Palm Spring then San Diego with kids

jukes wrote:

WishWeWereCamping wrote:
Sam's Family Spa in Desert Hot Springs. Family friendly, great pool, great mineral pools, plus a sauna

Close to Joshua Tree for some great hikes. Take the back road for some fun up and down road sections in the TV!

Palm Springs/Desert Hot Springs is a long trip from Santa Cruz, we've made the trip many times. Call now if you want reservations after Christmas, it's very popular and there are tons of people from up north going there at that time of the year.

Sam's also has hotel rooms (not fancy) with kitchens that might accommodate you. It's less crowded after New Year's, depending on what day of the year it is. Our kids loved Sam's. We haven't been there for a while, but they had a clubhouse with ping pong tables, a pool table, & TV. It's not new and sophisticated, but kind of funky and comfortable (and clean).

Sam's is a little bit away from Palm Springs, but there are stores, restaurants and other services within a short drive. The Coachella Valley Natural Area is pretty cool too.

Thanks for this info, it's so useful because this was definitely the RV Park that stood out as family friendly. The idea of the hot springs is enticing, but Sam's has such randomly good and bad reviews! however I like the sound of it! Would you base yourselves there and just drive to Joshua Tree or camp there a night or two too? You must live near us, we live in Aptos!

We are near the KOA in La Selva. We've never camped in Joshua Tree but liked it enough to go back at least twice every trip. It can get pretty cold there in January. Doesn't take very long to get there from Sam's, depending on what you want to see. I bought a book called "On Foot in Joshua Tree" that had some nice easy hikes. Can't find it right now but it's available on Amazon.