Palm Desert is a great desert town for a day or a long weekend. The best things to do here are the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, a morning hike in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, an evening wander along El Paseo, and a stargazing night if you can catch one. Mix one wildlife stop, one trail and one slow evening, and you’ve got the real Palm Desert.
I’ll give you the current hours, prices and trail details I could verify, plus the timing tricks that make the desert a lot more fun.
TL;DR
- Start with the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens: open daily 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from October 1 to May 31, with adult tickets at $44.95.
- Stop at the national monument visitor center on Highway 74 for trail advice before you pick a hike.
- Do hikes early. The Art Smith Trail is 8.3 miles and strenuous, so it’s not a casual stroll.
- Save evenings for El Paseo’s shops and restaurants, or for a free stargazing event if one is on the calendar.
- Palm Springs is close, so pair the two if you have more than a day.
Table of Contents
- Start with the animals at The Living Desert
- Hike the mountains behind town
- Spend an evening on El Paseo
- Look up: stargazing near the monument
- Palm Desert vs. Palm Springs: which one?
- Sample plans
- Our take on Palm Desert
- Run a business in Southern California?
- More Southern California ideas
- FAQ
- Sources
Start with the animals at The Living Desert
If you only do one paid attraction, make it The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. It’s a zoo and a botanical garden in one, built around desert habitats, so you’re walking through landscapes that look like the ones outside the gate.
Hours. From October 1 to May 31 it’s open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last admission at 4:00 p.m. From June 1 to September 30 the hours shift to 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with last admission at 12:30 p.m. It’s closed December 25.
Tickets. Adult tickets (ages 18 and up) are $44.95 and youth tickets (ages 3 to 17) are $34.95. Military personnel get $37.95. Museums for All guests with SNAP/EBT can buy tickets for $5.00. Prices may vary by date, so check before you go.
Two practical things. Non-members need to buy tickets in advance online or at on-site self-service kiosks. The park is also fully cashless. If you show up with only cash, use one of the on-site reverse ATMs to turn it into a prepaid debit card before you buy anything. I’d rather you read that here than discover it at the gate with a car full of kids.
The park leans hard into conservation. According to its own leadership, visitors are encouraged to engage with the Tennity Wildlife Hospital and the Desert Plant Conservation Center. Go early, do the shaded stretches first, and save the open-air loops for when the light is soft.
Hike the mountains behind town
Palm Desert sits right at the foot of the mountains, which is the thing most visitors underuse. The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument rises abruptly from the desert floor to 10,834 feet, and the lower trails are right on the edge of town.
Start at the visitor center
The monument’s visitor center is at 51-500 Highway 74 in Palm Desert. It’s open Friday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It’s closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, and it closes early at 2:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Inside you’ll find interpretive displays and trail info.
It’s also the starting point for the Ed Hastey Garden Trail, a 0.2-mile accessible path. It’s a short, easy way to get a feel for desert plants if the big trails aren’t for you today. All of this comes from the BLM monument page.
Know what you’re signing up for on Art Smith
The Art Smith Trail is a popular one, and it’s a serious hike: 8.3 miles, a 1,465-foot elevation gain, rated strenuous, and dogs are prohibited. It isn’t a loop, and it isn’t a shuttle route either, because intersection points like Dunn Road are closed to vehicles. So plan your return on foot.
My rule for desert hikes is simple. Start at first light, bring more water than feels reasonable, and turn around when you’re tired, not when you’re out of energy. Even experienced hikers tend to underestimate that climb.
Looking for bighorn sheep
Bighorn sheep are the desert’s celebrity animal, and the mountain trails above town are where visitors hope to spot them. Quiet, early starts give you the best odds, and binoculars help more than a zoom lens. No promises, of course. That’s what makes it fun.
Spend an evening on El Paseo
When the day cools off, head to El Paseo. The El Paseo Shopping District has over 300 shops and more than a dozen restaurants, set against a mountain backdrop, according to the Greater Palm Springs visitor site.
You don’t have to shop to enjoy it. Walk the street, window-shop the galleries, and grab a patio table. I like to go right around sunset, when the mountains turn pink and the heat finally backs off.
