In early December we spent a week in Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley in California’s desert southwest. It was still low season, but temperatures were pleasant (60’s and 70’s Fahrenheit).
In January, the population of the valley is about 800,000. By June, the population drops to around 200,000 as temperatures soar into the low 100’s.
A trip to Palm Springs can involve too much driving for my taste, but we managed to clock just 42 miles by the time we returned our car at Palm Springs PSP. We minimized driving by staying in downtown Palm Springs where we could walk to some of the trailheads that would take us up into the San Jacinto Mountains.
The mountains come almost right up to the main drag of Palm Springs. The Skyline Trail is just 3 blocks from the hotel, and immediately climbs up Mount San Jacinto. We drove to the Canyon trailheads to the south, and the aerial tramway to the north to take us to the trailheads of Mount San Jacinto State Park.
Starting Out
Each day began with a climb up and away from Palm Springs.
We drove to the trailheads for the Canyon hikes to the south. The valley floor at this point is protected land, so got to climb up and away from palm oases fed by springs, rather than an urban landscape.
Along the Trails
As we climbed, the vegetation became more scrubby, and the views became more rugged.
An Abandoned Hike
We drove to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which took us from 2,600 feet above sea level to Mount San Jacinto State Park at 8,500 feet.
On a previous trip we walked up to San Jacinto’s peak at 10,834 feet, but hiking was not an option this time. A foot of snow had fallen, so we abandoned our hiking plans and headed back down to the valley for a canyon hike where the trail was dry and it was 40°F warmer.
