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Explore The Iconic Palm Springs Windmills

Captivating Palm Springs Windmill Tours

Nestled amidst the scenic beauty of the Coachella Valley, the Palm Springs Windmills stand tall and proud, casting their shadows against the backdrop of sprawling desert landscapes. These iconic wind turbines have become an emblem of renewable energy and a must-visit attraction for tourists and nature enthusiasts alike. As you wander through fields of spinning giants, you’ll notice how these towering structures have become an iconic symbol of the Coachella Valley. Their picturesque presence has made them popular subjects for artists, photographers, and filmmakers, further enhancing their charm and allure. The best way to explore the windmills is through the Palm Springs Windmill Tours .

A Glimpse into the Past

The Desert Power and Water Company, established in 1914, erected several wind turbines to generate electricity for local communities. However, due to technological limitations and the availability of cheaper power sources, this early attempt at commercial wind power was not successful.

It wasn’t until 1982 that the modern era of wind power began in Palm Springs. The installation of more giant and more efficient wind turbines led to a significant increase in wind energy production. Today, the area is home to one of the largest wind turbine farms in the United States, with over 3,000 turbines generating clean, renewable energy.

The Palm Springs windmills have become an iconic symbol of the region, attracting tourists and photographers alike. They stand tall against the scenic backdrop of the desert landscape and continue to play a crucial role in generating sustainable energy for Southern California.

A Look Into The Future

As technology advances, older wind turbines are being replaced with more efficient and larger models. This trend is likely to continue, leading to an expansion of the windmill farms in Palm Springs. Newer turbines have higher capacities, taller towers, and longer blades, enabling them to harness more wind energy and generate electricity at a lower cost.

Wind power will increasingly play a crucial role in the energy grid. The windmills in Palm Springs can provide clean and reliable electricity to support the growing demand for renewable energy. Improved grid infrastructure and advancements in energy storage technologies will enhance the integration and stability of wind power in the region.

Palm Springs Windmill Tours

The Palm Springs Windmill Tours are the only windmill tours in the U.S. that offers in-depth tours on a private wind farm. The tours not only tells you a story of 40 years of wind farms in Southern California, you will also learn about wind energy, how a wind turbine works, and a bit about the history of wind power. You will also learn why the San Gorgonio Pass is one of the most consistently windy places in the United States. After the tour, you will better understand renewable energy as a whole, which is so vital to the future of our planet.

As you embark on the windmill tour, you’ll get an up-close look at the massive wind turbines that line the landscape. Marvel at their sheer size, standing as high as 300 feet with blades spanning over 100 feet in length. Learn about the intricate engineering that allows these turbines to capture the power of the wind, converting it into electricity. The Palm Springs Windmills generate enough renewable energy to power thousands of homes, making a significant contribution towards a greener future.

For an immersive experience, consider embarking on one of the guided Palm Springs Windmill Tours. Knowledgeable guides will provide fascinating insights into the history, technology, and environmental benefits of these wind turbines. You’ll have the opportunity to witness the elegant dance of the blades up close while learning about the challenges and advancements in harnessing wind energy.

The Palm Springs Windmills aren’t just a sight to behold in themselves; they are surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. Take a moment to soak in the stunning desert landscapes, picturesque mountains, and vast expanses of palm trees that form the backdrop for these wind turbines. The juxtaposition of nature’s splendor with man-made ingenuity creates a truly awe-inspiring experience.

Windmill Tour Options

  VIP Chartered Windmill Tour – 2 hours

The VIP Chartered Tour will take you on a “behind the scene” journey of the wind farms in their electric vehicle with a personal Wind Tour Guide. The tour begins with a video orientation that introduces the wind farm and explains how and why wind energy works. Guests then board a five-passenger covered electric cart for an unforgettable open-air experience on the 100-acre wind farm. This is a fantastic interactive experience.

This VIP Chartered has a minimum of two passengers and a maximum of five. Reservations must be made in advance.  Book Now

Available 10 am – 2 pm

Self-Driving Windmill Tour – Approximately 1.5 hours

Upon entering the private wind farm, you will check in at the Tour Center. Here you can view timeline exhibits and video on the history of the wind farm.  A tour guide is on property at all times and is available for assistance.

Equipped with audio, you will visit 10 clearly visible marked stops on your tour. You are encouraged to get out of your vehicle and explore the windmills. Plus, there are also two additional optional stops ending up above a vista for some great photos.

You can book this tour online in advance, or just drop by. If you book online, an email confirmation will include a downloadable APP for bonus material. Kids under 12 are free.   Book Now

  Available 9 am – 2 pm.  Palm Springs Windmill Tours – 62950 20 th Avenue, Palm Springs, 92262

Note: Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and wind, including closed-toed shoes .

The Palm Springs Windmill Tours offer visitors a unique blend of historical significance, technological marvels, and natural beauty. As you stand in the presence of these giants, you can’t help but appreciate the significant role they play in promoting sustainable energy sources and preserving our planet. An excursion to the Palm Springs Windmills is not just an outing but an opportunity to be inspired by the potential of renewable energy and the harmonious relationship between mankind and the environment.

