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A broad avenue through South Palm Desert neighborhoods, viewed from above.

South Palm Desert

South Palm Desert is an exceptionally desirable location in the Coachella Valley, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, ideal climate, and conv...

 View across the desert foothills from the Art Smith Trail, with the Coachella Valley and mountains beyond.

Hiking Trails in Palm Desert, CA

Palm Desert is one of the Coachella Valley’s best hubs for desert hiking—quick-access trailheads, rugged Santa Rosa Mountain foothills, and wide-op...

 Illustration of Pete Dye swinging a golf club in a landscaped desert setting.

Pete Dye

Paul “Pete” Dye Jr. (1925–2020) was one of the most influential golf course architects of the modern era. Known for strategic risk-and-reward layou...

 Close-up of a bighorn ram with large curled horns at The Living Desert.

Bighorn Sheep

One of the most iconic large mammals of the Coachella Valley and surrounding ranges, including the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains. This subsp...

 A yellow-oleander tree and flowering plants beside a garden path.

Thevetia (Yellow Oleander)

Thevetia peruviana, commonly known as Yellow Oleander, is an attractive, evergreen shrub widely used in Coachella Valley landscapes. Originally nat...

 Fishhook barrel cactus growing between granite rocks on the Art Smith Trail in Palm Desert

Fishhook Barrel Cactus

A robust and striking succulent native to the desert landscapes of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including parts of the Coach...

 Broad, pointed agave leaves growing in a landscaped desert garden.

Agave Americana (Century Plant)

A striking, large succulent native to Mexico and the southwestern U.S. It is widely cultivated in the Coachella Valley and surrounding desert regio...

 Illustrated portrait of Thomas A. O'Donnell wearing a hat and suit in a desert landscape.

Thomas A. O’Donnell

Who They WereThomas Arthur O’Donnell (June 26, 1870 – February 21, 1945) was a self-made oil tycoon from Long Beach, California, originally from Pe...

 A visitor photographing the desert landscape among Joshua trees at the Hall of Horrors.

Cholla Cactus Garden

What it is A stunning natural garden of thousands of “teddy-bear” cholla cacti, clustered in the lower Pinto Basin of Joshua Tree National Park. Th...

 Snow goose standing in a refuge field at Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge

Snow Geese

A medium-to-large migratory waterfowl known for its striking white plumage and loud, honking calls. It is a seasonal visitor to the Coachella Valle...

 A mule deer standing among trees beside a mountain trail.

Mule Deer

The Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is one of the most iconic and ecologically significant large mammals found in the Coachella Valley’s surroundin...

 A curved sandy beach and waterfront landscaping beside Cotino's lagoon.

Cotino Bay

Cotino Bay is the approximately 24-acre turquoise lagoon at the center of Cotino, a Storyliving by Disney community in Rancho Mirage. Surrounded by...