We only spent a few days, but managed to pack in quite a bit of touring around while there.
Our trip began with a hike into the Palm Forest at the Coachella Valley Preserve just outside of Palm Springs. It was just a 20 minute drive and while we were heading into the Preserve the nearly flat paved road was just screaming to be biked on and left us wishing we had brought our bikes (well Rob anyways).
There is a small fee to get into the Preserve but as I see it it’s a small price to pay in order to visit this magnificent forest in the middle of a desert. The Preserve is well kept and an amazing hiking structure leaving you with a different experience each time you visit.
Our next stop left us hitting the winding roads to Idyllwild-Pine Cove in which we climbed to over 3000 feet above sea level in just under 40 minutes and back down to the desert. The temperature dropped considerably as we headed into the mountains and the scenery changed from one mile to the next from desert rock to pine trees, to ranch land, and more. The drive is well worth it (keep your hands on the wheel as the road is pretty narrow) leading you to a small village of shopping and restaurants.
If you loop back down to Interstate 10 you can see the windmills as you head back in to Palm Springs. If you didn’t grab a bite in Idylwilde-Pine Cove then be sure to stop in Palm Springs for a bite as there are plenty of places to eat and some very interesting shops.
Our last day we spent by the pool as the temperature climbed from the 75 degrees Fahrenheit that it was on the first day to close to 90 degrees our last day. We enjoyed slathering up with sunscreen while dipping in the pool in between blocks of reading, conversation, and relaxing time.
All in all it was a great few days away with just a short 2 hour flight to Palm Springs Airport (PSP) from Seattle, WA and with it being off-season our tickets were extremely reasonable.
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