Sky Valley is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California, in the northwestern corner of the Coachella Valley, just east of Desert Hot Springs. It sits at about 994 feet of elevation, between the San Jacinto Mountains to the south and the high desert rising toward Joshua Tree National Park to the north. About 2,400 people live in the community. Sky Valley's identity is tied to its hot springs. The mineral waters, originally known as Miracle Springs, were discovered in the early 1900s and have drawn visitors seeking the therapeutic soaking culture of the Desert Hot Springs area. Sky Valley Resort, with its natural hot mineral pools and spas, remains the community's best-known landmark and the center of its social life. Beginning in the early 1970s, the area was developed as a manufactured-home and RV community — a pattern that still defines much of Sky Valley's housing and its largely retirement and seasonal population, many of whom split their time between the desert and points elsewhere. The setting is classic low desert: wide-open valley floor, distant mountain ranges, clear skies, and a warm, dry climate that supports year-round outdoor living. The community is a few minutes from Desert Hot Springs for daily services, and roughly twenty minutes from Palm Springs and its airport, with the rest of the Coachella Valley — Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indio — strung along Interstate 10 to the southeast. Joshua Tree National Park's southern entrance is nearby to the northeast, placing some of Southern California's most distinctive desert landscapes within a short drive. Public schools for the area are operated by the Palm Springs Unified School District, based in Desert Hot Springs, and the community's largely adult population means local school enrollment is limited. Sky Valley suits people drawn to desert living with natural mineral springs, mountain views, and an affordable, low-maintenance footprint — whether year-round or seasonal — within reach of the Coachella Valley's amenities.