Ribbonwood is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, also known as Spring Crest, named after the Ribbonwood tree (Adenostoma sparsifolium) common in the area. It is located in the northwestern Santa Rosa Mountains at 4,397 feet elevation along State Route 74, about 19 miles west of Palm Desert.
The community was founded by Wilson S. Howell, Jr., a New Jersey native born in 1888, who moved to the area seeking a cooler climate. He originally planned Ribbonwood as an artists’ retreat but could not secure funding. In 1927, Howell helped plan the Pines to Palms Highway, and Ribbonwood became a store and rest stop along the route.