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Palm Springs Windmill Tours

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Palm Springs Windmill Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Jennifer Lopez, Feid, Luis Miquel, Melanie Martinez, Grupo Firme > Get TICKETS!

Palm springs official guide to palm springs, california.

Palm Springs Windmills

Palm Springs Windmills Adjacent to Highway 111 and the I-10 Freeway just northwest of Palm Springs Tour The Palm Springs Windmills!

Immortalized in the helicopter chase in the movie Mission Impossible III starring Tom Cruise, the Palm Springs windmills are an increasingly popular alternative source of energy. Wind turbine generators are a type of windmill that produces electricity by harnessing the wind. They require average wind speeds of at least 21 km/h (13 mph). The largest of these windmills stands 328 feet tall with blades half the length of an American football field (150 feet). The compartments at the top containing the generator, hub and gearbox weigh 30,000 to 45,000 pounds.

The North Wind 250 is an advanced technology, 250 kW wind turbine developed by the New World Power Technology Company under the DOE Wind Turbine Development Program. The two-bladed, upwind turbine uses aircraft-style aileron controls that deploy in high winds to smooth out energy spikes.

PalmSprings.com : The Official Guide to Palm Springs, California!

Palm Springs Windmill Tours

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Palm Springs Windmill Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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How to See the Windmills in Palm Springs!

Have you always been curious about the windmills in Palm Springs?  Did you know you can get up close and learn all about them by checking out the Palm Springs Windmill Tour?  Read on to get all the details about self-driving windmill tours available now!

This is a hosted post.  We received tickets in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are honest and our own.  This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.  We earn a commission on all qualifying purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.  Thank you for your support!

The Windmills in Palm Springs: My Childhood Fascination

If you’ve ever driven to Palm Springs from the LA area, you know that there are some huge windmills dotting the hillside that seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere.  I remember seeing these windmills as a kid driving out to visit my uncle.  When I found out the windmills generated power?  Mind blown!  How was this even possible?

As a kid that grew up with NKOTB and Full House, you know that internet was not even a thing.  Solar power and wind power were shiny and new concepts to me.  I thought these windmills and the science behind them were like something out of the movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!”  Now, if you don’t know what decade I’m talking about, you can just assume that I’m 21 😉

I suspect that the windmills are every bit as intriguing to kids today.  My entire family was excited to get up close to the windmills and finally learn more about them.  I was so happy to see they were still just as excited when we got through the tour.

How do I get a tour of the windmills?

Palm Springs Windmill Tours allows you to get up close and see the windmills.  New in the era of COVID, you can now drive through the tour in your own car with an audio tour narrating and directing you where to go.

Just make a reservation for your car in one of the 15 minute time slots and you’ll be on your way.  The tour is set up so that each car can stop at designated stops and get out to look up close.  You will be reminded to allow the party ahead of you to finish up and move on to the next stop before you get out and take your turn.  This is a tour that you can be confident will be COVID safe and socially distanced.

What makes the windmill tour entertaining?

Here are just some of the reasons we found the windmill self-driving tour entertaining:

Learning opportunities

There will be no shortage of learning on this tour.  In fact, the very first thing we learned was that each blade is 125 feet long and weighs about 14,000 pounds!  That is for EACH BLADE.  When you stand next to one of these windmills, you can’t help but be in awe.

The tour contains 10 stops total with an additional 2 suggested stops after.  During the tour, you will see and learn about the fails and wins on the way to developing the windmill technology we see along the freeway today.  There are multiple wind turbine prototypes you will see spanning across the years as evidence of the process required to refine this technology.

Other things you will see include a solar farm, active wind turbine, and a view of the valley of windmills if you head over to the 12th suggested/optional stop.

Picture opportunities

There are so many fun picture ops while driving through the windmills.  In fact, the guide that greeted us at the gate even gave us suggestions on a fun TikTok video we could make while in front of the active wind turbine!

My favorite pictures included:

• The field of windmills
• The breathtaking view of the windmills while parked atop a hill
• My daughter with “wings” in front of a fallen old windmill prototype
• My car parked in front of the windmills (how many people get to do that?!)
• And yes, even a a short video suggested by the guide 😉

Be sure to head to our Instagram and check us out @asocalwayoflife  We share some of the fun pictures we got and placed stories in our “Palm Springs highlights.”

Trying a date shake at the Windmill Market

One of the very last suggested stops on the tour is a stop at Windmill Market for a date shake.  There are many date farms in this valley and therefore delicious dates are found in the area.  We stopped for a date shake at this little market and sat in the nice patio area.  The shakes are absolutely delicious and perfect for a hot day!

Bragging rights!

If nothing else, taking a tour of the windmills in Palm Springs is a must do for the bragging rights!  How many kids (or even adults) can say they’ve been up close to these beauties?  I’m proud to be among the people that can say I finally went and found out what these windmills are all about now that I’m a whopping 21 years old 😉

Is the tour good for families?

I headed out with the entire crew and we were amazed by some of the facts that we learned about windmills and the power generated with them.  Even if you have very little ones that do not completely understand the technology being described, I think that they will be amazed to learn things like how many homes just one of those windmills can provide power for.

