Winter Events in the Desert

The Coachella Valley is known for its scorching 120+ degree summers, and basically year-round sunshine. However, when the month of December approaches, the valley is graced with 60 degree temperatures during the day and below-50 degree nights. To most desert natives, the winter can become unbearable with its chilling arrival; however, it only happens for a couple of weeks and we must take advantage of its long-awaited visitation.

If you enjoy exploring the landscape that the greater Coachella Valley has to offer, how about doing it at night under a full moon? Friends of the Desert Mountains is holding a family-friendly mountain hike on Dec. 20 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Since this is an event happening late in the evening, it is important to come prepared and let your parents know. Maybe invite them too! Friends of the Desert Mountains suggests hikers to come prepared with water, headlights, flashlights, and close-toed shoes. For more information regarding the hike location and to RSVP for this free outdoor event, visit their website (desertmountains.org).

Next on our winter events list is the desert’s famous Wild Lights at the Living Desert located in Palm Desert. For $12, attendees are able to look at our local zoo decorated with a plethora of Christmas lights. Children, members of the Living Desert, and veterans are eligible for a $10 ticket with their ID. Wildlights is an event filled with Christmas spirit, hot chocolate, arts and crafts, camel and carousel rides, and live entertainment. This year, the Living Desert is celebrating its 26th annual Wildlights and wants you to be there! Go to their website (livingdesert.org) for event dates and times.

For those who like problem solving, The Escape Room at The River in Palm Desert has a Christmas themed game. These escape rooms are best played with a big group of people that can either be your friends or family. In this Christmas themed game, you have 60 minutes to solve the case of the missing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. According to their website (escapegamesattheriver.com) the difficulty level is a 7/10. Let us know on lqhawkview.com in the comment section if you and your group had the brain power to complete this puzzle!

There are various things to do in our desert other than going to the movies and the mall, trust me. Give Google a try and discover what other cool things our valley has to offer. Let us know at lqhawkview.com if you attended any of these events. We’d love to hear from you!