But they will offer more scenery and variety. Then take Interstate 10 west to Palm Springs.Īny of these routes are going to take more time than simply taking Interstate 15 north from San Diego to Interstate 10 east to Palm Springs. At Indio you could stop for a date shake at Shields Date Garden. In any case I would not bother stopping to look at the Salton Sea, which I was very disappointed in. If you are really lucky you might get a glimpse of the wild bighorns sheep (borregos) which the area is named for. įrom Anza-Borrego you can either go east on Highway 78 for a relatively flat, straight route to Highway 86, or a more scenic but also more winding and hilly route by taking S22 east from Borrego Springs to Highway 86. Also in the Borrego Springs area are more than 100 metal sculptures. If instead you chose a desert route to get from Julian to Palm Springs, you would take Highway 78 east from Julian, down the Banner Grade to the desert floor, and a possible route through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park if you want to visit that park. Then continue on Highway 243 north from Idyllwild, down the mountain to Interstate 10 and take that east to Palm Springs. You could eat or drive up to Humber Park and see Tahquitz Peak which is a huge rock used by southern California rock climbers before they go on to Yosemite National Park. There is another tiny church further north on Highway 79, over 200 years old, and you can go into it, but I can’t remember the name of it.Ī possible side alternate route would be to take Highway 74 west instead of east, past Lake Hemet and north on Highway 243 to Idyllwild, another mountain village. It has a picturesque graveyard, and three days before your trip that graveyard will be filled with hundreds of candles on Dia de los Muertos, but unfortunately you’ll miss that. If you took that route you could stop at Mission Asistencia Santa Ysabel, a small “satellite” mission of the chain of 21 main missions. If mountain, take Highway 78 west from Julian to Santa Ysabel, then Highway 79 north from Santa Ysabel through Warner Springs, Sunshine Summit, and Aguanga, then at Aguanga take Highway 371 east through Anza to Highway 74 east to Palm Desert then take Highway 111 north through Cathedral City to Palm Springs. īefore leaving Julian you will have to make a major decision of which route to get to Palm Springs: mountain or desert route. I think the best apple pie is at Apple Alley Bakery, so I would get a whole pie to go from there. The town of Julian was a gold-mining area and is now an apple-growing area and the buildings have been preserved to look mostly like they looked 100 years ago. There is a view point on Highway 79 just after you turn off from Sunrise Highway, and that viewpoint does not require any parking fee or pass. Parking along Sunrise Highway requires the National Forest Adventure Pass, so if you stop for anything longer than a quick glance at the views, you will need that pass which you can buy for $5 at the store at Laguna Mountain Lodge. Also, there are great views of the deserts on the right at many spots along Sunrise Highway. Laguna Mountain Recreation Area hasn't had a major fire since 1970 so it is still heavily forested and is a pretty drive. The alternate would be to take Interstate 8 east ro 79 north and drive through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park then on to Julian, but that park was devastated by the Cedar Fire of 2003 and is only slowly recovering, and it not nearly as forested as it was before. I think the most scenic route would be to start by taking Interstate 8 east about 40 miles (64 km) to Sunrise Highway, then turn left onto Sunrise Highway and take that north through Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, to where it intersects with Highway 79 north, and turn right on that and go 6 more miles to Julian.