Take a Relaxing Stroll through Moorten Botanical Garden

Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs is a beautiful place to explore desert trees, plants and cacti. The history of this garden is as vibrant as the plant life that grows here. It was once owned by reowned nature photographer Stephen Willard before it was purchased by the Moorten’s in 1938. Chester Moorten sold plants and created a landscape business that thrived, creating for famous names like Walt Disney, Red Skelton, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

To Get There

Moorten Botanical Garden is near downtown Palm Springs
Address: 1701 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264
$5 entry fee
Free street parking

When To Go

Best time of year to visit: November - April / Avoid June - September
Wander along the trail and through the “cactarium” to experience all the shapes and sizes of these prickly plants.

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The prickly pear cactus below has red fruit at the top you can use to make prickly pear syrup. I love a good prickly pear margarita!

There are several arid biomes of plants to explore, like the Central Mexico species below.

Plants and pottery are available for purchase.

Moorten’s is a great place to relax and unwind in nature. Palm Springs also has several hiking trails if you want to immerse yourself in the local biosphere. Tahquitz Canyon is one of my favorites, it’s one of the more lush canyon’s, and it boasts a waterfall. If you take a longer drive to see animals at The Living Desert, there is also a beautiful 5 mile hike within the zoo called the Wilderness Loop.