lower.
INSIDER’S TIP
SOCIAL CYCLE—a 16-passenger,
pedal-powered cycle steered by a
professional guide—lets you tour
Palm Springs while partying and
without fear of losing your license.
It plies a route through downtown
with stops at a selection of top
bars and restaurants. You can hop
on a public tour or reserve it for
you and a group of friends. Two-
hour tours depart Friday-Sunday;
departure times vary by day.
socialcycleca.com
Fabulous winter weather spells nirvana
for hikers, rock-climbers, cyclists and other
outdoorsy folk. 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 petro-
glyphs can be seen while hiking Andreas
Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon, with its spec-
tacular 60-foot-tall waterfall.
Cultural Connections
Culture vultures delight to find the desert is
far from dry. The Native American Agua
Caliente occupied the Palm Springs region
long before Europeans arrived. Their proud
legacy is on show at the Agua Caliente Cul-
tural Museum in downtown Palm Springs,
which relocated to a spectacular new venue
in 2020. History buffs also delight in the Palm
Springs Air Museum, replete with World War
II-era warplanes from a P-51 Mustang to a
B-17 Flying Fortress. The monied elite that
pours into Palm Springs for the winter is a
huge patron of the arts. Hollywood star and
long-time resident Kirk Douglas was a major
donor to the Palm Springs Art Museum, one
of California’s top regional art venues. Its
plein air, Mesoamerican and contemporary
glass collections are outstanding.
74 2022-23 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
Down valley, more than 150 unique
works of art decorate the streets of Palm
Desert, grouped for four self-guided tours.
Colorful murals grace historic downtown
Indio, painting a big picture on the city’s
past. And visitors can explore the vast Sun-
nylands Estate in Rancho Mirage, where
billionaire Walter Annenberg hosted Pres-
ident Richard Nixon after he resigned in
1974, and President Ronald Reagan on a
score of New Year’s Eves.
Festivals to Casinos
Palm Springs has festivals to please every
taste. The season kicks off in January with
the Palm Springs International Film Fes-
tival, when Hollywood’s finest hit town. In
March, the world-class Indian Wells Tennis
Garden fills to overflowing for the annual
BNP Paribas Open. And in April, be there or
be square for the Coachella Valley Music &
Arts Festival, hosted in the warm open air of
neighboring Indio. Over 150 star performers
rock, which is sure to be one hot ticket.
Higher culture? Palm Desert’s McCallum
Theater resounds to laughter and cheers of
delight with a lineup that can range from
Itzhak Perlman and The Vienna Boys Choir
to The Nutcracker ballet and the Peking
Acrobats.
Since the valley’s Cahuilla Indian terri-
tory is a sovereign nation, it’s exempt from
California’s state ban on gambling. Try your
hand with Lady Luck at any of half a dozen
casinos. And shopaholics are in for a treat;
Art galleries, haute couturiers and boutique
stores specializing in retro modernist décor
offer a dash of retail therapy between your
spa treatments.
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 almost
MELVIN SANDELIN/SHUTTERSTOCK; GRACY HYACINATH/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: VISITPALMSPRINGS.COM; JAMES MATTIL/SHUTTERSTOCK