Desert Hot Springs, California
Desert Hot Springs is a city of 33,200 people in Riverside County, California.
Why visit Desert Hot Springs
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 13 parks and trails, 19 places to eat, 6 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo and Museum, Cabot's Pueblo Museum, Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Mission Creek Preserve.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 94°F; December lows average 40°F.
Weather in Desert Hot Springs
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Desert Hot Springs
Desert Hot Springs is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region. The population was 32,512 as of the 2020 census, up from 25,938 at the 2010 census. The city has experienced rapid growth since the 1970s when there were 2,700 residents.
From the Wikipedia article Desert Hot Springs, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks2
Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo and Museum
Museum · 3.5 mi
67-616 E. Desert View Avenue, Desert Hot Springs
Oct-May Tu-Sa 09:00-16:00; Jun-Sep Th-Sa 09:00-13:00; Su 12:00-16:00
Cabot's Pueblo Museum
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Historic house museum in Desert Hot Springs, California Old Indian Pueblo and Old Indian Pueblo and Museum)
Parks, trails and playgrounds13
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Park · 3.2 mi
Nature preserve in southern California, USA
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Mission Creek Preserve
Park · 6.4 mi
Preserve and trail system in Southern California, United States of America
Mission Lakes Country Club
Golf course · 1.8 mi
18 hole Par 71
8484 Clubhouse Boulevard, Desert Hot Springs
1 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes19
The Cottage Too
Restaurant · American, Breakfast · 2.1 mi
66230 Pierson Boulevard, Desert Hot Springs
Mo-Fr 07:00-13:30; Sa-Su 06:00-13:30
Ty's Chipotle Tacos
Restaurant · Mexican · 2.3 mi
12105 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs
Domino's
Fast food · Pizza · 2.5 mi
13900 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs
Mo-Th 10:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-01:00; Su 10:00-24:00
7 more on the map.
History
The only people residing in areas north of Palm Springs before the 20th century were the Cahuilla Indians in the village of Seven Palms. Although Cahuilla people never settled permanently in today's Desert Hot Springs, they often camped here during winter times due to the warm climate.
According to early homesteader and writer Cabot Yerxa in his newspaper columns published in The Desert Sentinel newspaper, the first homesteader in the area of the city of Desert Hot Springs was Hilda Maude Gray, who staked her claim in 1908.
Cabot Yerxa arrived in 1913 and soon discovered the hot water aquifer on Miracle Hill. Due to the Mission Creek Branch of the San Andreas Fault bisecting the area, one side is a cold water aquifer, the other has a hot water aquifer. His large Pueblo Revival Style architecture structure, hand built over 20 years, is now one of the oldest adobe-style buildings in Riverside County and houses Cabot's Pueblo Museum, designated a state historical site after his death in 1965. Cabot's Trading Post & Gallery opened there in February 2008.
The town was founded by L. W. Coffee on July 12, 1941. The original town site was centered at the intersection of Palm Drive and Pierson Boulevard and was only one square mile. Coffee chose the name Desert Hot Springs because of the area's natural hot springs.
From the History section of Desert Hot Springs, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay6
Churches and places of worship3
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 2.6 mi
66700 Pierson Boulevard, Desert Hot Springs
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging6
Schools, colleges and libraries15
Bubbling Wells Elementary
School · 3.5 mi
67501 Camino Campanero, Desert Hot Springs
Desert Springs Middle
School · 2.7 mi
66-755 Two Bunch Palms Trail, Desert Hot Springs
Map of Desert Hot Springs
70 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59°F | 41°F | 2.7 in |
| Feb | 61°F | 42°F | 2.9 in |
| Mar | 66°F | 45°F | 0.9 in |
| Apr | 73°F | 48°F | 0.2 in |
| May | 80°F | 54°F | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 63°F | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 94°F | 68°F | 0.2 in |
| Aug | 94°F | 70°F | 0.2 in |
| Sep | 88°F | 66°F | 0.2 in |
| Oct | 78°F | 57°F | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 67°F | 47°F | 0.3 in |
| Dec | 59°F | 40°F | 1.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Morongo Valley N (9 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Riverside County has had 47 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2026-05-20: Bain Fire (Fire)
- 2024-09-11: Airport Fire (Fire)
- 2024-07-21: Hawarden Fire (Fire)
- 2023-11-21: Tropical Storm Hilary (Hurricane)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2022-09-06: Fairview Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Garnet 5 mi southeast, about 7 min by car
- Desert Edge 6 mi southeast, about 10 min by car
- Cathedral City 10 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
- Palm Springs 11 mi south, about 17 min by car
- Yucca Valley 13 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Cabazon 14 mi west, about 23 min by car
- Rancho Mirage 15 mi southeast, about 24 min by car
- Thousand Palms 15 mi southeast, about 23 min by car
- Joshua Tree 17 mi northeast, about 28 min by car
- Palm Desert 18 mi southeast, about 29 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Desert Hot Springs, California (8364279254), 1950sUnlimited, CC BY 2.0
- Desert Hot Springs Motel 01, ikkoskinen, CC BY 2.0
- Desert Hot Springs Motel 02, ikkoskinen, CC BY 2.0
- Desert Hot Springs Motel 03, ikkoskinen, CC BY 2.0
- Desert Hot Springs, California City Hall, Z3lvs, CC0
- Cabot Pueblo, Desert Hot Springs, CA (5860430259), inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cabot Pueblo, Desert Hot Springs, CA (5860447741), inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cabot Pueblo, Desert Hot Springs, CA (5861007556), inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cabot Pueblo, Desert Hot Springs, CA (5860463605), inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cabot Pueblo, Desert Hot Springs, CA (5860407545), inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cabots-Pueblo-Museum, Jllm06, CC0
- Big Morongo Canyon, Canyon Trail, Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wildlands Mission Creek Wetlands, BookOfDisquiet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Record Rooter (4296205508), Orin Zebest from San Francisco, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Yamaha PortaTone - Here Are Music Makers, Orin Zebest from San Francisco, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- XP Camper 6344, Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- XP Camper 6343, Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Gorgonio Pass wind farm April 2024, Spiglanin, CC BY 4.0
- Wind power plants - panoramio, Alen Ištoković, CC BY 3.0
- Mount San Jacinto in California - 2010-04-21, Luke Jones (Accretion Disc on Flickr) https://www.flickr.com/photos/befuddledsenses/, CC BY 2.0
- Jimson Weed - Datura spp. - Flickr - docentjoyce, Joyce Cory on Flickr as docentjoyce, CC BY 2.0
- Wind Energy (15394288964), Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Southern California Wind Turbine Sunrise Dillon Wind Power Project 6D2B2457, Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wind Turbines Southern California 6D2B2441, Tony Webster, CC BY 3.0
- Dillon Wind Power Project (15396918783), Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Dillon Wind Power Project (15990721656), Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Ovis canadensis nelsoni 334324988, Adam Jackson, CC0
- Ovis canadensis nelsoni 330881409, Adam Jackson, CC0
- 05996-Riverside-1905-The San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Ry-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag (cropped), Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 05754-Riverside-1905-City Park Riverside, California-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 05753-Riverside-1905-City Park Riverside, California-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 05585-Riverside-1904-Mine Host and Hostess, Glenwood Hotel-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 06000-Riverside, Cal.-1905-Souvenir Mail Beach, Gleenwood Hotel-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 05554-Riverside-1904-Carnegie Library Riverside California-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 05624-Riverside-1904-In the Hotel Glenwood, Riverside, Cal.-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
- 05996-Riverside-1905-The San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Ry-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag, Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, CC0
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