December 10, 2014

This was an amazing experience. In the middle of the dry, dusty desert - a paradise!!

'In 1905, visionary stock rancher Louis Wilhelm traded two mules and a buckboard wagon for the Thousands Palm Oasis, an 80-acre jewel of land in the heart of the Southern California desert. “Whatever it will become,” Wilhelm said, “it is too beautiful to belong to one man.” '

The Coachella Valley Preserve, located 10 miles east of Palm Springs near 1000 Palms is a 17,000 acre site that is home to the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, found nowhere else in the world. (we did not see any on our hike) It is also the home of the spectacular Thousand Palm Oasis which is fed by water seeping out of the San Andreas Fault. 

Marcel walked with us

There are several other Palm Oases, including the Willis, Hidden Horseshoe, and Indian Palms, but in the center is the Paul Wilhelm Grove, the location of the Preserve's visitor's center. The preserve has several hiking trails including the McCallum, Hidden Palms, Moon Country, Pushawalla Palms, and Willis Palms trails. We hiked the McCallum and The Moon Country. Total distance 4.4 miles approx.

First we hiked from the visitor center (which is an oasis in itself) to McCallum Oasis,  about 1 mile.













This adventure takes you across the Fault zone, through a desert wash to the McCallum Oasis, one of the largest groves of desert fan palms in California. 

The McCallum Pond once served as refuge for the Desert Pupfish, but crawfish infested the pond, so there are no more fish..... Park employees are seen here checking their crawfish traps. They have trapped tens of thousands in their efforts to eliminate them and restock the pond with fish.


 




Then we took the loop trail through Moon Country. Desert walking up and down hills. 











A vista point on the hillside above McCallum Oasis. The vista point has a wonderful birds-eye view of McCallum Oasis and a 180 degree view of Joshua Tree National Park,

Back at the visitors center