Keys Ranch, California, United States

5Karen B 5:00 PM Nov 13, 2011

Really hot and sunny--but worth it!
This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to the Palm Springs area. The website for the guided tour shares quite a bit of information, so I won't repeat it here, but have included a link below. If you like learning about the history of the American West, you will love this tour. Our tour guide sometimes leads tours in other parks, but she claimed to love this tour the best, and it showed in her enthusiasm and her deep knowledge of the family that had once owned the ranch. Some practical tips: 1. Small children (under the age of 7) probably won't do well on this 90 minute trek. 2. Be on time, or even early. There was a long, slow line of cars waiting to get admitted to the National Park, and it took almost 20 minutes for us to get up to the admissions gate. Some members of our tour had paid for tickets in advance but were more than 10 minutes late getting to the ranch gate and the guide could not wait for them any longer. We all drove through the gate as a group and the stragglers would have found a locked gate when and if they finally did arrive. 3. It is hot and sunny, even on the morning tour. I brought a hat, parasol, sunscreen and water and was really glad I did. 4. Bring a picnic lunch if you are on the 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. tour, because you will be hungry and there is not much food for purchase nearby.

4northernneckinn 5:00 PM Mar 4, 2017

Hard to get tickets but worth it!
First step is acquiring tickets for the ranger tour only available from the Oasis visitor center the morning of the tour! The tours are done on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and limited to 25 visitors per tour. The only way you can reliably get tickets is to join the queue at the Oasis visitor center at 7:45am the morning of your tour and wait for the ranger office to open at 8:30am. A few minutes before that, the ranger will bring out a podium with 25 numbered plastic tags that the folks in line take to reserve their place. When the office opens you convert your numbered plastic tags for a green permit pass that you use later in the day, typically 1:45pm at the locked gate to the Keys Ranch. You will need your park passes- regular cost is $10, Golden Pass $5 each. The tour itself is very well done and takes over an hour to go through the environmental, historical and anecdotal life of the ranch, family, children, enemies, trials and tribulations of their desert existence! A real testament to making a successful life in a totally inhospitable environment that fills you with wonder and respect!