Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve — Attraction in Indian Wells

This conservancy is a public-private partnership. Several trails, all pretty easy. Unfortunately some of the trails were damaged by recent storms. Some were completely washed out. Big chunks of the boardwalk are gone. The Simone Pond is also indefinitely closed due to staff shortage. They need volunteers but there are no signs asking for people to sign up. The south trail head is littered with trash that people have dumped there, huge piles. They need to bring in a dump truck to haul it off. The trails are not well marked, especially at the south trail head. Make sure to tell someone where you will be in case you get lost. Also the visitors center is indefinitely closed for unknown reason. Met one docent, she was helpful and friendly. We made a donation. Place is dangerous, no police presence or...

Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve in the Coachella Valley Preserve has many different trails, one of which is the McCallum Trailhead. The trails are easy to walk and signage provides clear directions. California fan palms, many of the larger and taller ones, are upwards of 150 years old. It's a magical place in which fresh water seeps upward due to fissures formed along the San Andreas fault, forming pools and ponds, creating a unique environment for flora and fauna to thrive. Fan palms in this natural setting are never pruned of their dead fronds and form a skirt around the trunk of the tree. Palms are "big grasses (monocots)," and can be seen growing in the oasis preserve as small blades of grass, next to...

This preserve is an amazing oasis of palm trees and a natural spring, but it has fallen into disrepair from poor maintenance. Most of the trails in the oasis are closed, or very short. There is no longer a loop trail available, and the pond area is closed. The visitor center and parking lot are also closed. You will have to park along the road, and then walk back to the oasis or trail access points. The trails around the oasis are fairly easy and flat, other than the trail that you use to climb up to the lookout. Go early in the day if you will be hiking for any length of time, and know that you will be mostly hiking in full sun. There are bathrooms available in the...