Palm Springs, CA

The Coachella Valley bakes in summer, but the beauty of living where you do is that cool relief and weekend adventure are never far away. Here are five trips worth packing a bag for.

The Coachella Valley bakes in summer, but the beauty of living where you do is that cool relief and weekend adventure are never far away. Here are five trips worth packing a bag for.

1. Temecula Wine Country (~1 hr 15 min west)
Head down the 10 to the 15 and you’re in wine country before you know it. Temecula’s rolling vineyards feel worlds away from the desert floor. Summer is a gorgeous time to go — the vines are lush and green, the tasting rooms are cooler, and many wineries like Ponte and South Coast Winery offer shaded patio dining. Book a hot air balloon at sunrise, spend the afternoon winery-hopping along Rancho California Road, and stay overnight at a vineyard inn. The drive back Sunday morning, windows down, is its own reward.

2. Lake Arrowhead (~1 hr 45 min northwest)
This is Palm Springs residents’ secret pressure valve. Gain 5,000+ feet of elevation in under two hours and suddenly it’s 30 degrees cooler. Stroll the Lake Arrowhead Village, rent a paddleboat or kayak, and eat at a lakeside restaurant with your feet practically in the water. There are cabin rentals perfect for a family weekend. If you go mid-week, you’ll practically have the lake to yourself. Bring a jacket — you’ll actually need one.

3. Joshua Tree & Twentynine Palms (~45 min north)
Technically the closest on the list, but often overlooked as a “destination.” In summer, go at golden hour or under the full moon when the park transforms into something otherworldly. Twentynine Palms has genuinely excellent restaurants and a blossoming arts scene. Stay at a quirky Airbnb “bubble tent” or a retro-chic motel, stargaze until midnight, and do a short sunrise hike before the heat sets in. It’s weird and wonderful and completely unlike anywhere else on Earth.

4. San Diego Gaslamp & Coronado Island (~2 hrs southwest)
When you need a full city fix — salt air, great restaurants, rooftop bars — San Diego delivers without the traffic headache of LA. Coronado is pure classic California: bike over the bridge, lay out on one of the best beaches in the country, grab a drink at the Hotel del Coronado. Back in the Gaslamp Quarter, the dining and nightlife are genuinely world-class. Two nights here feels like a full vacation reset.

5. Big Bear Lake (~2 hrs northwest)
Big Bear gets all the attention in winter, but it’s a legitimate summer gem. The lake is gorgeous for swimming, wakeboarding, and paddleboarding. The village has great shops, breweries, and live music on weekends. Rent a lakeside cabin, fire up the grill, and spend two days doing absolutely nothing strenuous. At 6,700 feet elevation, evenings are cool enough to sit outside with a glass of wine and a flannel shirt — a near-impossible luxury when you’re back in the valley.