Itinerary

Day 1: Borrego Springs: Cycle through badlands to viewpoints in the surrounding hills and wend your way through an open air art gallery in the desert.

Borrego Springs is the only town in California that is surrounded by a State Park. Artsy, unpretentious, historic, charming, and tiny (pop. 3500), it is nestled within Anza Borrego State Park. To the west, steep desert mountains rise against a foreground of fiery Ocotillo blossoms. Colorful but formidable badlands guard the way to the Salton Sea to the east. In between, the desert is dotted with the fascinating sculptures of Ricardo Breceda. In 1776 the park’s namesake, Juan Bautista de Anza, led 240 soldiers and colonists (over half were children) along with some 1,000 livestock through the valley on an epic journey northward from Mexico, eventually establishing present-day San Francisco. Savor gorgeous views as you cruise up into the hills, then tour the valley and the sculptures. Study the starlit skies from Borrego Springs Resort and Spa or the Borrego Valley Inn tonight.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner. Lodging: Borrego Springs Resort and Spa, or Borrego Valley InnDistance: 43 miles. Elevation+2,708 ft / -2,620 ft

Day 2: Pedal along the Salton Sea, an “accidental” lake with depths rivaling Death Valley’s lowest point. Visit Slab City, Salvation Mountain and Bombay Beach.

Shuttle to Niland, CA after breakfast. Take a short drive – trust us, you don’t want to ride on this road! – to Slab City, a bizarre off-the-grid encampment that has been dubbed “the last free place on earth.” Folks here live alternative lifestyles in the desert on “slabs” (concrete platforms) left over from an abandoned WWII military base. While we are out there, we will make a quick pilgrimage to Salvation Mountain as well – a modern masterpiece of desert folk art made of concrete and adobe adorned with colorful paint and religious messages – recognized by the US Senate as a national treasure. Pedal through open desert along the Salton Sea – a lake with depths rivaling Death Valley’s lowest point and a salinity greater than the Pacific Ocean. Bordered by quirky boom/bust towns, like Bombay Beach, and once part of a vast inland sea, it is now the largest lake in California. After lunch we shuttle to Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort for the next three nights.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging; Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort
Distance: 35 miles, elevation +227 ft / – 291 ft.

Day 3: Joshua Tree National Park: ride past its namesake trees. Count cactus varieties and maybe spot a Jackrabbit or desert Bighorn sheep.

Welcome to “unearthly” Joshua Tree National Park! Ride past its namesake trees, count cactus varieties and maybe spot a jackrabbit or desert bighorn sheep. Marvel at the twisted, spiky trees straight out of a Dr. Seuss illustration at the junction of three of California’s ecosystems: the Colorado Desert, the Mojave Desert, and the Little San Bernardino Mountains. Check out the geologic formations that make this a favored destination for rock-climbers and the hundreds of plant and animal species that make them their home. An optional climb is available for those that want some altitude and a good view of the Salton Sea. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch. Lodging; Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort
Distance: 34 miles (up to 45 miles) Elevation +2110 ft / -2862 ft.

Day 4: Return to Joshua Tree National Park. Keep an eye out for wildflowers, roadrunners and desert tortoises!

One day is nowhere near enough in otherworldly Joshua Tree, so we return to enjoy a mostly downhill ride out through the south end of the park. Stop for a walk through one of the most prolific Cholla (cactus) gardens in the southwest and pay homage to some truly massive palm trees. Keep an eye out for desert tortoises and wildflowers as you head out of the park after lunch at Cottonwood Springs.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging: Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort
Distance: 45 miles, elevation +3479 ft / – 3555 ft.

