Palm Springs
When most people think of Palm Spring they think of summer parties and music festivals like Coachella, but it is soo much more.
My favorite hike of the area was Andreas Canyon Trail. If you google it GPS will literally take you directly to the parking and trail entrance. It is a 15 minute drive south from the center of town. You will need to pay $9/per person to enter the park. The hike itself is a 2 mile loop made up of an oasis of palm trees that follow a stream. That was my favorite hike, but there are plenty others to do in the same area.
When leaving the parking area you will need to turn right and the road will take you past a huge rock that you have to drive through. Keep going straight until you reach the parking lot/gift shop on the top of the hill. Behind the gift shop is the entrance to Palm Canyon hike. This is the longer version of the Andreas Trail.
Palm Springs offers some of the easiest, but most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done.
We visited during off season in February and the town felt sleepy, except for the Aerial Tram. They average about 2000-2200 visitors a day during the Winter! The top of the mountain is a completely different landscape with snow and all. There is no lift for snowboarding or skiing, but there are plenty of hikes to explore.
Time Needed: I recommend a minimum of 2 hrs to ride the tram and check out the mountain top.
What to wear: Pack layers including a beanie, gloves, scarf and a heavy coat. The top of the mountain is a drastic temperature change from the town below. In February, the temperature in town during the day averaged between 60-70ºF during the day and 50s at night, but the mountain top was 13ºF during the hottest point of the day! So yah, huge difference, but it’s no problem as long as you plan accordingly and pack the layers you need.
When to go: Winter time is actually a great time to visit Palm Springs. It’s off season so businesses are not overwhelmingly busy, hikes are less packed, and the weather is cool and comfortable. We went in February and the weather felt great. Sunny but cool.
Trip time: Depending on where you live Palm Springs can be the perfect weekend getaway. 2-4 days should give you plenty time to explore both the town and the hikes.
Top of Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs
