La Quinta Cove trail heads to great vista

The vista from the top of the Boo Hoff Trail offers a view
of the Salton Sea.

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

Day hikers can enjoy great vistas and the ocotillo on a hike into the foothills from La Quinta Cove.

The Boo Hoff Trail runs 5.8-miles round-trip with an elevation gain of 1290 feet. It’s best done October-April; in fact, the trail is closed July 1 to Sept. 30 so hikers don’t disturb bighorn sheep.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 in La Quinta, take Washington Street south. Next, turn right/west onto Eisenhower Drive. At Avenida Bermudas, go right/southwest; be aware that the street name changes to Calle Tectate. Turn left/south into the parking lot for the trailhead, which is directly across the street from Avenida Ramirez.

From there, you’ll cross the sandy, gradually ascending wash that sits at the Cove Oasis and head into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

Ocotillos
At about 0.85 miles, the trail leave the wash and begins climbing a ridgeline that heads up Martinez Mountain’s base. The singletrack heads through desert terrain the entire way.

Patches of barrel cactus can be seen along the trail. Teddy bear cholla also pops up.

Without a doubt, though, the ocotillo steals the show, especially when it blooms. The ocotillo is fat here. If you hike the trail within a few days after rain, it bursts with green leaves. Bright crimson flowers also can appear, though they are more likely to do so in spring and summer than fall.

A mature ocotillo can reach a height of 33 feet. The plant consists of several branches that grow like poles from its base. Though the place looks like cactus, genetically it’s more closely related to the blueberry bush.

Desert wildflowers
Mid-February through April offers an opportunity to see a variety of desert wildflowers along the trail. Among them are the desert five-spot and the ghost flower.

The magenta desert five-star is easy to spot with its colorful petals against the tawny scrubland. Five pink to red circles on the petals form a dot-to-dot circle.

The white to manila ghost flower does not produce nectar so relies on mimicry to pollinate. It looks like the sand blazing star and so deceives the Xeralictus bee into checking it out.

A variety of birds and plenty of small lizards and mammals thrive on the slope. You’re also in bighorn sheep country, so keep an eye out for them. If spotting bighorn, stay on the trail to limit your effect on them.

One interesting insect you may spot along the trail is the master blister beetle. Ranging between a half-inch to 1.3-inches in length, you can’t miss its striking red head and black wings. Their larvae attack bee nests while the adult chews brittlebush leaves.

Though not poisonous, they can bite, so steer clear of them – though usually they will fly away if you do get close.

Historic trail to vista
At roughly 1.9 miles, the trail begins switchbacking to its top.

These switchbacks have existed for centuries. Originally a historic Indian path, an equestrian group during the 20th century improved it for use by horses. Today, hikers and a few mountain biker enthusiasts primarily use the Boo Hoff. The trail is named for the founder of the equestrian group, the Desert Riders.

You’ll reach the top at 2.9 miles. You’re at 1644 feet above sea level and will be treated to a great vista. The Salton Sea is to the northeast. The Martinez Landslide also is apparent. Just beyond it on the hillside is the waterline of ancient Lake Cahuilla. To the northwest is Mount San Jacinto, which looms over Palm Springs.

At the top, the Guadalupe Trail begins and heads up into a canyon to the southwest. Another trail loops east to La Quinta. The shortest way back to your vehicle, though, is to simply retrace your steps down the foothill.

As is typical of urban fringe trails in the Coachella Valley, there’s no shade, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and a sunhat. Dogs are not allowed on the trail.

MAPS

Click on map for larger version

Boo Hoff Trail topo map Plate 1

Boo Hoff Trail topo map Plate 2

Boo Hoff Trail topo map Plate 3

Trail heads to Coral Mountain, Devil Canyon

Coral Mountain is a short rock formation detached from the Santa Rosa
Mountains foothills in La Quinta, Calif..

Aerial map of Devil Canyon Trail. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can head into the foothills overlooking La Quinta, Calif., on the Devil Canyon Trail.

The trail runs 3.6-miles round trip, but adventurous types can extend the hike to 5.12-miles round trip by going deeper into the canyon. As a side note, you won’t find the Devil Canyon Trail on maps as it’s not the route’s official name – it doesn’t have one – but the opening part of it is the Coral Mountain Trail.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 just east of La Quinta, take Madison Street right/south. At 58th Avenue, turn right/west. The Coral Mountain Trailhead is on the left/south after passing Sidonia Way. Park on the sandy pullout along the road’s left/south side.

Desert crossing
Follow the dirt path southeast from the pullout. At the next trail junction, go right/south.

The trail here crosses the desert. Small cacti, scrub brush, and lizards highlight the stretch.

At 0.13 miles, come to a trail junction with three other trails. Take the one to the left/southeast; if the trail you came in on were at 1 o’clock on the circular trail junction, the path would be at about 5 o’clock.

