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Route
Description -
This route begins on Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, about
80 miles east of the Los Angeles Basin. A cluster of
great viewing sites occur around the Palm Springs area.
Individual driving loops through Joshua Tree National
Park, around the Salton Sea and on the Palms to Pines
Scenic Byway offers a diversity of desert and southern
mountain experiences. This portion of the Mojave Desert
is known for its Joshua Trees, palm oases and dramatic
mountain peaks.
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Mount San Jacinto State Park |
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Location:
From tram: from Palm Springs area on Highway 111, take
Chino Canyon/Aerial Tramway Road, exit and turn west.
Drive 3.5 miles to tram parking lot. For wilderness
trailhead: Take Highway 243 to Idyllwild. In town register
for permit at Ranger Station.
Best
Season to View: Low to moderate probability
of seeing small mammals and predators from spring through
fall. High probability of seeing songbirds and birds
of prey in spring and mid- fall. More than 70 miles
of trails.
What
to see: Over two miles high, these craggy peaks,
subalpine forests, and fern bordered mountain meadows
form a designated wilderness accessible only by trails
or aerial tram. Enclosed tram cars climb steeply past
weathered rock walls, affording good views of soaring
red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks, and golden eagles.
California ground squirrels and raccoons inhabit summit
rocks; evening visitors may catch a glimpse of elusive
ringtails here. The pine canopy is home to Clark's nutcrackers,
common ravens, northern flickers and white-headed woodpeckers.
Coyotes, mule deer bobcats and mountain lions are also
residents; they are joined by many spring migrants,
including Stellar's jays, western tanagers, western
bluebirds, and violet green swallows.
Visiting
Tips: Sudden weather changes; snow. Wilderness
permits required for trailhead access and camping. On
Pacific Crest Trail. Adjacent to 50,000 acres of USFS
land. Please, no dogs allowed on site Do not feed squirrels
or racoons. Restaurant and visitor center. Entry/user
fee.
Contact:
California Department of Parks and Recreation, (909)
659-2607.
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism
| Big
Morongo Canyon Preserve |
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Location:
From I-10 northwest of Palm Springs, take Highway 62,
the "Twentynine Palms Highway". About 10.5 miles
north on Highway 62, turn right on East Street. After
about 200 yards, turn left into the Big Morongo Canyon
Wildlife Preserve.
Best
Season to View: Best viewing is from last March
to mid-May. Seventy-two nesting bird species; many accidentals.
Songbirds are seen year-round; best viewed in spring.
Moderate probability of seeing birds of prey and upland
birds year-round. Watch for small mammals and predators year-round, at dawn and
dusk. Reptiles are seen from spring through fall.
What
to see: Big Morongo Creek rises to the surface
for just three miles between the Mojave and Colorado
deserts, before it disappears underground again. The
resulting canyon oasis has gained a national reputation
among birdwatchers as "a usual spot to
see the unusual." At least 235 species of birds
have been observed here - including
several rare species - along with desert bighorn sheep,
mule deer and smaller mammals, lizards and more.
Visiting
Tips: Cottonwood Trail handicap accessible.
Hot summer weather.
Contact:
Bureau of Land Management, Big Morongo Canyon Preserve (760) 363-7190 or BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office,
(760) 251-4800.
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Palm
Springs Bureau of Tourism 29 Palms Chamber of Commerce
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Joshua
Tree National Park |
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| Location:
Main entrance: from Interstate 10, take Highway 62 to
Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms. In the town of Joshua
Tree, turn south on Park Boulevard to Visitor Center;
in Twentynine Palms, turn south on Utah Trail to Visitor
Center. Or use south entrance off Interstate 10, 26 miles
east of Indio.
Best
Season to View: High probability of seeing songbirds
in spring and fall, reptiles from spring through fall.
Low probability of seeing small mammals, predators and
bighorn sheep, but all are present year-round.
What
to See: Rugged 5.500 peaks give way to Mojave
and Sonoran desert ecosystems, an arid landscape known
for its dramatic Joshua trees. The trees' dagger-like
leaves and cream-colored blossoms are a magnet for cactus
wrens, ladder-backed woodpeckers and Scott's orioles.
