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| San Jacinto Peak near the summit |
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| Slot canyon in Mecca Hills Wilderness |
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| Palm tree oasis at Joshua Tree National Park |
Several awesome trails dot and surround the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley. Here are 11-must do’s in the region.
Explore a waterfall and historic Indian sites. The 1.8-mile Tahquitz Canyon Trail on the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation consists of two connected loops. Among the highlights is the Piled Boulders – an ancient rock shelter where artifacts date to the time of Augustus – and Sacred Rock, the location of one of the Cahuilla’s oldest village sites. The 60-foot seasonal Tahquitz Falls forms where the Tahquitz River flows over a granite slab into a pool. A protrusion on the canyon wall splits the falls.
Hike alongside only river running valley’s entire length. The 3.75-miles looping Canyon View Trail sits in the 2851-acre Whitewater Preserve, managed by the Wildlands Conservancy. A section of the route is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. The main river that flows through the Coachella Valley, the Whitewater runs 54 miles. Its North Fork starts at more than 10,000 feet high on San Gorgonio Mountain, with the meltwater flowing out of the San Bernardino Mountains, making for a cold stream and a lush canyon. Ultimately, the Whitewater River drains south of Mecca into the Salton Sea.
Explore the foothills without getting too far away from civilization. The 3.8-mile round trip Roadrunner Trail/Chuckwalla Trail roughly parallels Frank Sinatra Drive and loops around the Villas of Mirada in Rancho Mirage. It’s entirely in the Santa Rosa-San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and rambles through largely undisturbed desert hills. The trail initially passes jagged rocks with a few palms and desert willows along the way. Most of the rocks on the loop date to the Age of Dinosaurs, consisting of sediment and volcanic minerals formed 66 to 145 million years ago. It is slowly eroding into the valley.
Enjoy panoramic views and spot rare bighorn sheep. Palm Desert’s Art Smith Trail runs 8.3 miles one way but can be shortened depending on your level of physical fitness. Mornings offer cooler temperatures with the added bonus of blooming wildflowers if hiked after a rainfall. Certainly the highlight of the trail is spying the endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep, a Coachella Valley icon. About 950 bighorn sheep live in the mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley. They blend in quite well with the tawny landscape, but their size gives them away.
Hike to the top of San Jacinto Peak. Towering 10,824 feet into the sky – a full 1.95 miles above Palm Springs – San Jacinto Peak is the sixth highest point in the lower 48 and dominates the city’s skyline. And yes, you can hike to the top. A number of routes ascend the mountain, but the most popular and easiest one starts by taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up the mountain. From there, go onto the Round Valley Trail and follow the signs. It’s 11.5 miles roundtrip with a 2400 feet elevation gain. Expect summit temps to be 40 degrees lower than in the valley.
Beat the summer heat. The best way for Palm Springs hikers to escape the summer heat is to gain elevation. One good spot to do that is the other side of San Jacinto Peak in Idyllwild. Nestled in the foothills at a little more that 5000 feet up, the quaint town offers a number of great trails, especially at the Idyllwild Nature Center. While there, try the 2.6-miles round trip Summit-Hillside Trails Loop. Morning temperatures usually are in the 70s. The trail offers a terrific view of 800-foot high Tahquitz Rock, the larger of the two granite crags above Idyllwild popular with rock climbers.
Explore two types of mountain forests. The 1-mile Panorama Point Trail in Mt. San Jacinto State Park heads to a scenic viewpoint is a perfect hike for those looking to escape the desert heat or those taking a day trip to Idyllwild. The lower forest largely consists of manzanitas and black oak, which thrive on the drier, hotter slopes, but you’ll also find fragrant ponderosa and Coulter pines. The higher forest boasts two common California mountain trees – sugar and Jeffrey pines. On a clear day, at Panorama Point you can see the Pacific Ocean.
See volcanic activity. Ancient volcano flows and a still active geothermal area sit at the Salton Sea’s southern end in a trio of short day hikes. Obsidian Butte, off of Severe Road, is a geologically recent volcanic dome, largely consistsof pumice and black obsidian. Red Island in the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge includes two domes of pumice boulders and rhyolite with fist-sized obsidian. Mudpots sit in the clay Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field, where water bubbles up from multiple multi-colored sinkholes and gurgles out of fumaroles.
Head to a secluded oasis. The 2.8-mile round trip Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail in Joshua Tree National Park offers a number of panoramic views and the chance to see desert plants and wildlife. About a mile in, like a desert mirage, the oasis seemingly pops out on the horizon. California fan palms rise between boulders that shade a trickling spring and its pool (which sometimes goes dry). Songbirds flock here, especially orange and black orioles who feed on the palm tree’s berry-like fruit. Bring a picnic lunch as well to enjoy under the palm canopy.
Explore a beautiful slot canyon. The Ladder Canyon-Big Painted Canyon Loop in the Mecca Hills Wilderness near Indio is a 6-mile lollipop trail with an elevation gain of 450 feet. Located on BLM land, a local hiking club provides the ladders and large arrows of collected rocks to keep you going the right way. Ladder Canyon is an otherworldly experience of curving stone, at times reminiscent of the famous Antelope Canyon near Grand Canyon National Park. Sometimes the slot canyon here is a mere two feet wide.
Head to the Palm Desert Cross. The short 2.6 miles round trip trail starts on the Homestead Trail then includes a segment of the Hopalong Cassidy Trail; located in the foothills, it’s uphill all the way. A Palm Desert icon, the cross at night can be seen from miles away thanks to its 39 six-watt LED bulbs powered by photocells. A College of the Desert student raised the first cross at the site in 1981. The current 16’ by 30’ cross was erected in 1996 with underground wiring later added as an Eagle Scout project.
Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.