Look up: stargazing near the monument
Here’s one of my favorite quiet options. Friends of the Desert Mountains, a nonprofit, has hosted star-gazing events with nighttime treks near the monument in Palm Desert. The events are free but need advance registration so groups stay small.
The 2026 series announced in that report began in August, so check the nonprofit’s current calendar for upcoming dates. It’s a good example of a hidden gem: no big crowds, a local group, and a sky you can actually see.
Palm Desert vs. Palm Springs: which one?
Readers ask which is nicer. They’re different moods, so I wouldn’t pick one.
| Palm Desert | Palm Springs | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Relaxed, residential, easygoing | Retro, buzzy, busier |
| Best for | Wildlife, mountain trails, shopping and dining | Nightlife, mid-century style, a bigger variety of stops |
| Pace | Slow mornings, quiet evenings | More to see in a short window |
If you have a long weekend, split it. Our Palm Springs weekend guide covers 48 to 72 hours with local picks and heat-smart timing. Heading farther out? The Joshua Tree itinerary has one-to-three-day plans.
Sample plans
One day
- Early morning: Visitor center, then a short trail or the Ed Hastey Garden Trail.
- Late morning: The Living Desert, starting with the shaded areas.
- Afternoon: Rest indoors. It’s what locals do.
- Evening: Dinner and a walk on El Paseo.
Two days
Add a longer hike on day two, such as Art Smith if you’re fit and starting at dawn. Then spend the afternoon by a pool and book a stargazing event if the calendar lines up.
Heat-smart rules
- Do outdoor stuff before late morning.
- Carry water on every trail, even short ones.
- Check hours before you go. The Living Desert’s summer schedule ends at 1:30 p.m., so the best time of day changes with the season.
- If you’re visiting between June and September, plan the whole day around the morning.
Our take on Palm Desert
We built SoCal Sights because most guides pile on the same top-ten lists, and visitors end up buried in information. Palm Desert is a perfect example of why we take a different approach. The headline attractions are good, but the trip gets better when you add the lesser-known parts: a visitor center that points you to the right trail, a nonprofit’s evening trek, a patio on a quiet evening.
Our approach is simple. We highlight local favorites and community-submitted tips, and we try to check the logistics that trip you up: hours, tickets, closures and what a trail is really like. A desert trip rewards that kind of homework more than most.
My advice: pick fewer things and do them at the right hour. One animal stop, one trail, one slow evening. That’s a Palm Desert day worth bragging about.
— Joshua
Run a business in Southern California?
If you run a restaurant, tour, shop or event that visitors to the region would love, you can advertise with SoCal Sights and get in front of people who are actively planning their days out. Browse our guides first to see where you’d fit, like our roundup of Southern California hidden gems.
More Southern California ideas
Palm Desert pairs well with other trips. If you’re planning a bigger loop, our Southern California road trip guide covers routes and stops. Coming from Los Angeles for a few days? Check the best weekend getaways from LA.
FAQ
What is there to see in Palm Desert?
The big draws are The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, the mountain trails of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and the El Paseo shopping and dining district. Add a stargazing event if there’s one on the calendar. Together they fill a full weekend without rushing.
How many days is enough for Palm Springs and Palm Desert?
A full day covers the highlights in Palm Desert, and two days let you add a longer hike and an evening event. If you want to include Palm Springs, three days gives you room for both without rushing through the heat of the day. Our weekend guide lays out a 48 to 72 hour plan.
Is The Living Desert worth the ticket price?
For most visitors, yes, especially if you go early and take your time. Adult tickets are $44.95 and youth tickets are $34.95, with discounts for military and SNAP/EBT cardholders. Buy ahead online, and bring a card rather than cash since the park is cashless.
Can I hike year-round?
Trails stay open, but timing matters. Start at dawn, carry plenty of water, and pick shorter routes if it’s hot. The Art Smith Trail is strenuous, with a 1,465-foot gain, so save it for a day when you can start early.
Sources
- The Living Desert: Plan Your Visit
- The Living Desert: regular park hours and annual events
- BLM: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
- BLM: Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage Hiking Guide
- Greater Palm Springs: El Paseo Shopping District
- Patch: Star-gazing events in Palm Desert