Thermal, California
Get to know Thermal through its working agricultural landscape, equestrian grounds, private golf setting and the birds above the fields. This collection brings together our existing location guides, original photographs and stories about the people, water and wildlife that help explain the eastern Coachella Valley.
Start with the story
The Green Fields Beyond La Quinta: A Look at Thermal
Start with Mark’s photographs of the working landscape: field geometry, farm roads and birds seen during his Thermal outing.
Read the story →
European Starlings Over Thermal: The First Fall Show
A firsthand field note about European Starling flocks moving above Thermal farmland beneath the Santa Rosa Mountains.
Read the story →
The Tiny Falcon Above the Fields: How American Kestrels Hunt
A female kestrel photographed in Thermal opens a closer look at perch hunting, hovering and the bird’s view of an open field.
Read the story →Keep exploring
Agriculture and water
- Beyond Dates: What Grows in the Coachella Valley?A regional crop guide covering Thermal and the eastern valley, with a seasonal calendar.
- How Dates Built the Coachella ValleyDate palms, irrigation and the people behind a familiar agricultural landscape.
- Coachella Canal: 1948 Water That Built the ValleyThe water-delivery story behind eastern-valley agriculture and communities.
Aviation and life above the fields
- The Jacqueline Cochran Connection: Aviation History Close to Sun City Shadow HillsConnect the airport in Thermal with Cochran’s wider aviation history and Indio roots.
- Turkey Vultures Above the Coachella Valley: Following the Landscape for a LivingLearn to read the flight of vultures over agricultural country, including the Thermal landscape.
Locations, landscapes & wildlife
Explore Ladera Golf Club, Desert International Horse Park, the Coachella Valley RC Club and our growing agricultural gallery. The wildlife profiles include photographs made in Thermal, alongside species information for the wider valley.
Original photography and field observations by Mark Miller. Open a location or subject below for its full gallery and guide.
Coachella Valley RC Club
The Coachella Valley RC Club is a friendly, welcoming spot in the desert for anyone who loves flying RC models—planes, helicopters, and drones. The...
Desert International Horse Park (DIHP)
Desert International Horse Park is a major equestrian competition venue in Thermal and one of the West Coast’s leading winter destinations for hors...
Ladera Golf Club, Thermal
Ladera Golf Club occupies a striking meeting point in the southern Coachella Valley: green fairways and ordered orchard rows beneath the rugged San...
Agricultural Landscapes
A growing photographic collection of agricultural landscapes across the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea region and the surrounding desert. Fields,...
Alpaca
I photographed this alpaca on agricultural land in Thermal, in the southern Coachella Valley. He was living alongside cows—a memorable sight among ...
European Starling
The European Starling is a highly adaptable, non-native songbird that has become a year-round resident throughout the Coachella Valley. Originally ...
American Kestrel
A small falcon on a roadside wire can be easy to overlook until it turns its head. The hooked bill, dark facial stripes and intent gaze reveal a hu...
Turkey Vulture
Status in the Coachella Valley:Common year-round resident. Seen soaring over open desert, agricultural fields, riparian corridors, and all surround...