Desert Adventures in Palm Springs

Vary by tour

On the Faultline Express you will journey through spectacular box and slot canyons, visit an ancient fossil bed and (dry) waterfall, learn about the plants and animals that have uniquely adapted to survive in our hostile desert environment, and learn all about earthquakes and how tectonic forces created the slanted, vertical and wave-like structures that have been described as the most tortured landscape on earth.

Tour is approximately 3 hours long.
Available daily at 8:00AM or 1:00PM

The Indian Cultural Adventure offers a fascinating look into the lives of the Cahuilla Indians. Learn why and how these Indians choose to live on the San Andreas Fault and why the Cahuilla were the only Indian tribe in North America to rely exclusively on water wells. Learn about the customs, ceremonies and culture of these hunter/gatherers and how they lived and thrived in our harsh desert environment. You will be fascinated as your expert naturalist guide describes how the Cahuilla Indians used the desert plants for food and medicinal purposes and you will be amazed to learn how many of these plants are now studied in pharmaceutical laboratories for modern day uses.

Tour is approximately 3.5 hours long.
Available Daily at 8:00 AM or 1:00 PM

From ice age gold rush…from stagecoach to railroad…learn how and why early pioneers migrated to the hottest, driest desert in North America. On the Pioneer Adventure, you will learn how California got its name, how the gold rush almost wiped out the indigenous people of the Palm Springs area, how the first stage coach route through the area (the Bradshaw Trail) was selected, why concerned parents brought their sick children to Palm Springs in the 1880s, and much more! This tour includes gold panning at a replica Old Mining Camp and visit to a homestead shack.

Tour is approximately 3.5 hours long.
Available daily at 8:00AM or 1:00PM.

Beginning at sea level, this exciting jeep adventure travels up rugged canyons, climbing 4,200 feet high into the Mojave Desert, land of the Joshua trees and Joshua Tree National Park. This is a true back country adventure bridging both the Mojave and Colorado Deserts and the transition zone between the two ecosystems.

Tour is approximately 4.5 hours long and only offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7:00AM.

This is a rugged, bumpy adventure and is not recommended for children under the age of 6, pregnant women, or guests with neck or back injuries.

Valid until: Jan 31, 2009

This adventure provides guests with a nocturnal voyage among surreal shadows and darkness on a cooling desert landscape. You journey begins before dark as you explore steep-walled canyons along the San Andreas Fault. As the sun begins to set, discover why these mountains are called the “Shadow Mountains” as you witness the breathtaking transition from day to night as the remaining sunlight casts spectacular shadows on the mountains, the depth and range of colors unique to this part of the day.

Tour is approximately 3 hours long.