Things to do in Palm Desert

Our most recommended things to do in Palm Desert

Palm Springs: San Andreas Fault Open-Air Jeep Tour

Palm Springs: San Andreas Fault Open-Air Jeep Tour

Board your open-air Jeep and embark upon a scenic and informative exploration of the stunning landscape of an active earthquake zone where you will travel across private property only accessible by 4WD and only open for this specific tour. Choose between a private and a shared tour. This exciting 4WD adventure to the private Metate Ranch reserve on the San Andreas fault line is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any visitor to the Coachella Valley. Discover the unique geography of this tortured landscape as you explore the skeleton of the earth. Visit a natural oasis and uncover the mysteries of the hardy plants and animals carving out an existence in the dry barren landscape.  Learn about the culture and lifestyle of the Cahuilla Indians and how they used the desert’s plants for food, medicine, tools, weapons, shelter, and more. You will have an opportunity to walk among the stone corridors and sheer granite walls of ancient canyons as you learn the fascinating history of the primal forces that shaped the valleys and surrounding landscape and the people that called this place home for millennia.

Palm Springs: Self-Driving Windmill Tour

Palm Springs: Self-Driving Windmill Tour

The Palm Springs windmill self-driving tour is an interactive, educational, and fun tour for friends and family. This tour will guide you along with an audio program provided through an app with clearly marked destinations throughout the first commercial wind farm in Southern California. After check-in at the Tour Center, you will see a 15-minute video before your self-driving tour. There are exhibits inside the Tour Center on wind energy. You will then be given a map and directed to where to start your tour. You will then take a journey through 10 marked stops, starting with a display yard of non-operating wind turbines. Learn about the successes and failures and visit a real generating wind turbine, where you can get up close and take pictures. Continue to a solar farm and end the tour with a stop at the old gas plant.

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Frequently asked questions about Palm Desert

What are the best outdoor activities to do in Palm Desert?

The best outdoor activities to do in Palm Desert are:

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Other Sightseeing Options in Palm Desert

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What people are saying about Palm Desert

Overall rating

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7
4.7 out of 5 stars
(56 reviews)
5 out of 5 stars

It was a wonderful experience for my husband and myself. We had never been to Palm Springs and we live in Santa Cruz California! Michael was our guide. He is a retired science high school teacher. He is an excellent guide… great geology jokes… clear descriptions of the kinds of rocks… igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Just to be exploring the desert canyon and to touch and smell the different vegetation was amazing. This adventure was a highlight of our trip to Palm Springs.

5 out of 5 stars

Great experience! We chose to do the self-guided tour and took our time to get out at each stop (there are (10) after listening to the audio. The app was very informative, not only providing the text to the audio, but also facts and figures. We spent two hours from start to finish and enjoyed learning about the industry”s evolution and growth. Worth the visit and definitely recommend either the self-guided or golf cart tour!

5 out of 5 stars

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area, etc. Very agreeable to taking pictures, etc. Enjoyed the day, even though we had a small amount of rain. Would recommend especially for those new to the valley.

5 out of 5 stars

Travis was awesome!! Being from the area, he knew and loved the history of the geography of the fault and the Indigenous people. Our 3 hour tour was just the right amount of time for discovery of the area.

5 out of 5 stars

We loved Theresa - she was a terrific guide. Very knowledgeable about the area, native people who inhabited this desert area, and the geographical aspects of this amazing part of CA. Great tour!