Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Park Blvd, it's an easy 20-minute drive up to Keys View (5185ft), where breathtak-
ing views take in the entire Coachella Valley and extend as far as the Salton Sea and - on a
good day - Mexico. Looming in front of you are Mt San Jacinto (10,834ft) and Mt San
Gorgonio (11,500ft), two of Southern California's highest peaks, while down below you
can spot a section of the San Andreas Fault.
Desert Queen Ranch
HISTORIC SITE
reservations 760-367-5555; tour adult/child $5/2.50;
tours 10am &
1pm daily year-round, 7pm Tue & Thu-Sat Oct-May)
Anyone interested in local history and lore should take the 90-minute guided tour of this
ranch that's also known as Keys Ranch after its builder, Russian immigrant William Keys.
He built a homestead here on 160 acres in 1917 and over the next 60 years turned it into a
full working ranch, school, store and workshop. The buildings stand much as they did
when Keys died in 1969.
Tour reservations are highly recommended; remaining tickets may be available one day
in advance at the Cottonwood, Joshua Tree and Oasis park visitors centers.
The ranch is about 2 miles northeast of Hidden Valley Campground, up a dirt road.
Drive as far as the locked gate where your guide will meet you.
Oasis of Mara
OASIS
Behind the Oasis visitors center in Twentynine Palms, this natural oasis encompasses the
original 29 palm trees for which the town is named. They were planted by members of the
Serrano tribe, who named this "the place of little springs and much grass." The Pinto
Mountain Fault, a small branch of the San Andreas, runs through the oasis, as does a
0.5-mile, wheelchair-accessible nature trail with labeled desert plants.
Geology Tour Road
DRIVING TOUR
East of Hidden Valley, travelers with 4WD vehicles or mountain bikes can take this
18-mile field trip into and around Pleasant Valley, where the forces of erosion, earthquakes
and ancient volcanoes have played out in stunning splendor. Before setting out, pick up a
self-guided tour brochure and an update on road conditions at any park visitors center.
