Canyons, Preserves and Parks

Indian Canyons
Agua Caliente Band
of Cahuilla Indians
Tribal Council Office
760 325 5673
4 miles from Viceroy Palm Springs

The Indian Canyons are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. You can see remnants of their ancient life: rock art, house pits and foundations, irrigation ditches, bedrock mortars, pictographs, and stone houses and shelters built atop high cliff walls. Four areas are open: Palm Canyon, noted for its stand of Washingtonia palms; Murray Canyon, home of Peninsula bighorn sheep and a herd of wild ponies; Andreas Canyon, where a stand of fan palms contrasts with sharp rock formations.

Tahquitz Canyon
500 W. Mesquite, west of Palm Canyon Drive
760 416 7044
.94 miles from Viceroy Palm Springs

Also an Agua Caliente territory. This incredibly scenic canyon, which features the waterfall filmed for the classic Lost Horizon, was closed to the public for nearly 30 years after it was vandalized. But now the vegetation is renewed and cleaned up, and in 2001 the tribe began offering 2-hour ranger-led hikes into their most spiritual and beautiful place. The canyon is open daily from 8am to 5pm, with hikes departing every hour until 3pm.

Palm Springs Tram
One Tramway Road
Palm Springs, CA 92262
888 515 TRAM
3.5 miles from Viceroy Palm Springs

To gain a bird's-eye perspective on the Coachella Valley, take this 14-minute ascent up 2 1/2 miles to the top of Mount San Jacinto. While the Albert Frey-designed boarding stations retain their 1960s ski-lodge feel, newly installed Swiss funicular cars are sleekly modern and rotate during the trip to allow each passenger a panoramic view. There's a whole other world once you arrive: alpine scenery, a ski-lodge-flavored restaurant and gift shop, and temperatures typically 40° cooler than the desert floor. The most dramatic contrast is during the winter, when the mountaintop is a snowy wonderland, irresistible to hikers and bundled-up kids with saucers. Guided mule rides and cross-country ski equipment are available at the top.

The Living Desert Wildlife and Botanical Park
47900 Portola Avenue
Palm Desert
760 346 5694
14.79 miles from Viceroy Palm Springs

This 1,200-acre desert reserve, museum, zoo, and educational center is designed to acquaint visitors with the unique habitats that make up the southern California deserts. You can walk or take a tram tour through sectors that re-create life in several distinctive desert zones. See and learn about a dizzying variety of plants, insects, and wildlife, including bighorn sheep, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, lizards, owls, golden eagles, and the ubiquitous roadrunner.