Cathedral City reportedly got its name from Colonel Henry Washington, who during a survey of the Colorado Desert in 1855 stood in Cathedral Canyon and observed that certain rock formations resembled cathedrals. It’s not a name that resonates with tourists as one of the must see places of the Coachella Valley, but its Civic Center Plaza in its Arts and Entertainment District is one of the most unique spots in the area, definitely worth a visit. The centerpiece is the expansive Fountain of Life in Town Square Park, a unique, fun, and whimsical piece, popular on hot days with people splashing around in its “sprayground.” The park is a good place to meet up for a ride around the area, with shaded benches and public art such as sculptures of musicians.
The fountain is surrounded by the interesting Spanish architecture of City Hall, the Mary Pickford movie theatre (our personal area favorite), and the Bell Tower. Also in this downtown district are the Coachella Valley Repertory theatre, several restaurants, and the expansive new Agua Caliente Casino. Across Hwy 111 is the new Jurassic Wonders, a vacant lot filled with metal life size dinosaur sculptures by Ricardo Breceda. The Civic Center’s large festival lawn hosts November’s Hot Air Balloon Festival featuring a Saturday evening food truck corral and Balloon Glow event, where the balloons are lit up, set to music. The Taste of Jalisco festival, a celebration of its sister city in Jalisco, Mexico is in February, and March brings LGBT Days, California’s earliest Pride event.
Except during the festivals, the district is enjoyable to pedal around and explore. It’s not a long enough ride on its own, but can be a destination via a detour from other rides featured in enCYCLEpedia, like Palm Springs’ Tahquitz Creek Loop via the Jenkins Trail, and sidepaths along Hwy 111 or Gerald Ford from the Rancho Mirage/Palm Desert rides.
You can also add to the ride with a hilly excursion in the Cathedral City Cove neighborhood across Hwy 111 to the south. The Cove is another of the Valley’s un-gated communities that makes for a nice place to ride without being on sidewalks or busy boulevards. However, it is very hilly so probably of most interest to the e-bikers in the easy cycling realm. Acoustic bikers enjoy the workout from the 400-foot elevation gain within 1.75 miles. You can get in several miles of enjoyable biking by making your own way around or enCYCLEpedia readers can follow the suggested route map on its website. Properties tend to get nicer farther up into the Cove. The Cove is surrounded by Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument land, and two trailheads are located at the top of the Cove as indicated. The one to the east starts as wide double track, while the one to the west is narrow sandy singletrack.
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