Trail heads into Little San Bernardino Mnts.

Barrel cactus usually bloom in spring or after a rainfall.

The following article was originally written for and published by the Uken Report.

Among the least hiked areas of the Coachella Valley is its eastern side, the Little San Bernardino Mountains. Only one valley city sits along the range, so there isn’t a lot of public access to them. The range also has fewer foothills than the San Jacintos and Santa Rosas on the valley’s west side, so on average is steeper.

But there are trails, all offering interesting vistas of the valley that you can’t get on the west side.

One excellent route to try is the Long Canyon Trail in Desert Hot Springs. A former service road, you can hike it 12 miles one-way deep into Joshua Tree National Park’s southwest corner.

To reach the trail, from Interstate 10 exit north onto Palm Drive and drive into Desert Hot Springs. Turn right/east onto Dillon Road then left/north onto Long Canyon Road. When the road curves northwest, it becomes Hacienda Avenue; instead turn right/northeast onto Long Canyon Road. In about 1.5 miles, a small unpaved parking lot sits on the road’s right side.

Continue walking the road north into Long Canyon. A wash sits just below the road’s right/east side as you gently ascend through the desert into the foothills.

At about 0.5 miles, the road appears to end. Walk through the wash toward a row of boulders. On the other side, you’ll be able to pick up the old service road as it serpentines through the canyon bottom.

You’re now in Joshua Tree National Park, though it’s a section few have visited. You won’t find the park’s namesake here, as you’re at too low of an elevation for the Joshua tree to grow.

Two-for-one desert plants
What you will find are plants common to both the Mojave and the Colorado deserts, the latter of which the Coachella Valley sits in. Among them are creosote, brittlebush, Mormon-tea, barrel cactus, and silver cholla.

A wide variety of creosote bush species are a common sight across the Southwest, as they cover much of the desert floor and the flat alluvial fans of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Following a rainfall, they sport fragrant five-petaled yellow flowers, otherwise it usually smells like creosote, a preservative used on railroad ties.

An evergreen shrub that can grow up to almost 10 feet high, when its oldest branches die, the crown usually splits with the new one becoming a clone. In fact, the King Clone creosote bush found in nearby Lucerne Valley is one of the Earth’s oldest living organisms, having been around for an estimated 11,700 years.

Brittlebush is prevalent as well in Lost Canyon. The common desert shrub usually grows between a foot to five feet in height. Spanish missionaries in California burned its dried sap as incense while cowboys would break off branches to brush their teeth.

Mormon-tea ranges across the Southwest and as far north as Oregon. Reaching about a yard high, its long stems are a favorite of desert bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn. The name comes from its long use as a beverage and herbal medicine.

There actually are a variety of barrel cactus species. During April, look for their brilliant yellow or orange flowers on the barrel’s top. While tiny, they are tough little plants. In fact, they’ll probably outlive you, as they boast a lifespan of 100 years.

Invasive plant
Silver cholla grows up to 6.6 feet high, almost looking tree-like. It sports half-inch round tubes with up to 20 spines on each one. Its fruit smells like rancid butter.

You also may see the invasive Sahara mustard weed, along the way. With green leaves that stand out against the beige desert rock, the plant grows up to two feet high. A single plant can produce up to 16,000 seeds, choking out native wildflowers. Feel free to pull it from the ground, but be sure to wear gloves, because the scratchy stems can irritate skin.

While many of the same plants can be found in the Little San Bernardinos and the San Jacintos-Santa Rosas on the valley’s opposite side, the former has a bit more variety. Generally rising 4000-5000 high (though the tallest, Quail Mountain, tops out at 5,813 feet), the San Bernadinos mark the transition between the valley’s Colorado Desert and the higher Mojave Desert to the north.

The canyon follows the Lost Canyon Fault, which runs north-south, roughly perpendicular to the San Andreas. Along the way, you’ll see plenty of gneiss rock with wavy patterns of alternating dark and light lines showing how the land has shifted over the eons.

Turnback point
For day hiking, a good spot to turn back is at the two mile mark for a 4-mile round trip. An intermittent stream flows in from the left/east at about that point. On the walk back, you’ll be treated to great views of Mount San Jacinto to the southwest.

Should you keep going, you’ll ultimately end up south of Yucca Valley and west of Warren Peak. To stay in the park, a side canyon is taken to the Warren Peak Trail.

The entire hike is exposed to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat as well as carry plenty of water. As at times you’ll slog across sand, you’ll definitely want to wear quality hiking boots and use a trekking pole. To avoid heat stroke or cold weather, the trail is best done during October to November and February to April when temperatures are pleasant.

Never hike the trail if rain is forecast or if rain has fallen within the past 24 hours, as flashfloods can occur.

TRAIL TOPO MAPS

Click on map for larger version.

New trail heads through Indio Hills badlands

Snow-capped mountains rise above the Kim Nicol Trail
near Desert Hot Springs, California.

Kim Nicol Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

The following article originally was written for and published by the Uken Report.

Day hikers can walk the northern edge of the Indio Hills on a lollipop trail near Desert Hot Springs.

The 5.6-miles round trip trail crosses a badlands topography in the Edom Hills Conservation Area. It opened in March 2018. A sandy trail, the hike is best done on windless days.

To reach the trailhead, from the intersection of Palm Drive and 20th Avenue (north of Interstate 10 near the Desert Dunes Golf Club), go east onto 20th Avenue. At Mountain View Road, turn right/south then take the next left/east onto 20th Avenue. When the road splits, follow it left/north onto Corkill road. The dirt parking lot is the very next right/east. Look for the trailhead in the lot’s southeast corner.

