Say you’re going to Palm Springs and people picture you day-drinking poolside or playing round after round of golf with your grandparents. In either scene, a big, bright sun undoubtedly hangs overhead in a cloudless sky, like summer in a still frame. Only, in Palm Springs, that perfect summer sun actually comes out during winter, when the temperature drops from oppressively hot to pleasantly warm and rarely dips below 60 degrees.
Though hiking may not be the first activity that springs to mind when you think of the Sonoran Desert, December through February is the ideal time for cold-phobic trail fanatics to lace up their boots and hit the Southern California wilderness. These are the best winter hikes around Palm Springs to put you in touch with your outdoorsy side while (mostly) avoiding the snow.