The path crosses more open desert on its ways to Coral Mountain, a granite rock formation detached from the Santa Rosa Mountains. Coral Mountain tops out at 465 feet above sea level. The formation, like the trail, technically has no official name, but most locals call it that, and for good reason – several soft colors, including pink, are embedded in the granite. From distance and in the right sunlight, it looks like the color of coral.

Coral Mountain
You’ll reach the rock formation at about 0.28 miles. Once there, take a trail going right/west and then right/north, circling around the northern side of Coral Mountain. As rounding it, you’ll spot The Quarry at La Quinta before you.

Around 0.47 miles, you’ll arrive at another trail junction; go left/south onto it. This used to an old jeep trail.

The trail heads up a wide wash. You’ll want to wear hiking boots with good traction to ford the sand. A trekking pole also is recommended.

At 1.04 miles, the route comes to the edge of the foothills for the Santa Rosa Mountains. From there, the trail heads alongside the formation’s southeastern side.

You’re now in the mouth for Devil Canyon, formed by the intermittent Guadalupe Creek.

Into the foothills
At about 1.8 miles, the trail peters out. For those just out for a pleasant walk, this is the turnback point.

You can continue onward, though. The terrain will be rocky and potentially overgrown depending on how recently the creek flowed. It’ll also be steep, gaining about 1200 feet elevation in 0.66 miles. Lastly, the route also narrows, but that makes for a visually more interesting hike as the canyon walls rise around you with Boo Hoff Peak rising to 1715 feet in the north.

If continuing on, in about 2.46 miles the canyon splits. Go left/southwest. In another tenth of a mile, the trail comes to where Guadalupe Creek spills over a ledge; unless willing to do some difficult rock scrambling, the canyon is impassable at this point and a good spot to turn back.

Do not hike this route if rain is forecast or if it has fallen higher in the mountains within the past 24 hours. Though the canyon walls can provide shade, it’s otherwise entirely open to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat.

Trail links La Quinta cove to Lake Cahuilla

The Cove to Lake Trail heads to Lake Cahuilla near a PGA West golf course.

The Cove to Lake Trail map.

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

Day hikers can explore the foothills bordering La Quinta on The Cove to Lake Trail.

The 6.6-mile out and back trail heads across the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument on its way to scenic Lake Cahuilla. Parts of the route sometimes are referred to on maps and guidebooks as the Morrow Trail.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 in La Quinta, take Washington Street south. Next, turn right/west onto Eisenhower Drive. At Avenida Bermudas, go right/southwest; be aware that the street name changes to Calle Tectate. Turn left/south into the parking lot for the trailhead, which is directly across the street from Avenida Ramirez.

From there, you’ll cross the sandy, gradually ascending wash that sits at the Cove Oasis’ head.

Desert wildflowers
At 0.5 miles, the path reaches the Boo Hoof Trail. Go onto the Boo Hoff then at the next trail junction turn left/southeast to remain on The Cove to Lake Trail proper.

March through April marks a great time to hike the trail as desert wildflowers often can be seen. Among them are the desert five-spot and the ghost flower.

The magenta desert five-star is easy to spot with its colorful petals against the tawny scrubland. Five pink to red circles on the petals form a dot-to-dot circle.

The white to manila ghost flower does not produce nectar so relies on mimicry to pollinate. It looks like the sand blazing star and so deceives the Xeralictus bee into checking it out.

At 0.67 miles, a side trail heads into the foothill to the left/northeast. Stay on the main trail.

Bighorn sheep
Shortly after that junction, the trail turns steep as it enters the foothills. This 1.5-2 mile stretch of the hike includes two crests with the highest elevation and some ups and downs. In all, you’ll gain about 290 feet in elevation from the trailhead to each crest. As a reward for the effort, on the crests you’ll get nice views of the Salton Sea in the distance.

Bighorn sheep often are spotted on the foothills and nearby golf courses. The sheep soon could be limited to the foothills, though, as plans call for erecting 9.5 miles of fencing to keep them out of town. Twelve sheep recently have died from various causes related to feeding on the golf courses – drowning, poisoning by eating oleander, struck by a car, and pneumonia spread when lambs ate too closely together.

In short order, the trail crosses a divide in the ridgeline and descends through a wash toward Lake Cahuilla. The foothills on the divide’s north side are the Coral Reef Mountains – so named because they look like their namesake (but aren’t such fossils remains) – while the Santa Rosa Mountains are to the south.

After passing a few long ponds, you’ll come to The Quarry at La Quinta development. Stay north of this golf club, as the trail hugs the foothill and veers toward the lake.

Lake Cahuilla
At 3.3 miles, the trail reaches Lake Cahuilla. It first passes through La Quinta County Park and then the Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area.

