The weather has begun to heat up here in the desert. This is the time when many of us start looking for an escape! When the heat rises here in the desert, the surrounding mountains experience daytime temperatures that are 20 to 40 degrees cooler. But where do we go? Not to worry, here are our favorite little escapes from the desert heat!
Palm Springs Aerial Tram
Take a quick trip 8,500 feet above Palm Springs with the Aerial Tramway and explore a whole new environment. The temperature difference is about 15-20 degrees cooler than the desert floor. There is so much to do from hiking, camping, nature walks, and dining. Mt. San Jacinto State Park is located at the top of the mountain, giving you access to 54 miles of hiking trails and 14,000 acres of amazing terrain. There are several easy hikes to try first – from three-quarters of a mile following nature trail posts to a 2.5-mile trail that is considered moderately strenuous. The Pines Café offers the typical food selections you might expect at a tourist attraction — pizza, sandwiches, soup, and salad — but the Peaks Restaurant offers an opportunity to enjoy a fine dining experience.
Idyllwild
Take in the fresh mountain air of Idyllwild and explore the Nature Center, visit a brewery, or take a leisurely hike around Lake Fulmor. Highway 74, aka the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway, will connect yomountu to Highway 243 and the mountain town of Idyllwild — an artisan-centric community with quaint cabins, rustic boutiques, and miles of ponderosa forest waiting to be explored. Whether the forecast heralds sun or snow, you’ll find plenty of fun outdoor activities at this pet-friendly nature center. Warmer months call for hiking or horseback riding, while winter brings snowball fights and sledding. Breathe in the mountain air and feel your worries melt away.
Big Bear
Big Bear is made up of the resort city of Big Bear Lake, which is on the south shore of the lake of the same name, and Big Bear City, which is unincorporated and sits just east of the lake. While much of Southern California, including Palm Springs, is dry with super hot temperatures and a desert landscape, Big Bear is a cool refuge from the heat, centered on a deep blue lake and nestled in the pine-scented forests of the San Bernardino mountains. It is the perfect place to explore, hike, enjoy the lake, go mountain biking, or even take a dip in local hot springs.
High Desert | Joshua Tree
Straddling the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert ecosystems, Joshua Tree National Park is the main attraction here, and visiting the park—which is about the size of Rhode Island—is a must. There are campgrounds nestled into craggy rocks (though it can be hard to get a spot in the park on weekends during high season), hiking trails that pass by desert oases (groves of giant palm trees growing in an otherwise dry landscape), and of course the titular Joshua Trees jutting up everywhere you look. It's a perfect place to relax and explore or beautiful desert!
Where are you escaping to this summer?
