Palm Springs Windmill Tours
DETAILS:
Location: 62950 20th Ave, Palm Springs, CA 92258
Hours of Operation:
Daily from approximately 9AM to 12:45PM
Tours depart every 15 minutes and can be purchased via their website (provided below under “resources”).
Parking: During Covid regulations, the tour is self-driving so you won’t need to park. Self-guided bike tours are also available. If you choose this option, there is a free parking lot at the start of the tour.
Cost:
Self-driving tour: $49 per car.
Self-guided bike tour (BYOB): $20 per biker.
Time Commitment: 1 hour.
Miscellaneous:
A free app and/or Youtube video can be used to access curated video information associated with each stop along the tour.
Please see their website below (under “resources”) for current information and pricing since all info above is during Covid regulations.
The Windmill Market is a recommended nearby stop for great sandwiches and date shakes. (17080 N Indian Canyon Dr, North Palm Springs, CA 92258)
If you’ve ever driven between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, there’s no doubt you’ve been mesmerized by an army of three-armed giants spinning away against the backdrop of desert mountains. It’s an impressive site to behold and iconic to the Coachella Valley. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered you could actually tour these white monoliths up close instead of only viewing them from along the highway thanks to a company called Palm Springs Windmill Tours.
These windmill farms (technically called wind turbine generators) harness the wind in order to produce clean, renewable energy. Along with solar power, it’s something we need to rely on more as we move towards a hopeful future of alternative energy sources. The tour guides you through 10 marked stops. In conjunction with a curated video (via a free app or youtube) that you can play at each stop, you’ll learn about the history and function of these mammoth pinwheels and are allowed to get out and explore as well (aka - photo ops).
Along the way, you’ll discover that the windmills have the perfect home in the Coachella Valley since their location in the San Gorgonio Pass is one of the windiest places in the United States! The largest of these windmills can stand more than 300 feet tall with a wingspan of a football field. In its heyday, there were as many as 4,000 windmills in the area, but that number has slowly decreased (close to 2,000 now) with advances in wind turbine technology that require less windmills to produce the same amount of energy. Speaking of energy, these windmills generate 600 million kilowatt-hours per year. That’s enough to power the majority of the Coachella Valley which encompass 9 cities. You’ll glean all that and more when taking a Palm Springs Windmill Tour. Learning something new and important should always look this cool. We are all Don Quixote in search of windmills.
RESOURCES:
Palm Springs Windmill Tours website.
