In my last post I shared my outfit diary from my trip to Palm Springs so I thought I'd post my 3 day itinerary originally posted on my blog back in November. Hope you enjoy!
Me: "I'm going to Palm Springs" Friend: "Oh....why...?"
That's basically how every conversation went when I told people I was going to PalmSprings. Well known in the past for being Hollywood's playground, then as a golf destination and more recently for the Coachella Music Festival modern day hippies, I've never really considered it as a must-see destination. I went with no plan. I expected so little from the place that I thought I'd go see Joshua Tree and then just sit around a pool for a few days. In fact, the only reason we went was because JetBlue ran a contest months ago and we won tickets. After spending 3 days in the area, I was clearly mistaken.
See how to spend 3 days in Palm Springs and why you should. Don't forget to check out @beautyandvoyage on Instagram for more photos!
If you want to follow this itinerary, I'd recommend a car. There are probably ways to do it without a car (Uber works & there's public transport) but I haven't tried it and it doesn't seem like it's worth the hassle. We rented a car for about $50 a day (look for coupons like we did!) & it gave us the freedom & flexibility to explore.
Landing Day: We landed at night, drove from PSP to Twenty-Nine Palms, about 45 minutes away, & checked into our hotel. Right across the street was a supermarket so we picked up some food to pack a picnic for Joshua Tree the next day. This itinerary was not our itinerary but is more time-efficient & less driving back and forth than ours.
Day 1: Head to Pioneertown!
This interesting little place was created by Hollywood in the 40's to serve as a movie set for Westerns and TV. The day we went, one pottery shop was open but nothing else. We saw a total of 5 people there but it was kind of better that way. It's an amazing place for photos, gives the feeling of a ghost town & it was kind of fun to just imagine life in the Wild West.
*From April to October, there are reenactments on the weekends, which also sound fun. (Manestreetstampede.com & gunfightersforhire.com)
After about an hour or 2 of Pioneertown, get out of the Wild West & head to Joshua Tree, which is about 20 minutes away.
We started at the Joshua Tree entrance & stopped a couple of times for photos & short, easy trails. The drive from the Joshua Tree entrance to the Twenty-Nine Palms entrance is only about an hour and a half with no stops, but you WILL stop.
We spent about 6 hours there to catch the sunset & some stars (and went back on multiple nights to see the supermoon) Each "hike" we went on was about an hour long and we stopped to eat our picnic (there are no food/drink stalls but plenty of bathrooms, so plan accordingly.)
In an ideal itinerary, I would have went back to Pioneertown after taking some nighttime photos & went to Pappy & Harriet's for dinner & some live music. Be sure to check their calendar before you go. It's a lot of driving back and forth but if you're willing to do it, it'll be a great way to spend the day.
Day 2: Start the day at the Living Desert & Gardens ($19.95) It opens at 9 and I'd suggest going early. A lot of the animals were being fed around 930-1030 so they were out and about waiting for their food.
We spent about 3 hours here. You can pay $6 for the shuttle but it wasn't really necessary, unless you have a physical issue or maybe if it's 100+ degrees. It was also great that it wasn't crowded.
My favorite, by far, was feeding the giraffe! It's an extra $5 but you get a few carrot sticks and the workers will take a photo for you. They were so gentle & cute. The giraffes, not the workers. haha though they were lovely & seemed to genuinely care for the giraffes.
Next, stop for lunch, spend some time walking around Downtown. Then, head to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram ($25.95). Again, there are trails you can walk but you can opt for the easy ones, like I did, that does not require much effort.
The tram itself is pretty cool. It brings you all the way up and the floor spins so you get a 360 view on the way. We spent about 3 hours here doing 1.5 trails. Bring a sweater because it can get quite a bit chillier up there than in downtown.
The easiest trail, the Discovery Trail, is less than a mile. You won't get the mountain high views but you get to learn about the plants and animals that inhabit the area...or just enjoy the fresh air. Somehow, we never finished this trail and ended up on the Desert View trail, which is 1.5 miles long, and had amazing views.
It was much less strenuous than most hikes that get you these views since the tram takes you so high up. This was perfect for a lazy, unfit person like me. Notch 3 had the best views so if you want even less hiking, go straight there. There were more challenging trails but I didn't dare to attempt that.
Day 3: I didn't actually have an empty day 3 because we split up the tram and zoo into 2 days and went to Joshua Tree at night (which you can do for a more slow paced trip.) You could spend this day relaxing by the pool, getting a massage, walking around Downtown (cute shops & stop for a Dole Whip!), heading to a pool party or...for those who can't sit still, I would spend the day going to Salton Sea/Salvation Mountain/Slab City. We didn't go because Google said it was an hour and half away but for the last 2 night we stayed downtown and drove to Joshua Tree, 45 minutes away. So really, an hour and half wouldn't have been that bad. Really, it was just poor planning on my part but it gives me a reason to go back! I really enjoyed this person's round up of the area: http://californiathroughmylens.com/salton-sea-attractions-lakes-art
Photo: http://www.salvationmountaininc.org/
Photo: http://californiathroughmylens.com]
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for more photos! Honestly, the entire Palm Springs/Joshua Tree area is underrated as a destination. I would highly suggest going before the secret gets out. Avoid June to September when temperatures are over 100 degrees.
I hope this inspires you to visit Palm Springs because it really is beautiful. I made the original post in November of 2016 but am excited to share it with my fellow steemers! Follow, upvote, & comment letting me know if you'd like to see more posts like this!
wish you were here..
Beauty and Voyage