5 Cool Things to Do with Your Dog in Palm Springs During the Summer

Summer is a tough time to have a dog in Palm Springs. With daytime temperatures soaring to over 100 degrees by 11 a.m., it can be difficult to even take a dog for a walk due to the sidewalk, street, parking lot, etc. being too hot for doggie paws. This writer has an 80 lb Belgian Malinois, so it's not easy to carry her. Even walking from a parking space to a cool interior space can be difficult, especially for those of us with big, hard-to-carry dogs.

Palm Springs doesn't always cool down at night, with temperatures sometimes still exceeding 100 degrees. Some of these cool canine companionship activites are also great for hot summer nights. Here are five cool things to do with your dog in Palm Springs during the summer.

PSP Airport

Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is always cool and it's a dog-friendly space. If your pup is social, there are usually a lot of people there to interact with. If you want to be alone, go at night, there are very few flights and the airport is sometimes virtually deserted.

It's not possible to park very close to the airport during the day. You can park on El Cielo, just past the airport entrance or park in the city hall parking lot across the street. (You can only park at city hall for a short period of time, like a dog walk, they will tow if you park overnight).

Home Depot

The Palm Springs Home Depot at 5200 East Ramon Rd across from the airport is dog-friendly (as are all Home Depot locations). It's a big space and you can walk the dog throughout the cool building. During the heat of the day, you can park directly against the building or under the shaded area in the "contractor's area" to avoid the hot sidewalk.

The Shops at Palm Desert Mall

The Shops at Palm Desert is the closest indoor mall to Palm Springs. It's about 20 minutes away but has a large space to walk dogs and lots of places to sit and relax.

Parking is excellent as you can park on the first level of the parking structure, which is all shaded and there is a central walkway from the parking structure into the building which is also shaded. Even at noon, you can park and walk into the mall without ever having to walk on hot ground.

Parks and City Hall

Both Sunrise Park and Ruth Hardy Park in Palm Springs have parking directly at grass areas and are great places for dog walks (on-leash only). Palm Springs City Hall has parking next to grass so you can park and then take a dog for a walk on the grass. The David H. Ready Palm Springs Dog Park (behind city hall) has cement and sidewalk outside the park and through the entrance area that must be traversed before getting to the grass area. There is also a large cement area inside the park which must be crossed before you get to the grass so daytime visits are not possible for some dogs. The city's other dog park at Demuth Park is all dirt and sand (no grass) so it's too hot for dogs during the day.

Doggy Daycare

While there are a few doggy daycare facilities in and around Palm Springs that are open during the summer and have dog swimming pools, not every dog is suitable for group play. This author has tried to find private options but has not been successful. Swimming pool sharing apps like Swimply are good options for private swimming play sessions as some listings are dog-friendly.

Travel writer Freddy Sherman is based in Palm Springs and travels
the world in search of the best life has to offer. With articles
appearing on Yahoo!, Insider, CNN, and Business Traveler, he covers
luxury lifestyle, travel, and automotive subjects. Check out his popular travel and automotive YouTube channel.