Yucca night lizards, ground squirrels, and wood rats are
usually nearby. Five California fan palm oases provide
water, food and shade to resident house finches, phainopeplas,
mourning doves and Gambel's quail. Western pipistrelles
and other bats pass the day among the fronds; during day and night desert
cottontails, coyotes, kit foxes, bobcats and desert bighorn
sheep make secretive trips to the water. The lower desert's
creosote bush and cacti shelter black-throated sparrows,
desert iguanas, and kangaroo rats; a half-dozen rattlesnake
species make this desert their home.
Visiting
Tips: Watch for wildlife near oases and water
during morning and evening. Hot summers, winding, narrow
roads. Horse trails, driving tour. Three visitor centers.
Be sure to stop at Twentynine Palms Visitors Center.
Contact:
Joshua Tree - National Park Service (760) 367-5500
Joshua Tree National Park's Website
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Joshua Tree
Lodging Guide
Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce
29Palms Chamber of Commerce |
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Coachella
Valley Preserve |
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| Directions:
Take Interstate 10 to the Ramon Road Springs). Drive east
to Thousand Palms Canyon Drive. Turn north and drive about
two miles to the entrance.
Best
Season to View: Birds of prey, songbirds, upland
birds and mammals are see year-round. Songbird viewing is excellent in spring and
fall. Look for reptiles in summer through fall.
What
to see: For thousands of years, particles of
sand washed into the Coachella Valley, forming a system
of dunes. Today, these dunes are part of a 20,000 acre
sanctuary that is home to several species of increasingly
rare wildlife - including the Coachella Valley fringe-toed
lizard, that "swims" through the sand. The Preserve
also includes several palm oases, including the spectacular
Thousand Palms Oasis.
Visiting
Tips: Exceptionally hot in summer.
Contact:
The Nature Conservancy, (760) 343-1234
or
Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field
Office (760) 251-4800
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Palm Springs
Bureau of Tourism |
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| Location:
From I-10 west of Palm Springs, drive east on Highway
111. Turn right on Highway 74 and drive 2 miles to Haystack
Road; turn left. Drive 1.5 miles and turn right on Portola
Rd. Parking area is on left. Or, from I-10 east of Palm
Springs, take Monterey Avenue (Highway 74) to Haystack
Road and follow directions above.
Best
Season to View: Many captive species and some
free-roaming residents; excellent year-round viewing.
Songbirds are abundant in spring.
What
to See: This desert botanical garden and wildlife
park features the plants of ten North American desert
regions and 6 miles of trails. Greater roadrunners, Gambel's
quail, cactus wrens, threatened desert tortoises, and
side-blotched lizards may be seen amid creosote bushes,
cacti, or rock mounds throughout the area. Rare peninsular
bighorn sheep graze on rocky slopes. Palm oasis pools
shelter endangered desert pupfish, great blue herons,
eared grebes, and occasional migrants. Golden eagles,
coyotes, badgers, and several types of snakes appear in
natural enclosures. A nocturnal exhibit offers excellent
views of seldom-seen species, including California leaf-nosed
bats, screech owls and desert kangaroo rats. Resident
hummingbirds and mourning doves are joined by a variety
of spring songbirds, drawn by the incredible variety of
insects and flowering plants in this desert setting.
Contact:
The Living Desert, (760) 346-5694
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Palm Springs
Bureau of Tourism |
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Palms
to Pines Scenic Byway |
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| Location:
From Palm Springs, take Highway 111 east to Palm
Desert, then Highway 74 west climbing into the Santa
Rosa Mountain. At Mountain Center, take Highway
243 north to Banning and I-10. Approximate driving
time for the Byway is 2-4 hours.
Best
Season to View: High probability of seeing
waterfowl, wading birds and songbirds year round.
Birds of prey, small mammals, and predators can
be seen year-round, look for deer at each stop. Wildflowers bloom in early
spring at low elevation, in summer at higher elevation.
What
to see: This scenic driving tour climbs
from the desert through the Santa Rosa and San
Jacinto Mountains, before descending again to the
desert. The route passes through a series of areas
preserved for animal habitat, ranging from desert
oases to snow-capped mountains in parts of the Santa
Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area. Drivers can
pull off the winding and often steep road at a number
of pulloffs or lookout points, each with habitat
ranging from pine, oak and fir, to a reservoir,
to arid brush- and cactus-covered stretches, not
to mention sweeping views of mountains and valleys.
Visiting
Tips: Distant views may be affected by
summer smog. Roads paved, open except for winter
storms. Roads are winding and steep, please use
pullouts for viewing.
