Desert

The entrance from the northwest end of the Coachella Valley on Interstate 10 sets the stage for a visit to desert country. As you descend the barely perceptible but considerable grade from San Gorgonio Pass, your field of vision is filled with incredibly dry valley terrain that is ringed by mountain ranges. Joshua Tree National Monument is visible in the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the east, while the San Jacinto Mountains border the valley on the west. At the north end of the valley floor, fields of windmills sprout up like groves of some strange bionic palm tree.

Of course, the desert is infamous for its blazing heat. Death Valley, at 282 feet below sea level, gets hit with the most notoriously high temperatures, often in the 130s. The trick to skating in this region is to schedule your trip for the wintertime, because although the sun shines brightly over the valley an average of 330 days every year, the temperatures are much cooler in winter. Unfortunately, that is the region's prime tourist season and you will have to pay big bucks for lodging.

Be forewarned that the smooth concrete that makes skating in Palm Springs and Palm Desert so great is very slick when it gets wet. You'll have to be very careful because the lawns here must be watered constantly in order to retain their brilliant shades of green.

Trail	City	Distance
Indian Wells Tour	Indian Wells	8 mi
El Paseo	Palm Desert	5 mi
Marriott's Desert Springs Resort	Palm Desert	3.5 mi
Bogert Trail	Palm Springs	3 mi
Canyon Country Club Route	Palm Springs	4.5 mi
Golf Course Bikeway	Palm Springs	8 mi
Palm Desert Civic Center Park	Palm Springs	1.5 mi
Pink Sidewalks	Palm Springs	8 mi
Ruth Hardy Park	Palm Springs	0.75 mi
Tramway Road	Palm Springs	2 mi