Desert
A Weekend in Palm Springs: Architecture, Hikes and Food
Plan a Palm Springs weekend: mid-century homes and Sunnylands, the Aerial Tramway, Indian Canyons hikes, Palm Canyon Drive, and when summer heat gets serious.
By Alex Khachigian · Updated September 2026 · 4 min read
Palm Springs is a desert city at the base of Mount San Jacinto with a large concentration of mid-century modern architecture.
This two-day itinerary covers the architecture, the Aerial Tramway, the Indian Canyons, downtown and Sunnylands, plus a Joshua Tree add-on. My Greater Palm Springs reels were made in a paid partnership with Visit Greater Palm Springs (#sponsored).
In This Guide
- Best Time to Visit Palm Springs
- Day 1 Morning: Mid-Century Modern Architecture
- Day 1 Afternoon: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
- Day 1 Evening: Palm Canyon Drive
- Day 2 Morning: Hiking the Indian Canyons
- Day 2 Afternoon: Uptown Design District and Sunnylands
- Joshua Tree as a Day Trip from Palm Springs
- Where to Stay in Palm Springs
- FAQ
Best Time to Visit Palm Springs
The season is October through May. February and March are busiest, including Modernism Week in February.
It is about 2 hours from Los Angeles; Friday traffic on Interstate 10 can add an hour.
Day 1 Morning: Mid-Century Modern Architecture
Most famous houses are private, so you view them from the sidewalk. Go early, when streets are quiet.
Frey House II and the Palm Springs Art Museum
Albert Frey’s 1964 hillside home above the Palm Springs Art Museum has a boulder in the living space. Tours are occasional, often during Modernism Week.
Frey’s Tramway Gas Station, with its winged roof, is now the Palm Springs Visitor Center at the north entrance to town on Highway 111.
Kaufmann House and the Movie Colony
Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House (1946) is a private residence on West Vista Chino; view it from the street.
The Movie Colony and Vista Las Palmas have clusters of Alexander homes. A guided modernism bike or bus tour helps.
Day 1 Afternoon: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Rotating cars climb from the Valley Station at about 2,600 feet to the Mountain Station at about 8,500 feet in roughly 10 minutes. The top is often 30 or more degrees cooler.
The top is in Mount San Jacinto State Park. The Desert View Trail is an easy loop of about 1.5 miles, and a long trail continues to San Jacinto Peak.
Day 1 Evening: Palm Canyon Drive
Downtown runs along Palm Canyon Drive, with the Walk of Stars and the Forever Marilyn statue near the art museum. VillageFest closes part of the street on Thursday nights for a market.
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza covers the Cahuilla people whose land this is.
- Eat: Tyler’s Burgers downtown for lunch
- Eat: Workshop Kitchen + Bar for dinner in a concrete dining room
- Coffee: Koffi, a local roaster with several locations
Day 2 Morning: Hiking the Indian Canyons
The Indian Canyons, ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, are at the end of South Palm Canyon Drive. The three main trails, Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon and Murray Canyon, each take about 30 to 60 minutes.
Palm Canyon has thousands of fan palms. Murray Canyon leads to the Seven Sisters cascades.
Tahquitz Canyon
Tahquitz Canyon, also tribe-managed, is on the west side of town. The loop is about 2 miles to a seasonal waterfall, best after winter rain.
Day 2 Afternoon: Uptown Design District and Sunnylands
The Uptown Design District on North Palm Canyon Drive has vintage furniture shops, galleries and boutiques like Trina Turk. Cheeky’s is a longtime Uptown brunch spot.
- Moorten Botanical Garden, a family-run cactus garden in Palm Springs
- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert
Sunnylands Center and Gardens
Sunnylands, the former Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage, is about 20 minutes away. The house is by A. Quincy Jones, and the center and gardens are free on open days.
House tours are ticketed and sell out fast. It closes for part of summer.
Joshua Tree as a Day Trip from Palm Springs
Joshua Tree’s west entrance is about an hour away via Highway 62. Go at sunrise for Hidden Valley, Barker Dam and Keys View.
See my 2 days in Joshua Tree itinerary and the Southern California desert loop, which links Palm Springs, Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego.
Where to Stay in Palm Springs
Parker Palm Springs is the design pick in town, with private gardens a short drive from Palm Canyon Drive.
Resorts in Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells trade walkability for space and pools. Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa and The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa suit families; The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage sits on a bluff above the valley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a weekend enough for Palm Springs?
Yes, for the architecture, Aerial Tramway, Indian Canyons and downtown. Add a day for Joshua Tree.
Can you go inside the Kaufmann House?
No. It’s a private residence, so view it from the street.
When is it too hot to visit Palm Springs?
June through September, when highs regularly pass 105°F. Hike only at sunrise then.
How long does the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway take?
About 10 minutes each way. Plan 2 to 4 hours total to walk trails at the top.
How far is Joshua Tree from Palm Springs?
The west entrance is about an hour from Palm Springs.
Destination guide
My Palm Springs hotel, Airbnb and tour picks
