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.