Location: From I-10 at Indio, take the Dillon Road offramp and turn south. At the first stoplight, just over the railroad tracks, turn southeast onto Highway 111. Proceed on Highway 111 through the towns of Coachella, Theral and Mecca, to the Salton Sea. About 10 miles southeast of Mecca, turn left onto Parkside Drive. Take Parkside to the end and turn right onto Desert Aire. Follow Desert Aire to its end, then turn left onto the unnamed dirt road. Take the next left fork and stay on the dirt road to Rancho Dos Palmas.
Comments: Dos Palmas is an oasis with fan palms and pools fed by artesian springs and seepage from the nearby Coachella Canal to form a lush wetland area. The California black rail (listed by the state as Threatened) makes its home here, hiding among the cattails and bulrush. Other residents include the leaf-nosed bat and prairie falcons. The water also attracts American avocets, least bitterns, black-necked stilts, snowy egrets, osprey, lesser scaup, and buffleheads. Prairie falcons, northern harriers and loggerhead shrikes take to the air of the surrounding desert. Other animals include the unique flat-tailed horned lizard and other reptiles. Desert pupfish may be seen in the ponds. Colorado Valley woodrats also find a home here.
