Upcoming Events

Art Smith Interpretative Hike

Art Smith Trailhead Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

Explore this steep trail overlooking Palm Desert.Our docents will take you on a guided hike through the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument! You will see excellent views of the Coachella Valley and learn the history of the area. You will see many unique desert plants and learn how they survive the long […]

Free

Randall Henderson Interpretative Hike – Partial Trail

Randall Henderson Trailhead 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

Explore this popular trail on the National Monument 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 […]

Free

Randall Henderson Interpretative Hike – Full Trail

Randall Henderson Trailhead 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

Explore this popular trail on the National Monument 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 […]

Free

Star Party in the Mountains

Sawmill Trailhead Parking Lot HGHX+XQG, Pinyon Pines, CA

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 […]

Earl Henderson Trail Hike

Earl Henderson Trail parking at Shannon Trailhead S. Araby Drive in Araby Wash, Palm Springs, United States

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 […]

Free

Cathedral Canyon Trail Hike

Cathedral Canyon Trailhead 68000-67902, Foothill Rd, Cathedral City, CA, United States

Our volunteers will take you on a guided hike in the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.Join us for this strenuous hike along Cathedral Canyon Trail. This distance is 5.7 miles with an elevation gain of over 1,100 feet. The hike begins in Cathedral Canyon Cove and climbs steeply up a series of […]

Free

Twisted Canyon in the Mecca Wilderness

Box Canyon and Painted Canyon Roads Box Canyon Road and Painted Canyon Road, Mecca, CA, United States

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 hike is classified as easy with 2.7 to 3.0 miles and an elevation gain of 400 feet. We will start our hike in a sandy […]

Free

Nature Walk at Blixseth Park

Blixseth Mountain Park Mirage Road, Rancho Mirage, CA, United States

Our volunteers will take you on a nature walk in Rancho Mirage. Join our Friends’ volunteer docents for an interactive nature conversation at Blixseth Mountain Park. As we walk along the paths we can talk geology and look for evidence of how both fault systems and water have shaped our land. Perhaps we can sit […]

Free

Desert Mountains Art Fair

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

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 […]

A Monument in Your Backyard – An Overview of the SRSJM National Monument

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

Enjoy lectures at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountain National Monument Visitor Center.Ready, set, explore! The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a national treasure with over 280 miles of designated trails, geological wonders, thousands of plant and animal species and a living laboratory for various scientific studies.Embark on a visual […]

Free

Star Party at the Monument

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

Join the Astronomical Society of the Desert to view the night sky through telescopes.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 […]

Free

Yoga with a Ranger

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

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 […]

Free

Tour De Palm Springs

Tour de Palm Springs S. Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz, Palm Springs, CA, United States

Support Friends of the Desert Mountains by walking or riding in the Tour De Palm Springs. When registering, choose Join a Fundraising Team and select Friends of the Desert Mountains (under “Event Fundraising” section). Your registration fee will help protect our local mountain views, hiking and biking trails, and unique wildlife found nowhere else on […]

Indio Badlands Wash Trail Adaptive Sports Hike

Indio Hills Badlands Trail Golf Center Parkway, Indio, CA, United States

Join SoCal Adaptive Sports and Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer docents on a hike for persons with disabilities, their family, and friends at the Indio Hills Badlands Trail. For our intrepid adventurers, we will be hiking over the Coachella Canal, up a few small hills and then drop down into the wash area. We […]

Volunteer Orientation

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

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 […]

Free

Returning Volunteer Agreement Signing + Updates

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA, United States

Orientation for returning volunteersWe need RETURNING volunteers (those who have attended a general volunteer orientation) to attend ONE session this year and sign new BLM volunteer agreements. Please attend one of these sessions to continue your great work with our organization.Questions? Contact Dallas Williams at 760 568-9918 or email dwilliams@desertmountains.orgTo learn more about volunteering with […]

Free

Indio Badlands Trail Full Moon Hike – 7pm Group

Indio Hills Badlands Trail Golf Center Parkway, Indio, CA, United States

Experience the desert in the moonlight!Strap on your hiking boots for a full moon hike on the first mile of the Indio Badlands Trail. As we embark on this hike, the moonlight casts enchanting shadows on the desert terrain. The sky will be brilliantly lit up for the desert creatures to be scurrying about. This […]

Free

Night Sky Star Observations in Indio Hills – Vistazo de estrellas en Indio

Indio Hills Badlands Trail Golf Center Parkway, Indio, CA, United States

Join us to view the night sky through telescopes. Únase a nosotros para ver el cielo nocturno a través de telescopios.A Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer astronomer will be setting up a telescope and is inviting you to a “star party”. A clear night sky offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects to see […]

Free

Indio Badlands Trail Full Moon Hike – 7:15p Group

Indio Hills Badlands Trail Golf Center Parkway, Indio, CA, United States

Experience the desert in the moonlight!Strap on your hiking boots for a full moon hike on the first mile of the Indio Badlands Trail. As we embark on this hike, the moonlight casts enchanting shadows on the desert terrain. The sky will be brilliantly lit up for the desert creatures to be scurrying about. This […]

Free

Excursión Bajo la Luna Llena en el Sendero Indio Hills

Indio Hills Badlands Trail Golf Center Parkway, Indio, CA, United States

Nuestros voluntarios lo llevarán en una caminata a la luz de la luna a través de las tierras baldías de Indio.Póngase las botas de montaña para una caminata bajo la luna llena en el sendero Indio Hills. Mientras nos embarcamos en esta caminata, la luz de la luna proyecta sombras encantadoras sobre el terreno desértico. […]

Free