We really liked La Quinta. We felt it was a kind of West Vancouver in the desert. Affluent, green and lush, lovely homes, lots of shops and restaurants.
La Quinta is an independent city of about 40,000 situated in the metro Palm Springs area.
Views around La Quinta.
Huge palm trees line most of the major throughfares. At this time of year you also get the chance to see some snowy mountains in the background.
We stayed our three nights in the La Quinta area at the RV park in Lake Cahuilla Regional Park which is run by the Riverside County Parks Department.
By Canadian standards the ‘lake’ (very man-made) was truly unremarkable but having spent much time in desolate desert the greenery and the lake were a welcome sight.
We also discovered that the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs metro area and adjoining cities) is where the majority of BC residents flock to for some winter sun. When we checked in at the park we were greeted by a couple also from North Vancouver who were volunteering at the park (presumably for free RV pad spaces) and the other three RV’s nearest ours all had BC license plates.
Views across Lake Cahuilla Regional Park.
Mojo definitely approved of this park, it was the most dog-friendly place we had found in California as it allowed dogs everywhere ! Almost everybody else in the park had a dog too.
View South across the park.
The lake was well stocked with fish, during the day you could buy a permit to fish. However, nature provided a number of their own fishermen.
Our campsite was a good size, well spaced out from the other sites, had a good picnic bench and backed onto the lake.
Sun setting across the lake.
From the park there are views right across the Coachella Valley towards the hills on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park.
The following morning the lake was still and peaceful and the Santa Rosa Mountains reflected in it.
This view in the opposite direction across the lake shows the campsite beside the lake.
More park views. Beside the lake in this section is the day use area with picnic benches and large grassy areas, plus childrens playground and an outdoor swimming pool.
The gardens also contained many date palm trees.
Which were producing a lot of fruit.
After our stay in La Quinta, we drove the 20 miles or so along Highway 111 to Palm Springs.
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