Discover how the desert comes alive after dark! Do you know which animals change colors when you use a blacklight? Using our blacklights, a Friends’ volunteer docent will begin a short walk on uneven cobbled desert terrain in the basin below the dike/levy looking for scorpions and other nocturnal creatures that inhabit our desert. This […]
Join us on a fascinating and educational 350-mile, 11 hour luxury bus tour. Learn about the history and importance of water in the Coachella Valley. Find out how the desert turns green! Stops along the route include the Imperial Dam, Colorado River, the old Plank Road, Algodones Dunes, Coachella Canal, All-American Canal, and the Salton […]
Come visit our adopted desert tortoise and get answers to your questions about our charming state reptile. We will also be hosting a story time nearby and reading the bi-lingual book, “The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit”; the first 70 visitors each day will even get a free copy of the book to take home in […]
Montane Botanic Garden Trail Adaptive Sports Hike Join SoCal Adaptive Sports and Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer docents on a hike for persons with disabilities, their family, and friends on the Montane Botanic Garden Trail. Nestled in a glen, situated at 5,024 feet, in the shadow of 8,700-foot Wilshire Peak, lies The Wildlands Conservancy’s […]
Join other volunteers for team ‘FRIENDS OF THE DESERT MOUNTAINS’ at the Paint El Paseo Pink walk to fight cancer. The route is approximately 2 miles roundtrip. There will be activities, live music, and more engaging participants throughout the course of the walk. Team Friends will meet in front of The Gardens on El Paseo, […]
Join members of the Astronomical Society of the Desert for fun “sky tours” and direct observations of the night sky through telescopes and binoculars. This is a family event. Minors must be accompanied by parent or guardian. For more information call 760-862-9984. Etiquette: please do not touch equipment unless requested. No white lights near telescope […]
Join us at our monthly Desert Mountains Art Fair! Mediums may include photography, paintings, ceramics, hand painted silks, and more. Support local artists and find beautiful and unique gifts and desert mementos, all while enjoying the natural beauty of our desert mountains! For more information contact the Visitor Center at 760-862-9984. Sponsored by the […]
Our volunteers will take you on a guided hike through the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument!Enjoy this easy hike along the hillside above Araby Wash. Explore the wonders of this critical habitat area to learn about the endangered Casey’s June Beetle and fire ecology in this sensitive habitat area. On our return […]
Both new and returning hike team volunteers need to attend this training. Join Friends of the Desert Mountains Hike Program Leader Ada Nuckels for an interactive session for returning and aspiring hike team members.Topics to be discussed are resources and talking points for hike leads, the role of hike leaders, role of hike sweeps, reporting […]
This bighorn sheep habitat is only open 3 months a year!Carrizo Canyon is open October through December and provides wonderful opportunities to see the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep and many other desert critters. You will learn about the geology of the area and a great outdoor experience close to downtown Palm Desert. This trail is […]
This bighorn sheep habitat is only open 3 months a year!Dead Indian canyon is only open from October through December and provides wonderful opportunities to see the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep and many other desert critters. You will learn about the geology of the area and a great outdoor experience close to downtown Palm Desert. […]
Join a park ranger for yoga at a National Monument!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 […]
Calling All Birders!Our experienced birding volunteer docent will share interesting facts about the Coachella Valley native species and other migratory birds found in the National Monument. We begin the search for our feathered friends in their native desert habitat at the new observation area. Then on to the Ed Hastey Garden Walk (paved) and tortoise […]
Our volunteers will take you on a guided hike in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument.Join us for a hike into the Mecca Wilderness and the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument. This is a brand-new hike never offered by Friends. On this hike we will walk through a wash full of amazing geology with colors that you […]
Explore this popular trail in Rancho Mirage.This trail meanders through the rolling foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains above Rancho Mirage and Cathedral Canyon. You may see a few wildflowers along the trail. There are many other unique desert plants. You will learn about their adaptations to the desert and summertime survival techniques. Our volunteer […]
Orientation for new volunteersWe 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 […]