Day 5: Ride through urban Palm Springs and out of town to a palm canyon before we return you you to the “real world”

Ride through Palm Springs and take a hike through a palm canyon. Home to the rich and famous of the Rat Pack era, the Palm Springs of today boasts the best urban life has to offer. The Rat Pack may have moved on, but the city’s style hasn’t. Palm Springs is as cool as it gets in the middle of a desert. Check out retro architecture, window shopping, sweet cafés, or maybe race a Ferrari off the line at a stoplight before we return you (albeit reluctantly) back to the “real world”.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch.
Distance: 27 miles ride (plus 2.8-mile hike) Elevation: +848 ft / -848 ft

* This is a general itinerary. Tour itineraries are subject to change based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances such as the weather, local conditions, government intervention, that may affect the quality of the trip and/or safety of the participants. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Lodging

Borrego Springs Resort and Spa, or Borrego Valley Inn
Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort

The hotels, Inns, and B&B’s we use are always among the finest the area has to offer. Our smaller group sizes(max. 13) allow us to stay at some award-winning places that can’t handle groups of 25 or more. We work closely with the innkeepers to make sure they understand your needs and ours, whether that is having a place to store your bike, an early morning breakfast or a convenient place to park the van, they are as committed to your vacation experience as we are.
Lodging is based upon two people to a room with a private bath. If you’re traveling solo on any of our trips, we’ll assign you a roommate of the same gender and often of the same age bracket. There is no extra charge if we can’t find you a roommate, even if you sign up the day before the trip starts. You can guarantee yourself a private room and bath if you pay the Single Room Fee. Occasionally a room with two beds consists of one bed plus a roll away bed or sofa bed.

Included:

• Lodging and dining.
• All meals except 1 dinner on your own. Snacks and beverages between meals
• Park and other entry fees
• Road /hybrid bike, (E-bike rent possible)
• Helmet and Wahoo GPS device
• Luggage transfer.

Not included:

• Night before and after the tour.
• Flights to and from the tour
• Alcoholic beverages at meals
• Gratuities guides

Pricing / Tour dates

Tour price 2024: $3,348.00 pp. Single fee $904.00 This is not required. It is an optional fee to allow a solo traveler to guarantee a private room for the duration of the tour. You can avoid a single supplement by sharing a room with another rider
If you book the tour in October or December you will have to add the extra price option for these months.
Tour dates 2024:
13 Oct – 17 Oct, need 3 more to guarantee
20 Oct – 24 Oct, need 4 more to guarantee
01 Dec – 05 Dec, need 4 more to guarantee
08 Dec – 12 Dec, need 4 more to guarantee

Conditions

Deposit 25%
The deposit payment for a tour must be paid within two weeks after the booking is confirmed.
The remaining payment is due 90 days before the start of the tour.
For tours that are booked within 90 days before the start of the tour you will pay 100% of the tour price

Information

Meals and dining:
We know how important breakfast is to make sure your day starts off right. Most breakfasts are served at the inn where we spend the night and are either a set menu or a continental breakfast buffet. But if there is a local restaurant with a reputation for a great breakfast, we can guarantee we will find it and you will be treated to a nutritious meal to start the day.
Lunch is provided at a state park or similar scenic setting midway during the day’s ride. Guests are always surprised at the variety and quality of lunches we prepare. Besides sandwich fixings and cold drinks, we offer fresh fruits and vegetables and hot lunches such as tortellini with pesto or veggie burritos. If you prefer a certain item of food or drink, just let your tour guide know and we will be sure to prepare just the right lunch to keep your energy up for the rest of the day.
During the day water, fruit juices, soft drinks, energy bars, fruit, and snacks are available from the van. A cold beer from our cooler waits at the end of the day, and you can relive the day’s highlights at our wine and cheese party before dinner.
Dinner is eaten together at the best restaurant in the area. At most restaurants, you order what you want from the menu. Except for alcohol, everything is included, even appetizers, salad, soup, and dessert. If we have to shuttle everyone a short distance to get to that special place, we do it. We like to eat well.

If you have any special dietary requests, please let us know in advance. We regularly accommodate vegetarians and other restricted diets. All of our meals are carefully selected to provide you with the unusually high nutritional and caloric needs of your body on an outdoor adventure.