The Thermal Club
Three linkable circuits and trackside villas in the Coachella Valley.
Photos
Real photos of the facility, contributed to Google by visitors and members, refreshed automatically as new ones are posted. Click any photo to expand.
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Video: fast laps & facility tours
Curated onboard and tour footage from members and visitors.
The verdict
The Thermal Club is the most complete private motorsport community in the western United States. Three circuits — Desert, North Palm and South Palm — can be run individually or joined into a long combined course, and the property is built around trackside villas rather than a shared paddock. It has hosted professional testing and an IndyCar event, which says a lot about the facility standard.
Best forBuyers who want a second home attached to a world-class driving campus.
Ratings by category
Every club on this site is scored on the same eight categories. See our method.
- Value for money
- Cost of entry and dues versus what a member actually gets.
- Amenities & service
- Clubhouse, dining, garages, staff, trackside support.
- Technical challenge
- How demanding the circuit is to learn and drive quickly.
- Fun factor
- Flow, elevation, commitment corners — how good it feels.
- Track time access
- Realistic open-lapping availability across the year.
- Member community
- Culture, events, coaching, racing series, no-jerks factor.
- Real estate & garages
- Quality and availability of trackside garages and homes.
- Weather & driving season
- Calculated from NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals: dry days, snow-free days, temperatures and comfortable driving months.
- 358 dry days/yr365 snow-free days/yrAvg 90° / 57°F8 comfortable driving monthsNOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest station USC00045502 (5 mi).
Membership & costs
Joining fee is the one-time cost to become a member. Dues are the recurring monthly or annual cost. Property costs are separate — buying or leasing a garage or home at the club is not the same as a membership fee.
Membership fees & dues
| Tier | Joining fee | Dues | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property-based membership | Reported around $5.2M all-in | Not published | Tied to villa or garage purchase |
Thermal's model is real-estate led — most members own a trackside villa or garage. The widely cited $5.2M figure is a reported all-in cost including property, not an initiation fee; the club does not publish a fee schedule.
Fee sources: IndyStar: what a $5.2 million membership gets you
Real estate: Villas and garage estates directly on the circuits; resale values have held up strongly.
What works
- Genuine year-round driving weather
- Circuit variety no other US club matches
- Facility standard high enough for professional teams to test
What to weigh up
- Effectively a real-estate purchase, not just a membership
- Peak summer heat makes mid-day driving unpleasant
Amenities
- Three road circuits
- Trackside villas
- Clubhouse, restaurant and spa
- Karting
- Race shop and storage
- Professional-grade timing
What members and guests are saying
Aggregated public feedback from Google reviews, plus quoted member, owner and guest comments from public forums.
From member forums
Verbatim excerpts from public owner and enthusiast forums, quoted with attribution and linked to the original thread. These are member and guest opinions, not our own, and they never influence our editorial rating.
“In addition to the Thermal Club mechanics, it is a huge positive now to have R3 and a few other strong racing team support teams with a significant presence at Thermal.”
TwosherpazMember· Dec 27, 2019FerrariChat: The Thermal Club Private Track Opportunity“Had a chance to do many miles on the first South Palm Circuit track… Both nice with impressive newly completed support buildings but not serious modern race tracks to try to really hang it out on.”
babciGuest· Feb 15, 2015FerrariChat: Thermal Club - New members only track a little south of Palm Springs“I like it there and will be going back this weekend. I know two people who have bought in. They are making good use of their memberships.”
FastRed355Guest· Feb 15, 2015FerrariChat: Thermal Club - New members only track a little south of Palm Springs“I know people that have been on the track but I don't know anyone that has slapped down the cash. Very nice track… very exclusive.”
Jaguar 15· Feb 14, 2015FerrariChat: Thermal Club - New members only track a little south of Palm Springs
Upcoming events
Public track days, racing, schools and social events at this facility, refreshed weekly. Member-only sessions are usually not listed publicly.
Current weather
Live conditions at Thermal, CA, so you know what the track is doing today.
Location
Thermal, CA · open the map for Google Maps directions.
Getting there
- Palm Springs, CA~30 min
- Los Angeles, CA~2 hr 15 min
- San Diego, CA~2 hr 30 min
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