Contact:
Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast
Field Office, (760) 251-4800; U.S. Forest Service,
San Bernadino National Forest, (909) 659-2114, or
Lake Hemet Municipal Water District (909) 658-3241 /font>
Palms
to Pines Scenic Byway - Highway 74
Palms
to Pines Scenic Byway - Route 243
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information: Palm
Springs Bureau of Tourism
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Salton
Sea |
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Location:
Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge: from
Highway 86/78 take Forrester (Gentry Road)
north to Sinclair and refuge entrance. Imperial
Wildlife Area: from Niland on Highway 111,
drive 5 miles north on Highway 111, turn west
at wildlife area sign and continue 2 miles.
Salton Sea Recreation Area: from Interstate
10, take Dillon Road/Coachella exit; drive
1.5 miles to Dillon Road and turn right. Turn
left on Grapefruit Blvd, then turn left on
Highway 111 and continue 23 miles to entrance.
Best
Season to View: Shorebirds are seen
year-round, particularly in fall and spring.
High probability of seeing wading birds year-round;
rails are vocal in spring and summer. Waterfowl,
birds of prey and songbirds are seen from
fall through spring, terns in spring and summer.
View small mammals, predators, reptiles and
endangered desert pupfish
year-round.
What
to See: In 1905, the Colorado River
broke through an irrigation project and for
two years flooded a dry, saline lake bed,
creating an inland sea now 35 miles long and
15 miles wide, 235 feet below sea level. Open
water, salt marshes, freshwater ponds and
desert scrub attract nearly 400 bird species,
including accidentals such as the flamingo,
brown booby and frigatebird. Resident birds
include greater roadrunners, Gambel's quail,
Abert's towhees and endangered Yuma clapper
rails, among others. View tens of thousands
of migratory birds, including fall views of
egrets, plovers, brown pelicans and American
white pelicans. Huge masses of Canada geese,
northern pintails, and Ross' and snow geese
arrive in winter, along with bank swallows,
gulls, rough-legged hawks and peregrine falcons.
Spring brings many birds of prey, terns, yellow-headed
blackbirds, hooded orioles and white-faced
ibises. Summer populations include yellow-footed
gulls, black skimmers, American avocets, wood
storks and fulvous tree ducks.
Visiting
Tips: Each site offers different
facilties, call for details. Excellent car
viewing. Excellent birding at Whitewater
Delta. Restricted viewing during hunting season.
Area is very hot April through September,
roads impassable after rain. Visitors Centers.
Contact:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (760) 348-5278
Department
of Fish & Game (760) 359-0577
California Department
of Parks and Recreation (760)393-3052
Salton Sea State Park
Local Accommodations and Travel Information: Imperial Valley.net |
| Dos
Palmas Preserve |
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| Location:
From Indio on Highway 111, drive south on
Highway 111 for 25 miles to Parkside Dr. and
turn left. Drive 1 mile and turn right on
Desertaire Drive. After paved road ends, drive
3 miles on dirt road to preserve.
Best
Season to View: Shorebirds, waterfowl,
wading birds and birds of prey are seen year-round;
excellent viewing in winter. Songbirds are
abundant in spring and fall. Look for reptiles
and fish from spring through
What
to See: Shady fan palms, perennial
seeps and streams in the upper reaches of
Salt Creek form a lush desert oasis for wildlife.
Hooded orioles and wintering warblers find
shelter among the palms. Giant cane along
Salt Creek hides marsh wrens and Salton Sea
song sparrows. Artesian water flows to a restored
wetland, filling ponds that are home to endangered
desert pupfish. Threatened black rails and
endangered Yuma clapper rails hide among pond
cattails and bulrush that also shelter least
bitterns, snowy egret and Say's phoebes. The
ponds also attract ospreys, lesser scaup,
buffleheads, American avocets
and black-necked stilts. The surrounding desert
is the domain of phainopeplas and loggerhead
shrikes, northern harriers and prairie falcons.
Watch the ground for flat-tailed horned lizards
and search mesquites and palo verdes for Abert's
towhees, verdins and other spring migrants.
Visiting
Tips: No facilities. Walk-in viewing;
easy, flat terrain. Summers are hot.
Contact:
Bureau of Land Management Palm Springs South
Coast Field Office, (760) 251-4800;
or The Nature Conservancy, (760) 343-1234
Local
Accommodations and Travel Information:
Indio Chamber of Commerce |
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