Lake Cahuilla’s sparkling blue waters nicely reflect the rocky Coral Reefs and Santa Rosas, and after crossing the dusty brown desert, is a pleasant visual relief. The Jack Nicklaus Golf Course of PGA West fame is on the lake’s far side.

The waterbody is named after ancient Lake Cahuilla, which during the last Ice Age covered much of the Coachella Valley. It’s not a remnant of that ancient lake, however, but a man-made reservoir to prevent flooding from snowmelt and rain flowing out of the Santa Rosas.

After taking in the lake, retrace your steps back to the cove. Alternately, to keep this an easy day hike, have someone drop you off at the trailhead and then pick you at the county park or recreation area.

The entire trail is open to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and hat as well as bring plenty of water. Quality hiking boots for the sandy wash and a trekking pole to maintain your footing on the trail’s steep portion are recommended. Carry cash, as you will have to pay to use some of the recreational area’s facilities.

Hike heads to oasis nestled in desert hills

An oasis sits in a fold in Bear Creek Canyon high in the foothills behind
La Quinta, California.

Bear Creek Canyon Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

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

Day hikers can enjoy a small oasis nestled in the foothills over La Quinta, Calif., on the Bear Creek Canyon Trail.

This 8.3 miles out and back trail through Bear Creek Canyon and a ridgeline above it is not for the novice hiker. It sports 2,319 feet of elevation gain – that’s equal to about 232 flights of stairs. If you find it too difficult, you always can hike a segment of it.

The trail starts in La Quinta Cove. To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 in La Quinta, turn south onto Washington Street. Then turn right/west onto Avenue 52 and from there left/south onto Avenida Bermudas. When this street fully curves west, it becomes Calle Tecate. A parking lot for the trail is on the street’s left/south side, across the road from Avenida Ramirez.

From the lot, the trail heads southwest into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. It’s fairly flat and sandy for about the first two miles as heading across a dry creek bed and wash. Be careful not to turn left/east onto the Boo Hoff Trail or connectors to it.

At 1.3 miles, you’ll encounter boulders and a trail marker. Go right and look for another trail marker than begin a single track trail to the oasis. If you find yourself boulder hopping in a deep canyon, you’ve gone the wrong way.

Bighorn sheep
Though the trail is in great shape, you will need hiking boots to keep your footing as you ascend and so pebbles don’t get in your shoes. The ascent is definitely a good workout, with a few flat spots that offer relief and views.

Bighorn sheep sometimes often are spotted near this trail. Jackrabbits also have been seen, and harmless desert lizards are ubiquitous.

A diverse array of cactus can be found as climbing in altitude. During mid-March, a variety of beautiful desert wildflowers can be seen along the trail, especially after the three mile mark.

Around 3.8 miles from the trailhead, you’ll reach the lookout perch at the trail’s highest point. You’ll be treated to great views of the Coachella Valley, from the snow-capped San Jacinto Peak (during winter and early spring), the Little Bernardino Mountains on the other side of the valley, and the Salton Sea to the east. La Quinta stretches out in the valley floor below with Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage to the northwest.

Disappearing oasis
Next, the trail descends and heads around a bend. An oasis can be seen in the distance, about a third of a mile away.

About two-dozen California fan palms sit in a fold in the canyon. Temps here are a full 10 degrees cooler than in the sun, and it’s the only shade on the trail.

Since 2013, the oasis has been dying off, though exactly why is unclear. You’ll notice old, dead palms surrounding the oasis, and most of the ocotillo nearby also has perished. Drought and changing water flow underground as the ground shifts likely are to blame.

Be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat on this hike. Given the exposure to the sun and the trail’s length, bring plenty of water as well. To avoid life-threatening heat, hike this trail only in late autumn, winter and early spring. Dogs are not allowed on the trail.

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

Urban hike crosses Coachella Valley cove

Palm trees and flowering shrubs line much of the Bear Creek Urban Trail.

Aerial map of Bear Creek Urban Trail. Start the hike
at the south end.

Hikers can walk the edge one of the Coachella Valley’s famous coves on the Bear Creek Urban Trail in La Quinta.

The smooth Bear Creek Urban Trail runs up to 5.3 miles round trip. Along the way, it briefly enters the Fred Wolff Nature Preserve and for much of the entire way borders the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

To reach the trailhead, from Hwy. 111 in La Quinta, take Washington Street south. Next, turn right/west onto Eisenhower Drive. At Avenida Bermudas, go right/southwest; be aware that the street name changes to Calle Tectate. Turn left/south into the parking lot for the Cove, which is directly across the street from Avenida Ramirez.

From the lot, follow the sidewalk along Calle Tectate. Martinez Mountain looms on the southern horizon.

Bear Creek
In about 0.37 miles when the road curves right/north, you’ll spot the sign for the Bear Creek Trailhead to the left/south.

