Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

Friends of the Desert Mountains is the nonprofit support arm for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument — the parklands that provide such spectacular scenery, wildlife, and recreation for our growing Coachella Valley communities.

The landscape of the National Monument is phenomenal, ranging 13 miles wide by 60 miles long, and soaring from sea level on the valley floor to the top of Mt. San Jacinto at 10,804 feet. Just minutes from urban Palm Springs, visitors may explore intimate palm canyons, drive the scenic ”Palms to Pines” Highway 74, ride the thrilling Palm Springs Tramway up to 8,500 feet and hike the high country, or roam the wilderness on horseback.

Working with local conservationists and community leaders, Congresswoman Mary Bono championed legislation that established the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in 2000, designating it "as both a national treasure and a scenic landscape.” The Monument is cooperatively managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service, along with California State Parks and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains are noted for their rich biodiversity, spanning life zones from the Sonoran Desert up to the Sub-alpine climate of pine-clad, snow-capped peaks. The Monument is home to more than 500 endemic and unique floral and wildlife species, including the majestic (and endangered) Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. The Cahuilla Indians have inhabited this rich landscape for millennia, and still make their homes here.

For all that these public parklands provide for our quality of life — clean air and drinking water, wide open spaces, wildlife, and recreation — it’s important that we work to protect and preserve the National Monument, now and for generations to come.

As the Monument’s nonprofit partner, Friends of the Desert Mountains provides financial and volunteer support for a variety of needs and activities, including facility expansion, scientific research, cultural preservation, environmental and conservation education, and community outreach programs. Since 2000, we have raised funds to remodel the visitor center, coordinated the Environmental Health Education program with schools in the Monument, organized volunteers to greet and educate Monument visitors, and much more.

Join us in protecting and promoting this magnificent National Monument.
To donate directly to Friends' support work in the Monument: Click here
Or call us at (760) 568-9918

To learn more about volunteering in the Monument: Click here

To go to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument website: Click here