On the Pioneer Adventure, you will learn how California got its name, how the gold rush almost wiped out the indigenous people of the Palm Springs area, how the first stage coach route through the area (the Bradshaw Trail) was selected, why concerned parents brought their sick children to Palm Springs in the 1880s, and much more!

The Wild West was colorful and was occupied by colorful characters. So it's fitting that this Wild West tour takes place right on top of the largest fault in the Western Hemisphere, the San Andreas Fault. This place and its people really were moving and shaking! Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Mexican ranchers, prospectors, and homesteaders all left their imprint on our local history. You will visit a homestead and learn how the early pioneers survived in the arid desert climate. Then you're off to Los Vaqueros Canyon where you will witness the birth of the American Cowboy.

On your mesmerizing journey you will explore a recreated old mining camp which depicts the harsh life of the early gold miners who coped with the extreme climate, primitive conditions, and the backbreaking business of prospecting, mining, and extracting gold from ore. At the Old Mining Camp you can explore a mine shaft; take a photo of family members, or friends locked up in the town jail; and pan for gold just as the colorful prospectors of the wild west did 150 years ago. As your journey continues, you will explore steep walled canyons and deep gorges right as you follow the prospector's quest for gold trapped in veins of quartz rock.

This tour is seasonal and operates from October through to May