When to Go

The weather is consistently pleasant in Palm Desert because of the San Jacinto Mountains. Rising nearly vertically 9,000 feet beside Palm Desert, it is one of the steepest climbs in North America and the reason why the rain (and air pollution) in Los Angeles can't reach Palm Desert.

Palm Desert is sheltered by the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the north, the Santa Rosa Mountains on the south, and the San Jacinto Mountains to the west. This geography gives Palm Springs its renowned warm, dry climate. Known for 354 days of sunshine and less than 6 inches of rain annually, winter temperatures average in the 70s with nights in the mid-high 40s. The dry desert heat of summer pushes daytime temperatures to the 100's.