Upcoming Events

Friends’ volunteers are celebrating our annual Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival. We will be walking on the paved Ed Hastey Garden Trail enjoying a conversation about the various native plants in the Monument, and where the wildflowers may be hiding this spring. It is highly suggested you wear close-toed shoes, sun hat, sun screen and bring […]

Join us for the 18th annual Coachella Valley Wildflower. Wildflower Festival is a free day-long event featuring skilled local artisans, shopping and information booths, enchanting wildflower displays, an exciting raffle, fun times and live music on the 1st Saturday in March. Our huge interactive Kids’ Zone and “Naturally Inspired” youth art contest brings families from […]

Grab your binoculars and join a Friends volunteer docent birding expert to look for our feathered desert residents. In this unique urban area, we are still able to find a little native desert environment surrounded by local trees and shrubs that many of our feathered friends call home. As you walk on the sidewalk adjacent […]

The Red Dome trail is in the Sand to Snow National Monument and part of the historic Pacific Crest Trail. The Friends’ docent will discuss how recent rain events and snow melt has changed the river bed. As we leave the ranger station, we will follow the trail and crossing the river and head North […]

Grab your hiking poles and join a Friends’ volunteer docent for the Mission Creek Preserve trail. This trail is in the Sand to Snow National Monument created in 2015. We will trek along a riparian area and anticipate seeing an area lush with spring wildflowers. Along the way you may see wonderful views of San […]

Join a National Monument park ranger for an outdoor fun yoga flow for all skill levels. Connect with the landscape through a sequence of physical postures, movements, and breathing techniques that also strengthen your body and mind. Poses commonly mimic Earth, animals and trees. This outdoor activity is routinely performed barefoot. Bring a yoga mat […]

Friends of the Desert Mountains Director of Education Oscar Ortiz will be delivering a presentation that discusses where our water comes from and how our water is used in the Coachella Valley. He will discuss topics such as the Salton Sea, the Colorado River, the underground aquifer, and how we interact with these systems during […]

Grab your binoculars and join a Friends volunteer docent birding expert to look for our feathered desert residents. In this unique urban area, we are still able to find a little native desert environment surrounded by local trees and shrubs that many of our feathered friends call home. As you walk on the sidewalk adjacent […]

Join us for a hike into the Chuckwalla National Monument. On this hike we will walk through a wash full of amazing geology with colors that you will not see elsewhere. We will explore an impressive slot canyon with walls towering over our head and then return to the main canyon to continue exploring. With […]

Enjoy strolling the Ed Hastey Garden Walk led by Friends’ volunteer docent. It is a great introduction to learn about native plants and animals that inhabit our desert, and the value of urban conservation. This short, easy walk is suitable for persons of all ages and abilities with a paved 3-foot-wide path. All topics are […]

Join SoCal Adaptive Sports and Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer docents on a hike for persons with disabilities, their family, and friends on this wheelchair assessable hike. This time, we will meet at the gate and drive to the Stone House. From the picnic area we will start hiking to the PCT (Pacific Crest […]

We need ALL volunteers (that are new or have not attended an orientation in the prior season) to attend orientation and sign paperwork. If you have not already attended a general volunteer orientation this season, please attend one of these sessions to begin or continue your great work with our organization. RETURNING VOLUNTEERS WHO ATTENDED […]

WILDFLOWERS! HOW DO THEY SURVIVE IN A DESERT? Not every year in the desert produces a super bloom. So how do the seeds of these beautiful wildflowers survive years of drought as they wait for the combination of rain and warmth? A volunteer docent will talk about the seed bank, the differences between annuals and […]

WILDFLOWERS! HOW DO THEY SURVIVE IN A DESERT? Not every year in the desert produces a super bloom. So how do the seeds of these beautiful wildflowers survive years of drought as they wait for the combination of rain and warmth? A volunteer docent will talk about the seed bank, the differences between annuals and […]

You and a guest are cordially invited to gather with all your fellow volunteers, Friends staff and board members in celebration and appreciation of your many accomplishments during the past few seasons. Please join us for a meal and awards presentation (of course, the raffle). Thank you for all that you do! Meet on the […]

Expand your knowledge of the Desert Mountains and be a better “Friend”. We have arranged a special trip to the Boyd Deep Canyon. While there we will have a rare opportunity to hike and explore the canyon. This trail involves hiking off-trail in a sandy wash and some light boulder scrambling. Bring 2 liters of […]

Join a Friends’ volunteer docent on a hike on the spectacular Pacific Crest Trail and learn about some of the epic resources unique to the Monument! Moderate hike through desert wash, 300-foot elevation gain, 3.0-miles round trip. Bring 2 liters of water, snacks, wear closed-toed shoes, a sun hat and sunscreen. Sorry no dogs are […]

THIS LECTURE HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Expand your knowledge of the Desert Mountains and be a better “Friend”. Join speaker Joe Migliore and learn the fascinating geology of the Coachella Valley. Questions? Contact Dallas Willams at 760 568-9918 or email dwilliams@desertmountains.org This event is for current volunteers only. To volunteer with us, go to https://www.desertmountains.org/become-a-volunteer/ to […]

DUE TO RAIN THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED. Grab your hiking boots and join Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer docents on a full moon hike on the lower portion of the Chuckwalla Trail. You will experience the views of our desert mountains in the amazing wash of moonlight and shadows, as well as the urban […]