Oasis in the California Desert Near Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Indian Canyons, Casino and Downtown ( Palm Springs )

If traveling through the entirety of Joshua Tree National Park, consider a shady break from the dusty trail at Cottonwood Spring. Here, cottonwood trees intermingle with California fan palms to make for a most ambient green light to sit under and listen to the birds scurry about in the shadows. As you do so, imagine yourself sitting in this shade with the Cahuilla who lived at the spring for hundreds of years leaving behind bedrock mortars that feel powder-smooth to your fingertips. Or even imagine the grinding sound of the arrastra (a circular drag-stone mill for crushing ore) that resides below the spring dating back to the gold mining days.