By Karin Jaffie, Friends of the Desert Mountains
Friends of the Desert Mountains is here to kick-start your healthy new habits with our 30x30x30!
As part of Friends’ Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival planned for March 2022, we challenge you to run, hike, walk or roll 30 miles in 30 days for a $30 donation to Friends. 30x30x30 Participants who complete the challenge earn a special Wildflower Festival t-shirt, good karma for raising much-needed funds, and an absolute sense of accomplishment.
Why Should I 30x30x30?
There is a popular opinion that it takes about 21 days to form a new habit. Friends’ 30x30x30 challenge gives you ample time and motivation to get that new healthy behavior established – and the rewards are self-evident: improved fitness [and a t-shirt] plus quality time spent outdoors.
Friends of the Desert Mountains is a small non-profit dedicated to preserving the unique wildlife and scenic beauty of the Coachella Valley. We acquire and preserve wildlands, promote stewardship of trails, conduct educational programs and support ecological research. Friends also acts as the support organization for the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
A thriving and productive community integrated with a healthy and sustainable natural environment is Friends’ vision for the Coachella Valley. We believe in “Access for All” and strive to connect everyone to the land, so that all residents and visitors feel welcomed, respected and supported in the outdoors.
Where Do I 30x30x30?
The beauty of the Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival 30x30x30 is that in lieu of a traditional 5K, you run, hike, walk or roll where and when works for you. A lesser-known trail like the Indio Hills Badlands creates exciting outdoor fitness opportunities nearby for Sun City residents.
Local runner Theresa Sama describes the Badlands trail as a “moderate loop, a little more than 5 miles, that traverses the San Andreas Fault, with twisted and distressed rocks that have been uplifted and moved over millions of years.” The trail also features beautiful wildflowers and is most popular from November to April. Dogs on leash are welcome. The walk/jog/hike starts out easy enough and you can always turn back. For those who push on, you’ll climb dry waterfalls and navigate slot canyons.
If you continue up to the ridge, you see all of Coachella Valley, Mount San Jacinto and the Salton Sea, all the way to the Cottonwood entrance of Joshua Tree.
To reach Indio Hills Badlands trail, use I-10 Golf Center Parkway exit; the trailhead is located at the nexus of Golf Center Parkway and Avenue 42. You also can access a shorter, less strenuous walk here via a graded dike road along the Coachella Valley Canal.
How Do I 30x30x30?
Visit DesertMountains.org/cvwf to learn more about the Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival taking place in person March 5th in Palm Desert’s Civic Center Park. On our website you can register yourself [or a team] for the month-long 30x30x30, and get family and friends to sponsor you as well.
