Steven Biller

3 weeks ago | palmspringslife.com | Steven Biller

Named for the editor of the original Desert Magazine and founder of the city of Palm Desert, the 2.5-mile Randall Henderson Loop Trail starts at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitors Center on Highway 74. The trail’s easy terrain, which gains a gentle 448 feet, and numerous informational signs make for a relaxed exploration of the area’s ecology and geology.

1 month ago | palmspringslife.com | Steven Biller

“Season” has ended, part-timers have left for the summer, and the rest of us have the desert to ourselves — roads, restaurants, attractions, and hiking trails. Yes, you can hike in the summer if you start before dawn — or if you invest $85  in  the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Summer Pass, offering unlimited tram rides to the verdant, pine-scented wilderness of Mount San Jacinto State Park, 8,600 feet above the Coachella Valley. (The pass is valid May 1 through Aug.

2 months ago | palmspringslife.com | Steven Biller

Liz Lapp and I love magazines — the smell, the design, the experience of finding a comfy spot to sit and read them from cover to cover — the way great stories and photographs were intended to be consumed. With precious few local newsstands to provide my fix, Liz, owner of Hi Desert Times in Twentynine Palms, became my dealer. Inspired by a magazine shop she frequented while living in New York, she opened her small but mighty store in July 2023.

2 months ago | palmspringslife.com | Steven Biller

Wild interventions of land and light, daring exercises in sustainable architecture, and a spirit-replenishing gas station prevail in the fifth biennial edition of Desert X, an exhibition of site-specific art that continues through May 11 at sites across the Coachella Valley. The open-air, free-to-attend show features 11 projects by artists from around the globe, curated by artistic director Neville Wakefield and co-curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas.

2 months ago | palmspringslife.com | Steven Biller

Located in the Coachella Valley Preserve in Thousand Palms, the 1.9-mile Hidden Palms Trail meanders through lush palm oases on gentle terrain, suitable for hikers of all skill levels. The route offers panoramic mountain views, diverse wildlife — including many bird species — and desert plants such as creosote bushes and various cactuses. From the trailhead, follow the marked stakes east to Hidden Palms.