Place · Outdoors

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center

When

Visit on your scheduleOpen Friday through Sunday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day

Where

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center51-500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260Open in Google Maps ↗

Ages

Check age guidance

Cost

Check official pricing

Organizer

Bureau of Land Management

The BLM visitor center for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument sits on Highway 74 about 4 miles south of Highway 111 in Palm Desert. It is open Friday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day and closing at 2:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Monument staff are available to discuss recreation, and there are public information and restrooms; the Friends of the Desert Mountains have their offices and volunteer center on the campus. The accessible 0.2-mile Ed Hastey Garden Trail loops around the building as an introduction to desert plants and animals, and the free 'Agents of Discovery' augmented-reality app turns it into a kids' secret-agent challenge. The 2.5-mile Randall Henderson loop trail (can be hiked as 1.75- or 1-mile loops) starts in the southern parking lot. Friends of the Desert Mountains hosts star parties, lectures and hikes here.