The Asistencia was established in 1819 as part of the Mission San Gabriel's Rancho San Bernardino. This mission functioned as an outpost for cattle grazing activities as well as a beacon of help to cattle workers and travelers throughout the area. The Asistencia buildings that still stand here are available for informal tours and are filled with highly interesting exhibits, details and items that tell the story of this transitional time in this area's development and history.
There are parks and then there are the parks that hold an incredible number of distinctive outfeatures like the kind that you will find at Indio Hills Palms State Park. The park is centered around a line where the San Andreas fault accumulated ground water and nurtures the incredible variety of palms that are found here. This is an impressively large, 2,206-acre park area that is home to several palm groves. This is where you can take in the visually stunning Hidden, Pushawalla, Briska, Macomber and Horseshoe palms.