Last year I was in Palm Springs, California, for a few days and enjoyed my stay. We explored the surroundings as well and so we had a short hiking in a beautiful place called Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve.
In a deserted landscape an oasis is the only place where animals and humans can live. So the valley was inhabited by Indian cultures until white settlers arrive. There are some families who settle here in the 19th century.
In the twentieth – and also later – they were even filming some movies like ‘The Sheik’ with Rodolfo Valentino.
In the mid-century Paul Wilhelm owns an 80 acre land and starts to offer tents and cabins to overnight visitors. In addition he offers also hikes on his land. Building some dams in the little stream he creates pools for the visitors to swim in. He 15.000 palm trees he plants in the oasis create a unique place.
We happened an afternoon after trying to find the right road to the visitor center. A huge parking place, one car and a lot of palm trees. Where is the visitor center?
We found it. It is a little wooden structure with beautiful, native wood carvings. Unfortunately it was closed. But behind it we could see a trail and so we started to go.
The place is magic with its high completely wild growing palm trees. We found a hiking path and some people coming towards us. They told us there is a pond not too far away. That’s were we started to walk.
The pond is beautiful, wild, original, and the light of the upcoming sunset perfect for some amazing photos.
In the end we had to hurry a little bit because the parking place would be closed at 5 pm. We did it right before but we never saw anyone to come and close the gate.
I liked to wander around the place, in a kind of palm jungle so high I couldn’t see the treetops and so closely that I couldn’t see the sky.
Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, California/USA:
For further information:
To Visit Palm Springs
A video of the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve
The Coachella Valley Preserve
