Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Mecca Dos Palmas and San Andreas Springs

Dos Palmas and San Andreas Springs

These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

Mecca, California

Added By
Jessica Leigh Hester
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Come on in!   Bob Wick, BLM/CC by 2.0
The oases feel like prehistoric wonderlands.   Nanci Hester/Atlas Obscura
You might find traces of the small, black berries in scat, too.   Jessica Leigh Hester/Atlas Obscura
Those are some tall trees.   Jessica Leigh Hester/Atlas Obscura
Follow the trail.   Jessica Leigh Hester/Atlas Obscura
Pedestrian entrance   Avoiding Regret (Used with permission)
Below sea level   Avoiding Regret
One of the ponds at Dos Palmas   Avoiding Regret (Used with permission)
San Andreas trail   Avoiding Regret (Used with permission)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Minutes from the mightily saline Salton Sea, there are clusters of palm trees swaying in the desert. 

Both San Andreas Springs and its neighbor, Dos Palmas Preserve, evoke secret gardens, filled with nothing but native California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) whose dead fronds fall down like shaggy skirts. They flourish here because of easy access to water from springs and the Coachella Canal.

The 1,400-acre property is under the care of the Bureau of Land Management, but anyone can wander around the groves of towering trees. They're giant, rustling, and often heavy with the berries that Cahuilla people have used to make jams and jellies. 

As you explore the damp, earthy oases, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the Yuma clapper rail and other creatures that call this place home. After an afternoon amid the trees, you may wish you could say the same for yourself.

Related Tags

Trees Oasis Deserts Flora Plants

Know Before You Go

The site is open to visitors, but please respect the marked paths. Park your car in the designated area, and then follow the trail. 

Community Contributors

Added By

jessicahester1

Edited By

Avoiding Regret

  • Avoiding Regret

Published

April 9, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.blm.gov/visit/dos-palmas-preserve
Dos Palmas and San Andreas Springs
Palmas Spring Rd
Mecca, California
United States
33.508856, -115.827141
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Salton Sea

Mecca, California

miles away

International Banana Museum

Mecca, California

miles away

Bombay Beach

Bombay Beach, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mecca

Mecca

California

Places 4
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Salton Sea

Mecca, California

miles away

International Banana Museum

Mecca, California

miles away

Bombay Beach

Bombay Beach, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mecca

Mecca

California

Places 4
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Palms flourish around McCallum Pond.

    Thousand Palms, California

    Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve

    Hike amid the palm trees that thrive among Southern California's Indio Hills.

  • Tree of Life

    Bahrain

    Shajarat-al-Hayat (Tree of Life)

    This centuries-old tree tells an unusual tale of vegetation and fertility in the desert.

  • Tulare County, California

    Mark Twain Stump

    The last remnant of a tree that helped prove to the world that sequoias are real—and they’re spectacular.

  • The Much Marcle Yew Tree

    Much Marcle, England

    Much Marcle Ancient Yew

    One of the oldest and most majestic living trees in Britain, thought to be over 1,500 years old.

  • Joan of Arc medallion

    Cedar Crest, New Mexico

    Sandia Medallion Trees

    Mysterious markers have been giving the public a lesson in dendrochronology for over a century.

  • Calle Dr. Garcia Rogel street in Palmeral de Orihuela

    Orihuela, Spain

    Palmeral of Orihuela

    The second largest palm grove in Europe was planted during Moorish times and has been largely unchanged since then.

  • Remains of the Alishan Sacred Tree

    Alishan, Taiwan

    Alishan Sacred Tree Relics

    You can still see the remains of a sacred 3,000-year-old cypress.

  • Hanegi Park plum blossoms

    Tokyo, Japan

    Hanegi Park

    The 650 red and white Japanese plum trees of this Tokyo neighborhood blossom each spring.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.