Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

Picturesque Backdrops

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains rise abruptly from the desert floor, reaching an elevation of 10,834 feet at the summit of Mount San Jacinto.

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains provide a picturesque backdrop to local communities. The national monument significantly contributes to the Coachella Valley's lure as a popular resort and retirement community. It is also a desirable backcountry destination that can be accessed via trails from both the valley floor and the alpine village of Idyllwild.

Visitor Center

Hours:

• The Visitor Center is currently closed until further notice (Aug. 30, 2024 update).
• The upper parking lot, near the Randall Henderson Trailhead, remains open to visitors, who can walk around the Visitor Center Campus, refill water bottles at the hydration station and explore the trails nearby on days the facility is closed. A few brochures will be made available for visitors to grab on the outside entryway of the Visitor Center with information about the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

Street and mailing address:

Located on Highway 74, south of State Highway 111 in Palm Desert.

(760)862-9984

(800)735-2922

Friends of the Desert Mountains

Friends of the Desert Mountains is the nonprofit support arm for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument — the mountainsides that provide such spectacular scenery, wildlife, and recreation for our growing Coachella Valley communities. Since 2000, they have raised funds to remodel the visitor center, coordinated the Environmental Health Education program with schools in the Monument, organized volunteers to greet and educate Monument visitors & much more. Their volunteers operate a gift shop and bookstore at the National Monument Visitor Center, offer group hikes, lectures, host classroom programs & projects.

Events

See the Events Calendar from the Friends of the Desert Mountains for upcoming activities.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Friends of the Desert Mountains provide a number of ways in which you can get involved. This includes citizen science, guiding interpretive hikes, trails stewardship, providing visitor services in the visitor center, being a weed warrior (removing non-native plants), and youth and senior outreach programs.

About the Monument

The Monument was created on October 24, 2000 and is a cooperative effort of the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, state agencies and local governments. The visitor center has exhibits on desert wildlife and cultural history, provides information on monument hiking trails and vistas.

Photos from Around the Monument