During the Summer, it is difficult to hike in the Palm Springs area due to the excessive heat.  One can either venture out first thing in the morning, even though it is still relatively hot, or one can take the Palm Springs Aerial Tram into the mountains where it is typically20 - 30 degrees cooler.  I came across a recent Palm Springs Life article about a trail at the top of the tram that I wanted to share with all of you hiking enthusiasts.  Here it is:

Seeking chillier temperatures and less challenging terrain, the San Jacinto wilderness seemed like the most desirable summer destination, and the moderate Desert View Trail was the perfect path back to fitness and my favorite pastime. Per the No. 1 hiking rule (take a friend), I called a companion to come along for the adventure. An offer to escape the triple-digit daytime temperatures in the desert doesn’t take much convincing.

Half the excitement of this excursion is the mode of transportation to the trailhead: the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. We boarded the rotating cable car at Valley Station — situated a few miles from North Palm Canyon Drive at a cooler elevation of 2,643 feet — and ascended 5,873 feet through five “life zones,” from the sweltering Mexican Sonoran Desert to the crisp alpine wilderness. A 40-degree dip from below, the climate at the top was a breezy 68 degrees in mid-afternoon.

Taking a few moments to drink in the sweeping desert and mountain views from the Mountain Station verandas, we then descended a concrete path to Desert View Trail, a 1.5-mile loop that leads through sandy open spaces, grassy knolls, and lush pine forests dotted with pine cones.  Stone cairns mark the path where it would otherwise be unrecognizable, making it impossible — well, for most  — to get lost.

The mostly even trail passes five rocky Notches (or lookouts), each offering a panoramic perspective of the scenic valleys below.

Mellow hikers can explore the base of these boulder lookouts, observing the colorful rocks, plants, and wildlife that abound (wallflowers and Western Gray squirrels seemed most prevalent this time of year). Those who want to kick the intensity up a notch — as we did — can climb to the lookout summits for more spectacular views of the Coachella Valley.

Most of this hike is exposed to the elements, but Notch 4 offers a shady respite beneath the fir trees; a few small boulders serve up the perfect place for a picnic.

We managed to turn a 40-minute jaunt into a three-hour trek, bringing us back to “base camp” just in time to relax with a cocktail at the Lookout Lounge bar before catching the sunset from Grubb’s mountain-view terrace.

Whatever your skill level, this trail is a great way to introduce yourself to the San Jacinto wilderness. More challenging adventures to come.

Desert View Trail
Experience Level: Beginner to intermediate
Distance: 1.5-mile loop
Elevation: Approximately 8,000 feet

In Yucca Valley, a half mile past the turnoff for Pioneertown Road, nearly 50 biblical statues rise from the rocky sandscape.  

It’s magic hour in Desert Christ Park.

Long shadows creep along the terrain, across the statues’ crackly, solemn faces — some missing noses, a chunk of cheekbone, an arm. But not all are in disrepair. Helmed by the nonprofit Desert Christ Park Foundation, a restoration of the 3.5-acre park is underway. In addition, nearly 40 birdhouses have been installed throughout the grounds, along with native flora, to attract and support area wildlife.

“It’s amazing that the work has withstood the elements as well as it has,” says foundation president Roxanne Miller, who joined the all-volunteer board in 2011. “It was hand-done; they’re not marble, they’re just steel-reinforced concrete. It’s art that was significant in the ’50s that people weren’t afraid of. They weren’t looking down on it. I value the historical position it holds in Yucca Valley.”

The destination, open and free to the public from sunrise to set, was the vision of the Rev. Eddie Garver and sculptor Antone Martin; the nearly 50 statues depict biblical scenes, such as the Last Supper and the Resurrection.

Garver moved with his family in 1946 to start a church in the dusty, unincorporated town of Yucca Valley, the same year a handful of Old Hollywood filmmakers established Pioneertown as a Wild West motion-picture set. Garver angled to create a Christian-themed park, a “place of light” amid the bleak desert, open to all walks of life.

Martin, a poet who worked in a bomber plant, was living in Inglewood, California, at that time. He felt a call to produce a 10-foot, 5-ton statue of Christ, which he hoped to install at the rim of the Grand Canyon. When the National Park Service turned him down, Garver offered “the unwanted Christ” a home.

Life magazine reported in 1951 on the statue’s transit by truck from Los Angeles and its installation in the High Desert. Martin moved into a trailer on-site and continued to sculpt.

Following a disagreement with Garver, allegedly over property ownership, the artist relocated most of the statues — those he was able to move — to an adjacent plot of land, and Garver moved out of state.

To Read More, click on this link:  https://www.palmspringslife.com/desert-christ-park/