Shifting Sands & Seismic Secrets – A San Andreas Fault Safari

The Coachella Valley Preserve & Box Canyon with a Local Guide

With Included Boxed Lunch Picnic

Saturday, November 9, 2024

On this truly unique and educational experience, we’ll travel to the Coachella Valley to explore the San Andreas Fault. Onboard for this exclusive new tour will be a local guide who will tell the story of California’s seismic activity and share a wealth of knowledge about fault activity, local geography and geology. We’ll visit the Coachella Valley Preserve, a 20,000-acre nature preserve providing a fascinating ecosystem in the Indio Hills east of Palm Springs. After an introduction to plate tectonics, we’ll have an opportunity to stand on the San Andreas Fault and see a palm oasis up-close. These lush pockets of vegetation amongst this dry desert landscape are sustained by underground water seeping out of the San Andreas Fault. This afternoon we’ll continue into the Mecca Hills and visit the "backside" of the fault at Box Canyon. These uniquely eroded formations are the result of the ongoing collision between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate along the San Andreas Fault, making the Mecca Hills one of the more unusual geological sites of its kind. This unobstructed view of 3-5 million years of tectonic plate destruction is one reason why the Mecca Hills Wilderness has been studied so extensively by geologists and seismologists. Don't miss this intriguing and fascinating day that includes a boxed lunch picnic. No visit to the Coachella Valley is complete without a stop at Hadley Fruit Orchards. Founded in 1931, this southern California landmark has provided a friendly place to shop for premium quality Medjool dates, dried fruit, nuts, hand-mixed trail mixes, honey, preserves, freshly-ground peanut butter and a variety of gifts. At the snack bar is where you’ll find their famous date shakes! This tour involves moderate walking over uneven terrain, and closed-toe shoes are recommended. .