coachella valley preserve

RockyMJ

Just found this place, a beautiful oasis with trails and a great history. A great break from the heat of the desert. Not near chocolate but just outside of Palm Springs, and down the road from desert hot springs.

georgepatsye

Love the different trails, but particularly the hike to McCallum Pond. Be sure to take plenty of water but if you forget, the visitor's center has water available for sale.

VirginiaCavalier

Remarkable! Buried in the middle of the California desert, fed by waters migrating upward courtesy of the San Andreas fault, are honest to goodness Oases…..Not huge, no camels, but pools that permit extraordinary palms to burst from an otherwise arid and inhospitable environment. Worth the drive out from Palm Desert.TIPS! Bring water-- it is the desert--sunscreen, and decent walking shoes.

Gonzalo_de_Berceo

I suppose this place has some ecological value, but it is nothing compared to Palm and other canyons. If you want a decent hike.

Juliadrusilla

Maybe it's not spectacular, but this is a unique place in the desert. The type of palms at Thousand Palms oasis is very old and only survived because of the availability of water. The source of this water is also interesting - it's there because the Andreas Fault is just below! There are some easy hiking trails so this is a place where everybody can do some hiking, except for people in wheelchairs.There are free guided tours and if you're in luck, you might see a fringe-toed lizard.We enjoyed our easy hike to McCallum Pond.

We3luv2travel

We loved this place. It is such a unique place - a true oasis in the middle of the desert surrounded by dense palm trees. You can just imagine what it would have been like traveling across this barren desert and coming upon this pool of water - truly a life saver. Be sure to hike to the larger pool and not just stay hang out at the visitors center.

alicerabbit

Didn't see anything worth stopping for. Saw lots of people walking around in the desert with a ranger seeing what - I don't know!

Flatesadog

the little cabin was interesting due to its construction and age. The easiest hikes are just walks through the flat desert out to a small oasis. In my opinion, nothing special.

TooManyFinches

WARNING - You won't find any hours on their website or anywhere else for that matter. The hours are 7-5 and the visitor's center closes at 4. In addition, there is no sign on Ramon, the main road, to indicate a left turn onto the entrance road. The parking lot starts filling up between 4:30 and 5:00 with visitors who would like to explore once the blazing sun is lower in the sky. Unfortunately,they only have a few minutes. I had 20. Seems like a lovely place. I ran through it just like everybody else.

Slyderwso

It was a essy hike to palm oasis and to walk around the San Andreas fault. It can be a short half hour hike/ walk or longer on multiple trails if you like.

16gunterw

I have been thinking about visiting the preserve for quiet some time and finally got around to do so. From the visitor center we took the Mc Callum trail for an easy two mile roundtrip hike which takes you two an oasis with a little pond in the middle of the dessert. There are picnic tables at the oasis as well as lots of shade to rest and enjoy the scenery before heading back. Nice easy hike which is also good for children but not recommended for strollers as the trail involves some steps and loose gravel. The staff at the visitor center is very helpful and best of all this is a free attraction but donations are welcome.

mayorchim

Birding walks with Mark are excellent. You get close up looks at 2 oases, learn about the plants and trees and see a dozen or more local bird varieties. Plus get a little exercise. A palm oasis is pretty unique and unusual in the US, this is an easy way to get a closeup look. Interesting historical cabin too. The Preserve staff has been very friendly and helped with relevant information each time I have visited. A great getaway from shopping and crowds and riding in the car.

Golfnut722

We have hiked the various trails within the preserve whenever we've visited Palm Springs. There is no fee but donations are encouraged. We recently got up early on a Thursday to catch Harlan Walker guided hike and it was worth it. Many of the hikes end up at a palms oasis which was a good place for a picnic lunch.Bring water, we use hiking poles too.

Frankie417

Lived up to expectations. Flat hike to a very nice oasis and easy reach from the desert cities. The visitor center is an historic log home with interesting artifacts. No fees but a donation is worthy for the info and trek. McCallum Trail seems most popular.

laughinghusky

I did not realize that 95% of all dates came from this area, I loved to see the palms. I thought it was wonderful.....and who might know that there are numerous varieties of dates to sample....and they all taste different...just like varieties of apples...certainly worth a stop on the way to or from Joshua Tree National Park..