Palm Desert Travel Guide

Welcome to Palm Desert, CA!

Palm Desert has changed significantly since its beginnings. Originally known as the Old MacDonald Ranch, the area was once the home of Cahuilla Indian farmers and later a training ground for General George Patton—s troops. Today however, Palm Desert has become an oasis of upscale living and vacationing. Similar in nature and stature to its close neighbor Palm Springs, the city is situated a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles in southern California. The area—surrounded by desert mountains and blue skies—experiences a warm, dry climate, making it both a recreational mecca and a popular resort community for baby boomers. The city has consequently grown dramatically in the last three decades and its population swells by more than 30,000 in winter months when snowbirds descend on the city from more northerly climes.

Golf, therefore, is a major draw for Palm Desert, and the city offers 25 courses in close proximity and a further 75 in the Coachella Valley Region. Off the fairways, numerous world-class resorts and day spas cater to visitors wishing to relax and rejuvenate while El Paseo, known by some as —Rodeo Drive of the Desert,— offers retail therapy of the haute couture kind.  The mountains which frame the city are also on its list of attractions. The Joshua Tree National Park to the north and the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument to the south provide magical surroundings to explore by foot, bicycle or horseback.  

Tourist Attractions

Tour Operators