Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels
Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels

Smoke Tree Ranch

Smoke Tree Ranch
Tables set up for dinner on a patio at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
A stack of white towels for guests to use while at the Smoke Tree Ranch pool
Two people ride horses through the Palm Springs desert landscape
Flowers brighten up the lawn in front of a building at Smoke Tree Ranch
The brick entrance welcoming visitors and guests to the Smoke Tree Ranch
A man hits a golf ball at the course at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
A man and a woman play croquet next to colorful snapdragons at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
Two couples play tennis on a court at the Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
Visitors to Smoke Tree Ranch first go through the guarded gate
A smoke tree stands on the Smoke Tree Ranch property in Palm Springs, California
The spacious pool at Smoke Tree Ranch and the yellow clubhouse
The massive pool at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California, has great mountain views
Guests at Smoke Tree Ranch can sit outside on the patio and enjoy meals in the fresh air
Smoke Tree Ranch
Tables set up for dinner on a patio at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
A stack of white towels for guests to use while at the Smoke Tree Ranch pool
Two people ride horses through the Palm Springs desert landscape
Flowers brighten up the lawn in front of a building at Smoke Tree Ranch
The brick entrance welcoming visitors and guests to the Smoke Tree Ranch
A man hits a golf ball at the course at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
A man and a woman play croquet next to colorful snapdragons at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
Two couples play tennis on a court at the Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California
Visitors to Smoke Tree Ranch first go through the guarded gate
A smoke tree stands on the Smoke Tree Ranch property in Palm Springs, California
The spacious pool at Smoke Tree Ranch and the yellow clubhouse
The massive pool at Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, California, has great mountain views
Guests at Smoke Tree Ranch can sit outside on the patio and enjoy meals in the fresh air

Smoke Tree Ranch

Hotel Backstory

Smoke Tree Ranch began with an unusually idealistic notion of what life in the desert could be. The property traces its origins to 1925, when the Smoke Tree Forest Company envisioned a community on some 400 acres in south Palm Springs. But its defining chapter began in 1936, when Fred and Maziebelle Markham acquired the struggling venture. They shaped it into something more personal: a place where families could escape the pressures of everyday life and enjoy the desert together.

Early Smoke Tree was decidedly Western. Roads were dirt, fences were barbed wire, horses were part of daily life, and...

Smoke Tree Ranch began with an unusually idealistic notion of what life in the desert could be. The property traces its origins to 1925, when the Smoke Tree Forest Company envisioned a community on some 400 acres in south Palm Springs. But its defining chapter began in 1936, when Fred and Maziebelle Markham acquired the struggling venture. They shaped it into something more personal: a place where families could escape the pressures of everyday life and enjoy the desert together.

Early Smoke Tree was decidedly Western. Roads were dirt, fences were barbed wire, horses were part of daily life, and cowboys joined guests for square dances. Dinner arrived promptly at 6:30, served family-style at long wooden tables. As the Ranch evolved, it also became part of Palm Springs’ remarkable architectural story, with residences and buildings designed by such notable desert modernists as William F. Cody, Albert Frey, and Walter S. White.

Among the families drawn here were Walt and Lillian Disney, who joined in 1946 and eventually owned two homes at Smoke Tree. William F. Cody designed their first Ranch home, while Disney’s second was designed by Carl W. Denney of Disney’s WED Enterprises. Walt’s affection for Smoke Tree ran deep: he donated Disney Hall and even incorporated the Ranch’s distinctive brand into his personal neckwear.

Nearly a century after its beginnings, Smoke Tree remains remarkably faithful to that original idea—a desert retreat built around simplicity, community, and belonging.
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Accommodation type: Locally Owned and Operated
1850 Smoketree Ln Palm Springs CA 92264
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About this property

There are Palm Springs resorts, and then there is Smoke Tree Ranch—a place that seems to exist in its own pocket of desert time. Tucked against the San Jacinto Mountains on hundreds of acres of remarkably preserved desert landscape, the Ranch offers something rare: space, quiet, privacy, and an unmistakable sense of place.

Forty-nine individual cottages are scattered across the grounds, giving guests room to settle in rather than simply check in. Days can unfold around the pool, tennis courts, bowling green, horseback riding, or simply wandering beneath desert skies, while the Ranch House remains the social heart of the property.

Unpretentious, deeply rooted, and quietly convivial, Smoke Tree Ranch offers the chance to experience an older Palm Springs—one where the desert itself is still the main attraction.

Closed May through November.

Year Built: 1936
Architect: Buildings at Smoke Tree were designed by such notable architects as William F. Cody, Albert Frey, and Walter S. White.

Hotel Amenities

  • Bicycles
  • Business Center
  • Extended Stay
  • Family Friendly
  • Fireplace
  • Fitness Center
  • Hot Tub
  • Internet / Wi-Fi
  • Meeting/Banquet Facilities
  • Pet Friendly
  • Restaurant on Premise
  • Swimming Pool(s)
  • Washer/Dryer
  • Weddings

    • FAQs

    What amenities are available?

    At Smoke Tree Ranch, guests can partake in basketball, birding, croquet, golf, hiking, horseback riding, horseshoes, lawn bowling, pickleball, sand volleyball, swimming, and tennis. There is also a playground, seasonal kids' camp, and bike rentals.

    What type of room can I book?

    Smoke Tree Ranch has 49 cottages — deluxe studio, deluxe one-bedroom, deluxe one-bedroom with kitchenette, classic two-bedroom, deluxe two-bedroom, classic family, and multi-bedroom family.

    Does the hotel have a restaurant on site?

    Smoke Tree Ranch's Ranch House Dining Room and Lounge serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for guests.

    Are there meeting or banquet facilities available at the hotel?

    At Smoke Tree Ranch, there are meeting rooms with beautiful views of the mountains and windows that let in the desert air. Group package rates are all-inclusive, and include a private cottage, three meals per day in the Ranch House Dining Room, use of meeting rooms, use of on-site recreational facilities, and taxes and service charges.

    What types of special events can the hotel accommodate?

    Smoke Tree Ranch can accommodate weddings, meetings, banquets and reunions.