PALM SPRINGS AND JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
Best Time Visit the California Low Deserts
Palm Springs is located 120 miles east from Los Angeles. The Colonial Spanish heritage, the powerful influence of Hollywood stars and LA's wealthy people in the architecture and lifestyle of this town, and the omnipresence of the desert around, turn Palm Springs into an exotic oasis and a main travel reference in south California.
Joshua Tree National Park, just one hour drive from Palm Springs, with its amazing and unique landscape, is an unmissable destination in this desertic region.
See:
Best time to visit Palm Springs and Joshua Park
When not to go to Palm Springs and Joshua Park
What to visit in Palm Springs and Joshua Park
Hotels and flights to Palm Springs and Joshua Park
MAIN GEOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
WHAT TO VISIT IN PALM SPRINGS AND JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
Palm Springs
Palm Springs downtown is an excellent example of old Spanish colonial architecture, mixed with hundreds of modern shops, art galleries, restaurants, hotels and cultural references.
Other highlights in Palm Springs town:
- Moorten Botanical Gardens
- Palm Spring Desert Museum and Palm Springs Air Museum (near the airport)
- McCallum Theater
For those who don't intend to restrict their visit to Palm Springs, the outskirts of the city offer some tasty short trips in the periphery of the desert, namely:
- Indian Canyons: a must for hikers and bikers, just a couple of miles out of Palm Springs.
- Palm Canyon and Andreas Canyon, also just a couple of miles out of Palm Springs (these tours demand jeeps and four-wheel vehicles).
Joshua Tree Park
Extraordinary sunsets and sunrises, a unique flora (and between it the «Joshua Trees») and fauna, and coloured and strangely shaped landscapes make this park a popular travel destination in California. The Parks western entrance is an hour's drive from Palm Springs, in the town of Joshua Tree where you will find a Visitor's Centre and plenty of information about the Park and its highlights.
MAP: PALM SPRINGS AND JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
Explore the map below for details:
Ver Palm Springs, CA num mapa maior
BEST TIME TO VISIT PALM SPRINGS AND JOSHUA TREE PARK
Spring and Autumn are the best seasons to tour Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park and the Low Desert. The high season runs through the Winter and Spring and Autumn months.
Summer is the off-peak period. You must be careful if you intend to visit Joshua National Park during the summer months: temperatures may easily climb above 100ºF/38ºC from mid-April through mid-October...
If you intend to go to the Low Desert and Palm Spring in summer, plan your outdoor visits to early morning, and chose indoor activities for midday.
WHEN NOT TO GO TO PALM SPRINGS AND JOSHUA NATIONAL PARK
Do not forget that temperatures in Palm Springs and Joshua National Park, from mid-May to October, commonly run above 120ºF/48 ºC in the desert (see Weather Map for the region below).
Unless you are as most visitors and do not intend to leave the proximity of Palm Springs pools, and if you really intend to visit the desert and the Joshua National Park, it's better to avoid Summer.
If you want to escape crowds, then also avoid weekends, the Spring Break and holidays.
PALM SPRINGS Weather Map
HOTELS AND FLIGHTS
Hotels (and flights) are centred in Palm Springs. There are significantly more expensive hotel offerings than budget options. As expected, accommodation prices fall in the off-season: the Summer.
