Palm Springs travel guide

Palm Springs, situated 105 miles south of LA is an oasis in the middle of the Colorado Desert, although with all the water around you would hardly know that you were in the desert. Palm Springs got its name from the natural hot-water springs, which the native Indians believed to have magic healing powers.
Famous for being the getaway of the stars, with more than 50 private clubs, Palm Springs offer palm-lined canyons, cascading waterfalls and an interesting desert flora and fauna. The city is also a refuge for celebrities with addiction problems with one of the most well-known rehab clinics in the US, the Betty Ford Center.
The golf lovers won’t be disappointed with more than 100 championship courses, some of them are open to the public and it is possible to play for about 30-50$. There are more than 30000 pools in Palm Springs including Knotts Soak City USa, a large water park with many water rides and a wave pool.
As well as enjoying the glitzy surroundings and dining in the great selection of restaurants, you can take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway that takes sightseers from the sun-drenched desert to the mountain top in just 14 minutes, crossing 5 different sceneries from 800m to 2800 m. The amazing views from the top cover an 80 km ray. During winter is snowy and you could even ski, while in summer there are many options for country walks. The Top of the Tram restaurant and Elevations are two good options for a meal at the top of the mountain.

A visit to the Indian Canyons, which were inhabited by the Cahuilla Indian tribe until the end of the 19th century, is strongly recommended. Murray Canyon and Andreas Canyon, which are connected to each other, can be fully seen in a couple of hours with the help of a ranger, while only part of Palm Canyon is accessible. The latter is 15 miles long and features incredible gorges with the most amazing views over the desert and Palm Springs. Tahquiz Canyon is also a difficult excursion (2 hours guided tours only) featuring a 30 m high cascading waterfall.
Desert lovers can visit Joshua Tree National Park situated 30 miles northeast of Palm Springs, a natural reserve where the scenery is dominated by rocks, cactuses and Joshua trees that are not real trees but a type of cactus with bent and spiky arms turned up in a prayer like manner. At the exit of the city the image of the fields covered with windmills is a very picturesque one.