You can even head to their website for some kid-friendly information about wind power before heading out!  You can check it out HERE .

If you’re looking for another great place to go with the family, we HIGHLY recommend you check out our visit to the Aerial Tramway!  Check out our post about it here:  Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: Visitor Tips!

Palm Springs Windmill Tour Info:

Tickets available at  https://www.windmilltours.com/

Price: $49 per car for 5 adults.  Ticket costs an additional $10 for each additional adult.

Tour length: About an hour, depending on your pace.

Location: 62950 20th Avenue, Palm Springs, CA 92258

Phone: 800-531-5834

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Palm Springs Windmill Tours

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

PALM SPRINGS WINDMILL TOURS: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Winds of Change

Palm Springs Windmill Tours marks 40 years educating the public about wind energy and why the turbines are located here.

AUTHOR, CARL SCHOEMIG, PALM SPRINGS LIFE

When it comes to windmills, less is actually more.

While the number of turbines dotting the San Gorgonio pass along Interstate 10 may diminish over the next decade, those you do see are producing as much or even more wind energy, according to Annette Said, marketing manager at Palm Springs Windmill Tours.

For 40 years, since the first Southern Californian wind farm opened in 1982, windmills have been the one constant for travelers coming to the desert looking for respite, relief, and relaxation.

A wind turbines’ typical life span is between 20 to 25 years, and new technology has meant that replacements are not always required. The newer turbines – which reach heights of more than 400 feet or a 37-story building — produce more energy because of their bigger wingspan, Said says. Twenty years ago, there were about 4,000 turbines in use. Now that number is 1,346, according to the geological survey.

For greater context and to gain a much closer look at the turbines (no, you can’t actually go inside one), Palm Springs Windmill Tours has been able to pivot even during the pandemic to offer self-driving tours featuring a narrated app. Or you can jump on a five-passenger electric cart and take a VIP tour where a tour guide will answer your questions and point out interesting facts.

The visitor center was once just a gathering place but has now been integrated into the tours with “more exhibits that give a holistic background and more robust information about wind energy,” Said says.

Palm Springs Life chats more with Said about the Windmill Tours, how the company started, and what changes have taken place.

Who came up with the idea to offer windmill tours?

In 2014, we officially incorporated Palm Springs Windmill Tours and offered bus tours as an educational piece. There wasn’t a big understanding about renewable energy. We had a private wind farm and they decided to make it as an extension to offer education on renewable energy.

What challenges did you face?

At the beginning, Palm Springs Windmill Tours started with guided bus tours through the wind park. We found that there was an interest in eco-tours and it was something unique. There was no other wind farm in the United States that was offering in-depth education about renewable energy.

Most California wind farms are located in mountain passes. The San Gorgonio Pass, one of the most consistently windy places in the United States, is unique because the wind farms are visible along a major highway leading east out of Los Angeles, many on flat land and nearby hills at the eastern end of the Pass.

It was a way for us to combat some misinterpretations about wind turbines and the environment. The Audubon Society indicates that migratory bird deaths are less than 0.01 percent . The biggest threat to birds right now is climate change. In the San Gorgonio Pass, we have not seen any dead birds on our wind farm. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but because we’re surrounded by mountains, migratory birds tend to nest high in the mountains. They don’t drop down 10,000 feet to feed, to hunt.

Did you expect it would be such a big success? What do you believe were the keys?

Visitors were always looking for things to do, and it was just part of the iconic landscape. I think that, for tourists to get on a bus and be guided on a private wind farm was a unique experience they couldn’t provide anywhere else. Since COVID, we retired the bus, and we pivoted to a self-driving tour where we carefully marked exhibits on our wind farm, and accompanied with a narrated app. This provided a safe, educational and fun thing to do that basically appeals to all ages. We were able to operate during lockdown because we were classified as an outdoor activity.

What has changed from the first tours you offered to today?

Inside the tour center we have geared the exhibit based on the feedback and questions that we get from our visitors, including how does the energy get to the grid? How many homes does the windmill produce energy for? Why is the San Gorgonio Pass so windy?

We talk about the sizes of the turbines. We talk about climate change. We talk about solar. We are encompassing more than just wind. We are encompassing how wind and solar work well together. We keep our tour guides current on renewable energy. We find some people can spend 10 minutes in the tour center, some people spend an hour in the tour center, based on their level of interest.

Why are the windmills so fascinating? What attracts people to take a tour?

People often say they drive past these wind mills, coming in, arriving and leaving the area. They are always curious about why are some spinning, why are some not? They’re also curious about, how is this benefiting the Coachella Valley? How many homes does it supply with energy? There is also a lot of misinformation out on windmills and turbines. I think people are curious now more than ever with climate change on top of their mind.

They’re curious to see how windmills benefit our climate change. Why do we have so many of them here? We have a lot of people coming in with very specific and smart questions about the climate.

What do you hope people leave knowing about the windmills that they didn’t know before they took the tour?

I think many people are surprised that wind energy is the most consistent, renewable energy to the grid today and the cheapest. They are also very curious about the carbon footprint. They’re happy to know that typically a wind turbine can offset its carbon footprint from manufacturing in five to six months.

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