The trail heads through a wash and then curls north as it meets and follows Bear Creek. To prevent flooding and erosion, the creek banks has been paved over. Still, there are plenty of palm trees, a variety of shrubs that usually flower in spring, a few roadrunners, and great views of the mountains to make for a pretty walk.

Neighboring a residential section, the trail is fairly quiet as it follows the west edge of La Quinta Cove. Several dirt footpaths head to the residences all along the route.

Among the many appeals of the Coachella Valley are its numerous coves, which provide greater protection from wind and sandstorms than the valley’s open center. Many of the Coachella Valley’s first resorts and residential areas were built in these pockets, which offers the added bonus of beautiful lighting that varies during the day as the sun reflects off the mountains.

How coves form
Technically, a cove on land is a valley between two ridgelines that usually is closed at one end. With the San Andreas Fault, the Coachella Valley is an ideal location for land coves to form. As rock is thrust upward from one continental plate over another plate, erosion can form large valley-like bowls into the softer material. Geologists call these bowls “windows.” Erosion expands these windows so that they join the larger valley that the rock was thrust over.

Often floodwater rushing off the neighboring ridge lines over time widens the cove and flattens its floor while leaving an alluvial fan at one end.

Just north of Calle Durango, the trail separates from Bear Creek and curves northeast. Along the way, it crosses Avenida Madero and essentially becomes a sidewalk in the residential area. That crossing marks a good spot to turn back; at this point, the hike is 3.8 miles round trip. If continuing on, the trail ends at the Eisenhower Drive and Calle Tampico intersection for an additional two miles round-trip of walking.

Almost all of the trail is exposed to the sun during the day, so be sure to don a brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.

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

Trail heads to springs in Santa Rosa Mtns.

Toro Peak is the highest summit in the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Cactus Spring Trail's west side

Cactus Springs Trail's east side

What Mount San Jacinto is to Palm Springs, California, so the Santa Rosa Mountain Range is to the central Coachella Valley, rising high above the southern horizons of neighboring Palm Desert and La Quinta.

Day hikers can explore the range by hiking a segment of the lengthy Cactus Springs Trail. The 9-mile round trip described here runs about 4779 feet below the range’s highest peak and about 3800 feet above La Quinta. It is located in the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 in Palm Desert take Calif. Hwy. 74 south into the Santa Rosa Mountains. Upon reaching the Pinyon Pines, turn left/southeast onto the Pinon Flats Transfer Station Road. Just before the station, turn right/east into the parking lot.

From the lot, walk the dirt road east about 800 feet to Pidgeon Springs Road. Go right/south onto it and then in about 70 feet take the very next left, heading east onto Cactus Springs Trail proper.

In about 500 feet, the trail splits; go right/southeast. The rest of the trail crosses rolling terrain, but the route essentially descends toward Horse Thief Creek.

The Cahuilla Indians used this trail for centuries, mainly because it passed water sources. In more recent times, an effort was made to mine dolomite here; you'll pass the abandoned operation as the trail curves southeast.

Toro Peak
Though high above the desert floor, the climate on the mountainside trail is similar. You'll pass plenty of cactus gardens, chaparral, pinyon pine and juniper on the way. During wet springs, blooming wildflowers – especially the brilliant blue and purple phacelia – are a treat to the eye.

To the south, Toro Peak rises above the trail. The highest mountain in the Santa Rosa Mountain Range, it tops out at 8717 feet. From its summit, in good weather, you can see Charleston Peak in Nevada.

A short range, the Santa Rosa Mountains cover 437 square miles. Geologically, they are part of the Peninsular Ranges, which run to Baja California Peninsula’s southern tip in Mexico.

At 2.4 miles in, the trail crosses Horse Thief Creek. The stream usually flows year around between its canyon walls. Cottonwoods line the creek and in autumn turn golden. The canyon marks a good spot to turn back; the more physically fit and adventurous, though, can continue onward.

From the creek, the trail climbs to the springs. Pine-covered Martinez Mountain, at 6500-feet high, looms in the distance.

Little Pinyon Flat
The terrain evens out as nearing the springs. Cahuilla families often used this flat as a gathering place, and pottery sherds still can be found there.

At 4.5 miles, the trail reaches Little Pinyon Flat Cactus Spring. The spring actually is a shallow, grass-covered mud hole, and a filter is needed to drink from it. But in the days before modern wells and piping, this was a major water source. No sign marks the spring, but once you spy a lot of animal tracks and human boot prints, you're close.

The springs is a good spot to turn back. The trail actually goes east for several more miles but can be difficult to follow at times. About 8.8 miles from the trailhead is the Agua Alta spring, and in 17.6 miles is Martinez Canyon.

This hike is best done in spring and autumn when temperatures are still comfortable. The desert route is mostly exposed to the sun, so bring plenty of water and be sure to don sunscreen and a sunhat. Dogs also are allowed on the trail.