The city of Palm Springs quickly conjures up
images of swaying palms, amorphous pools, golf courses, the strip, and heat.
This is all true; there are many native and non native palm trees, a large
plethora of golf courses, good shopping downtown and Palm Springs in the
wintertime is often among the warmest areas to visit in the state of
California. You can be hiking in the desert canyons nearby and the
temperatures can be pushing 80 degrees while most of the rest of the nation
is buried under snow or experiencing very cold temperatures.
Palm Springs is home to about 50,200 residents. Palm Springs is
located on highway 111 about 13 miles off of the interstate 10 in
Southern California. For years the mineral springs and the warm
weather in winter have attracted many people. Palm Springs has also
been the site for numerous Hollywood productions.
Photo taken not far from downtown, along the 111 (Palm Canyon Dr)
The drive from Los Angeles to Palm Springs is about 100 miles
and with good traffic you can make it in about 90 minutes from downtown LA.
The drive from Las Vegas is 282 miles, is entirely across desert and can be
done in about 4 hours. Palm Springs averages 350 days of
sunshine a year, clear skies, and very low humidity.
In the winter, you can go cross country skiing or snow shoeing by taking the
Palm Springs Tramway to an elevation of well over 8000 feet, and then in the
afternoon hop back down the mountain to town and go swimming in 80 degree
weather!
There used to be open land between Palm Springs and the other cities to the
south, such as Cathedral City, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta and
Indio - but not anymore. Much of the land
surrounding both sides of the 111 are now covered with strip malls - all the
same color buildings (muted brown). The population along 111 has completely
exploded in the last few years with many new homes and subdivisions built.
Interested in flying into Palm
Springs - flights arrive and leave from the Palm Springs
International Airport
www.palmspringsairport.com
Photo taken of Bougainvillea, upper 70's day, early Jan
Be sure to visit the Visitor's Center located on the 111, (North Palm Canyon
Drive) at the corner of Tramway Road. This center is staffed by people who
know the area - they are a great source of information about the local area
- you can also pick up tourist maps and free guides of the Palm Springs
area.
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Dave's Pick