Friends of the Desert Mountains preserves land, supports education, conservation and research in the Coachella Valley, and acts as the support organization for the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

As Friends of the Desert Mountains, we are dedicated to building a community of support to help preserve the unique wildlife and scenic beauty of the Coachella Valley and our Desert Mountains. We acquire and preserve wildlands, promote stewardship of trails, conduct educational programs, and support ecological research.

There are many ways for YOU to become a Friend of the Desert Mountains too - you can Volunteer, join a Guided Hike, Star Party, or Birdwatching, or support our mission with a donation.

Annual charity cycling event in downtown Palm Springs

The Tour de Palm Springs in Coachella Valley is a charity event started in 1998 when Tim Esser cycled from Palm Springs California to Jacksonville, Florida, raising money for local charities. Today, the Tour de Palm Springs is one of the largest events of its kind in America. Up to 30,000 spectators will visit our event located in world famous downtown Palm Springs while cyclists ride between 5 & 100 miles.  Every year the event entertains a diverse group of 5,000 to 10,000 cyclists from 46 different states and 4 countries. Since 1998 the Tour de Palm Springs charity event has distributed nearly $4,000.000.00 to over 150 local nonprofit organizations.