Day Itinerary
9 Activities
Day 3
240 mi0.2 mi
Discover the Wonders of the Desert on the Return to Los Angeles, via the Salton Sea and Coachella Valley
There's a lot of road to cover today, starting with an hour's drive to the next EV charge point — one of 2 lined up for the day — and a visit to the Salton Sea, one of California's most beguiling natural landmarks. Stop for lunch at a historic Coachella Valley date farm before cruising into downtown Palm Springs via side roads to "meet" the famous Marilyn Monroe statue and explore a bit.
A visit to Greater Palm Springs wouldn't be complete without a ride to the summit of the Palm Springs Aerial Airway, which ascends some 6,000 feet from the base to the summit. Finally, the return route to Los Angeles takes a foothills freeway that's much more scenic and typically less busy than the 1-10, plus California’s oldest highway (and 3rd oldest in the country) the Arroyo Secco Parkway. There's a stop for dinner in a historic Pasadena Craftsman abode along the way.
A visit to Greater Palm Springs wouldn't be complete without a ride to the summit of the Palm Springs Aerial Airway, which ascends some 6,000 feet from the base to the summit. Finally, the return route to Los Angeles takes a foothills freeway that's much more scenic and typically less busy than the 1-10, plus California’s oldest highway (and 3rd oldest in the country) the Arroyo Secco Parkway. There's a stop for dinner in a historic Pasadena Craftsman abode along the way.
57.1 mi
1 hr 10 min
09:1045 min
After driving through fairly desolate desert landscapes for the past hour, no doubt something as ordinary as an air-conditioned grocery store is a welcome sight, as are Tower Market's ChargePoint Stations. While the EV charges, head inside to stock up on cold water or other beverages and any road trip snacks for the day. Don't worry if the vehicle's not 100% charged — there's another stop to charge up before the final drive back to the Greater Los Angeles area.
Type: CCS 2 Stations Power: 50 kW
Type: CCS 2 Stations Power: 50 kW
19.4 mi
25 min
10:201 hr
It's worth the detour to backtrack a bit and check out the Salton Sea State Recreation Area on the east side of that massive body of water you kept catching glimpses of on the drive to Thermal to charge up at Tower Market. (Nope, that wasn't a desert mirage.)
The Salton Sea has a strange-but-true origin story — the basin was occasionally a lake when the Colorado River naturally overflowed, but in the early 20th Century, the entire volume of the Colorado River inadvertently ended up here for 18 months as engineers worked to fix a breached river dam. Water from the Colorado River still keeps the essentially river-fed sea replenished enough to maintain the lake as a natural habitat, although increasing salinity means fewer fish can survive here.
Informational exhibits at the Visitor Center provide great context about this surreal sea in the desert (that plausibly shouldn't exist). Naturally, such a large body of water in the desert is a beacon for migratory birds and millions pass through annually — there's a nice platform not far from the Visitor Center that overlooks the lake, and a short trail, too. Note that the Visitor Center (but not the recreation area) is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Salton Sea has a strange-but-true origin story — the basin was occasionally a lake when the Colorado River naturally overflowed, but in the early 20th Century, the entire volume of the Colorado River inadvertently ended up here for 18 months as engineers worked to fix a breached river dam. Water from the Colorado River still keeps the essentially river-fed sea replenished enough to maintain the lake as a natural habitat, although increasing salinity means fewer fish can survive here.
Informational exhibits at the Visitor Center provide great context about this surreal sea in the desert (that plausibly shouldn't exist). Naturally, such a large body of water in the desert is a beacon for migratory birds and millions pass through annually — there's a nice platform not far from the Visitor Center that overlooks the lake, and a short trail, too. Note that the Visitor Center (but not the recreation area) is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
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