17 Things to Do in the Coachella Valley Before or After the Festival

One of the most distinctive landscapes in the American West — the Joshua trees themselves look like something from a Dr. Seuss illustration, and the boulder formations at Skull Rock, Hidden Valley, and Jumbo Rocks are genuinely surreal. Go at sunrise or early morning if you can; the light is extraordinary and temperatures are manageable before 10am. The West Entrance (near Joshua Tree town) is closest to Coachella. Don't skip Cholla Cactus Garden — a dense field of teddy bear chollas that glow silver in morning light.

The world's largest rotating tramcar takes you from the desert floor (2,643 ft) up to Mount San Jacinto State Park (8,516 ft) in about 10 minutes. The temperature difference is 30–40°F — you go from 100°F desert to a pine forest in the 60s. Stunning views of the entire Coachella Valley from the top. There are hiking trails at the summit ranging from a flat nature walk to a serious climb to San Jacinto Peak (10,834 ft). Book in advance — it sells out during festival weekend. An excellent mid-day escape from the valley heat.

Native Cahuilla land featuring dramatic canyon hikes through the world's largest native California fan palm oases. Andreas Canyon in particular has a year-round stream running through a shaded palm grove — unusual in the desert and genuinely beautiful. The trails are moderate, well-maintained, and shaded enough in the morning to be comfortable even in spring heat. Arrive before 9am to beat both the heat and the crowds. The entrance fee supports the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who have stewardship of this land.

A moderate 2-mile round-trip hike to a 60-foot waterfall fed by a perennial stream in a dramatic granite canyon. Ranger-led tours available; self-guided access also permitted. Cooler and shadier than most valley hikes, with impressive geology and native plant life. A genuinely good morning hike that rewards the effort with a real waterfall in the desert — something that surprises people who assume the Coachella Valley is uniformly flat and bare.

A world-class desert wildlife park and botanical garden featuring North American desert species — mountain lions, Mexican wolves, bighorn sheep, roadrunners, and an impressive collection of desert plants. The garden section is particularly beautiful in spring wildflower season. Better suited to cooler morning visits (it opens at 7am) — the animals are more active and the temperature is manageable. A surprising underrated stop, especially for groups with a mix of ages.

Considered one of the best brunches in the entire desert. The menu rotates weekly based on seasonal ingredients and local farms — eggs dishes, housemade pastries, rotating bacon flights, and exceptional coffee. The outdoor courtyard patio is beautiful in the morning before the heat sets in. The line gets long by 9:30am — arrive at opening (8am on weekends) or be prepared to wait. Worth it. Closed Tuesdays.

Set in a stunning 1884 historic building — original brick walls, dramatic high ceilings, gorgeous industrial-chic design. The menu is creative American with a serious cocktail program. The space alone is worth the trip. One of the best dining experiences in the Coachella Valley, and genuinely impressive for a group dinner. Make reservations well in advance during festival weekend — it fills up fast.

A Palm Springs institution since 1963 — a genuine New York-style Jewish deli with towering sandwiches, homemade soups, and baked goods. Casual, unpretentious, and consistently excellent. The matzo ball soup and Reuben are legendary locally. A perfect pre-festival fuel-up spot. Open late compared to most restaurants in the area.

Beautifully designed cocktail bar and small plates restaurant in downtown Palm Springs. The drinks program is serious and creative — many cocktails use locally-foraged desert botanicals. The charcuterie and shared plates pair well with the bar experience. A great spot for groups who want a pre-dinner or late-night drink in a properly designed space rather than a generic bar.

Called "the Rodeo Drive of the Desert," El Paseo is a 1.5-mile outdoor shopping and dining promenade in Palm Desert. Dozens of restaurants and cafes with outdoor seating — the walk itself is pleasant in the late afternoon when heat softens. Great for a casual group dinner with lots of options: Italian, Mexican, American, Japanese, and plenty of bars in between. Less formal than Palm Springs and more accessible for spontaneous groups.

A genuinely world-class museum in a striking mid-century building. The permanent collection covers Native American art, glass art, Western American art, and an impressive sculpture garden. Special exhibitions change seasonally. The architecture alone — designed by E. Stewart Williams — is worth seeing. A good air-conditioned refuge during the peak afternoon heat hours.

A genuinely strange and wonderful place — a 35-room Hopi-inspired pueblo hand-built by Cabot Yerxa over 24 years starting in 1941. Yerxa dug wells in the desert, built a self-sustaining homestead, and turned the whole thing into an eccentric monument to desert life and Hopi culture. Tours run regularly and give a vivid picture of what it meant to be a desert eccentric in early 20th-century California. Unlike anything else in the valley.

Palm Springs is one of the most concentrated collections of mid-century modern architecture in the world — Neutra, Lautner, Frey, Wexler, and more. The Palm Springs Visitors Center has free self-guided tour maps, and the Palm Springs Modern Committee publishes detailed architectural walking routes online. Even if you're not an architecture enthusiast, the neighborhood of Racquet Club Estates (Wexler steel houses) is genuinely impressive. Best done in the morning before heat peaks.

El Paseo's shopping is the Coachella Valley's answer to Beverly Hills — luxury boutiques, gallery spaces, jewelers, and independent home goods stores along a walkable promenade with mountains as a backdrop. Good for an afternoon of browsing, gallery-hopping, and people-watching before a late dinner. The public art installations along the promenade are worth pausing for on their own.

Palm Springs has a thriving vintage and thrift scene, anchored by Revivals — a network of large thrift stores benefiting Desert AIDS Project. The stores are well-organized and genuinely excellent for finding vintage furniture, clothing, mid-century items, and festival wardrobe pieces at fair prices. If you're doing Stagecoach in western wear, this is worth a morning visit before the festival starts.

California's largest inland lake is one of the strangest and most compelling places in the American West. Created accidentally in 1905 when an irrigation canal broke, it became a booming resort destination in the 1950s and 60s before ecological decline set in. Bombay Beach — a small community on the eastern shore — is now a surreal art destination: rusting infrastructure, a flooded volleyball court that fills seasonally, beached boats, and installations by artists who've turned the decay into something worth seeing. Not for everyone. Unforgettable if you make the trip.

The San Gorgonio Pass between Palm Springs and Banning contains one of the largest concentrations of wind turbines in the world — over 4,000 turbines covering the ridgelines. Driving through the pass on I-10 heading toward Los Angeles gives you an extraordinary view of the entire field, particularly dramatic at dusk when the turbines cast long shadows across the pass. A natural stopover if you're heading to or from LA that's genuinely memorable. The Sky Valley Geothermal Area nearby is also worth a brief stop for its small volcanic activity.