The trail’s stem initially crosses the desert floor. If hiking in spring or within a couple days after a rainfall, you’re likely to spot wildflowers along the way

At about 0.57 miles, the trail enters the Indio Hills. You’re at 984 feet elevation and will start climbing. The trail reaches a height of just over 1500 above sea level.

Edom Hill
While the Indio Hills are best known for a series of oases that grow near Thousand Palms, the low-lying hills actually touches a number of Coachella Valley communities. It stretches 20 miles from the southeast corner of Desert Hot Springs to the northeast side of Indio and is about three miles wide.

At 0.85 miles in, the stem reaches the loop. Go right/south. In winter, you’ll be treated to great views of snow-covered San Jacinto Peak and surrounding mountains with the windmill farm at their base.

On the loop’s south side as Merganzer Road ends below you, look directly south for Edom Hill. Rising to 1610 feet, prominent hill is easy to spot, not only for its height but the communication towers on it. The hill often is incorrectly referred to as a sand dune. Wind from the San Gorgonio Pass often blows sand into the hill’s depressions and along its base, so it somewhat looks like a dune.

The Kim Nicol Trail can prove to be a good workout challenge, as there are some steep switchbacks on sand. Still, the Indio Hills’ northern end typically rises only about 600 feet above the valley floor while the southern end can top out at 1200 feet, making for an easier hike near Desert Hot Springs than Indio.

As with the most of the Indio Hills, the coarse, gray rock here is quite young at less than 2.6 million years old. Since the rock is poorly consolidated and sandy, it easily erodes during torrential rains. The result is a maze of gullies with sharp ridges. The arroyos typically are V-shaped with flat sandy bottoms.

Faults along the San Andreas Fault created the Indio Hills by raising the land between them into an arch. The Banning Fault – thought to be the main San Andreas Fault – runs along the hills’ southeastern face that is seen from Interstate 10. The Mission Creek fault sits on the hills’ north face.

Dillon Road Piedmont
The loop’s north side runs alongside the Mission Creek Fault. On this part of the hike, you’ll enjoy great views of Fun Valley below and of West Wide and East Wide canyons cutting into the Little San Bernardino Mountains beyond.

This side of the Indio Hills is a sort of valley within a valley. Called the Dillon Road Piedmont, the plain rises as approaching Indio. The piedmont’s floor consists of sand and rock washed off the Little San Bernardinos. Because there is insufficient rainfall, it has accumulated to several hundred feet deep. Sky Valley (visible from the trail) and the community of Indio Hill farther southwest sit atop the piedmont.

At 4.7 miles, the loop reaches the stem. Go right-straight/northwest onto the stem and retrace your steps back to the parking lot.

The trail is named for longtime Coachella Valley resident and biologist Kim Nicol. She played a major role in the development and passage of Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. She passed away in 2015 from cancer.

Be forewarned that this trail is poorly marked, so carry a map and compass before going on it. Not an iota of the route is shaded, so always don sunscreen, sunhat and sunglasses. Bring plenty of water. Dogs are allowed on trail but must be leashed.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Trail rises 47 stories over Desert Hot Springs

Sunset offers a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful lights of Desert Hot
Springs from the trail's high point.

Swiss Canyon Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

The following article originally was written for and appeared in the Uken Report.

Day hikers can take in panoramic views of Mt. San Jacinto and the San Gorgonio windmill farm on the Swiss Canyon Trail.

The 2.1-mile out-and-back trail in northeast Desert Hot Springs makes a steady ascent of 475 feet over half of its distance. It starts at 1326 feet elevation, already higher than much of the Coachella Valley.

To reach the trailhead, from Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs go right on Eighth Street then in a half-mile turn left onto Verbena Drive. After passing Yucca Drive, park on the street; the trail goes east from Verbena.

Initially a flat road of sand and rock, the trail heads into the foothills of the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The mountains extend for 40 miles and mark the boundary between the valley’s Colorado Desert ecosystem and the higher, Joshua tree-laden Mojave Desert to the north.

The trail consists of three segments – open desert, a canyon, and a scenic overlook.

Standard scrub brush lines the route through the open desert. A chain link fence on the trail’s right side marks the location of a country club planned for a decade ago but that was put on hold during the Great Recession.

Soon the path enters a canyon of boulders and cacti. Tall gray rock walls rise more than a story high on either side of the trail.

At 1.05 miles, the trail reaches its high point. The small hill at sits at 1801 feet elevation and overlooks the valley with fantastic views of Mt. San Jacinto and the windmill farms in San Gorgonio Pass.

Mt. San Jacinto is an impressive sight from the hill. Rising 10,834 feet, it’s the sixth highest peak in the lower 48 states. Making the San Jacinto even more dramatic is that 10,000 feet of that elevation rises in just 7 miles, one of the steepest gains in the lower 48.

The San Gorgonio Pass on the mountain’s north side is among the windiest spots in Southern California, an ideal place for a windmill farm. More than 3200 turbines in the pass deliver 615 MW of electricity to the area, enough to power 615,000 homes. As the windmills range from eight to 16 stories in height, they easily can be seen from the hill despite being five miles away as the crow flies.

Once taking in the sites, retrace your steps back to the trailhead. A couple of small side trails are available along the way (see map).

As there’s no shade, be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat, as well as bring plenty of water. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.