Hidden Palms Hike

Coachella Valley Preserve in the California desert.

2022 November  ◬  33.8193164, -116.2946066

A twenty minute drive to the east of Palm Springs lies this little gem. This preserve is setup to protect the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata). You may have seen some toe prints on either side of a thin line created by their tail on nearby sand dunes. Evidence this lizard is active and mostly located along the southern edge of this space. As you can imagine, it's hot. Especially in summer. More water than necessary is a good plan.