A quick turn off from the switchbacking Pines to Palms Hwy, the Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point is a…read morewell maintained, informative experience of the life of the Cahuilla Indians. Once you've parked in their parking lot there's a paved path toward an outlook deck. There are many interactive and educational signs that teach you about the wildlife and the surrounding landscape. The views here are amazing, and it's usually less crowded than the viewpoint a few miles down the road. They also have a short nature walk here but you have to keep your eyes open for the sign, it's easily missed. - Tip If you're carsick or prone to it, this is a great place to pull over and recover. The winding roads on this highway are brutal.

We hiked near Palm Desert for a week and this was by far the best experience we had (although…read moreJoshua Tree was pretty great, too). This Vista Point had fantastic scenery and a wonderful path, not so hard to hike but full of things to see. We could not have had a better day - Palm Desert up to the Coachella Vally Vista Point, then to Cahuilla Tewanet and over the mountains on CA 74 and north on the "Pines to Palms Highway" past the Pacific Crest Trail.

This is a really family-friendly hiking trail with well-marked, interconnecting trails throughout…read morethe park. The falls are the highlight, but I found fun views throughout!

I had a very disappointing experience with the staff working the counter on June 7, 2026, around…read more9:00 a.m. The woman and man assisting guests were rude, condescending, and disrespectful. The website clearly states that admission is free with a military ID. My brother works with the Air Force as a contractor, but the woman immediately dismissed him by saying he was "just a contractor" and insisted he had to pay. She then turned to me, as I was paying for my own admission, and repeated the same dismissive explanation. If contractors are not eligible for free admission, the website should clearly state that to avoid confusion and embarrassment for visitors. More importantly, staff should treat guests with courtesy and respect rather than speaking to them in a demeaning manner.

The "Star" of Palomar Mountain State Park is the California Institute of Technology's Hale…read moreTelescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory, but there is also a rare bit (for San Diego) of Alpine terrain to explore with hiking trails in the trees and meadows with pounds and lakes. The views are always spectacular, and adventure awaits for those willing to get out and explore. Plan ahead for camping, the campgrounds fill up fast on weekends when the weather is nice.

A beautiful state park and such amazing campgrounds. There are a few campground options, but during…read moremy recent visit, we stayed at the Doane Valley Campground. It was very easy to book ahead online and pay for our daily parking pass once we checked-in. The campsite itself is tucked into the forest, very high up on Palomar Mountain. We found it easy to park our one SUV at our campsite and pitch our tents. The sites do have water, tables, and food boxes. The bathrooms were kept quite nice and tidy. We were all very impressed with the simple but clean and well maintained facilities. We did do a dog friendly hike that starts in the Doane Valley Campground and it's about 4 miles round trip. We had a lovely hike with a decent amount of incline along with beautiful weather. They also have a lovely stop/view area at the beginning of the campgrounds with picnic tables. Palomar mountain is great for camping, hiking, a nice Sunday cruise up the mountain for the beauty, etc. Cell phone service is spotty up there so make sure to either download your map ahead of time or use satellite service.

I visited this trail on a Sunday morning and it was quite busy! I suppose this is one of the more…read morepopular hikes in the area and would probably be much more enjoyable during a weekday. It was about 4 miles to the top with just over 1800 feet of elevation gain on an easy-going trail. The views from the top are quite nice looking over the Idlewile area and the mountains above it. Great spot for a picnic or just to hang out for a bit and appreciate nature.

Great work out thru the snow!! Start with your free permit from the Forest Ranger 1/2 before you…read morepark at Deer Springs Trail. Parking is free. Don't leave any valuables in your car. Do your leg stretches before and after your hike. Bring your hiking ribbons, waterproof hiking boots with added spikes or cleats (for snow), hiking poles/sticks, sun hat, sunscreen, backpack with water, electrolytes, snacks, extra jacket, tissue, mini medic kit, antibacterial spray, music speaker, and a positive attitude!! This is a great hike for healthy athletic souls! Ask your doctor before going I highly recommend it. It's about 9 miles total there and back and 7 hours total in snow! Plan ahead you cannot rush or accidents happen! I hope I helped you guys out before going! -A

This was a nice and easy hike around 5 miles round trip. It's pretty much out and back. Theres a…read moregood amount of parking near the trail. The parking can get busy since there's other trails nearby. Where we started, there was a creek right in the beginning. There's a distinct trail to follow and the terrain isn't too bad. Theres some rocks here and there. The views were amazing as we were able to see different types of trees, mountain, birds, and squirrels. It got a little repetitive towards the end because it looked like we were passing by the same thing over and over.

This is such a perfect hiking trail!!! It's called the scenic route but I think the distance and…read moreslow incline are a perfect workout for those of us that don't go hiking too often. It's a very beautiful trail with a couple creeks and lot of people with their dogs. Would definitely hike this trail again just for a calming walk with nice views.

I really love this lake. We came to do an adventure hike today. We stopped at the store for our new…read moreparking pass for the year. Our walk was lovely and we encountered so many really cool things today. I took a bunch of pictures of nature. I still haven't seen a bald eagle. I was pretty sure there was a dead body in the trash dumpster but after lifting the lid it was just trash that stunk to high heavens. The dead racoon carcass was a crazy sighting! Poor baby, I wonder what ate it? We saw Cormorants, granite spiney lizards, carpenter bees, murders of crows... a whole bunch going on. There are so many things to see here on the trails, you should come check it out for yourself!

Great place and well kept, people are nice, fellow campers respectful. Beautiful location, very…read morecrowded place too, sites are close together. Dogs welcome. Well stocked RV Masters store down the hill if you have any issues. If you are bringing a trailer or RV and expect to have full hookups, please be warned. The location of the sewer hookup on many sites is at the back end of the site that is uphill from your dump outlet and no way you can actually use it even with hose supports. The water hookup is also in some cases a shared 4 bib in the adjacent camp so you will be tripping over your hose. So be prepared to dry camp so your trip isn't stressful. Meaning fill your water and drain your tanks. Electrical worked fine for us. But the outlets are 30a so if you have a 50a rig, bring your adapter. The fire rings can be moved if you need them in another place to not have smoke in your rv so that nice. There is a store and the bathrooms are real toilets not pit, cleaned and kept stocked and they have showers if you need. They have 2 RV dump stations that are free when you stay but only 1 has working water for flushing. Overall , we would camp again with the expectation of dry camping, but the prices should reflect the inability to actually have "full hookups".

We tackled Volcan Mountain Trail with an eight-year-old, so we didn't make it the full way but it…read morewas such a nice experience. We also brought along our dog as it is a dog friendly trail as long as your dog is on a leash. The trail starts out pretty steep, but it's well-marked with clear paths throughout. One thing I really loved was all the signage explaining local plant life and animal tracks so it made the hike feel educational and engaging. My kiddo was really into looking at the different animal paw prints. This trail is great for hiking enthusiasts and beginners alike but just know your limits and pace yourself if you're newer to hiking. I would definitely say if it's sunny to make sure you bring plenty of water with you, but there are a lot of shady spots on this trail so that is a nice change from the hikes that are closer to coastal San Diego.

It's a good hike to pair with a trip to Julian. My husband and I picked up sandwiches in town for a…read morepicnic on the trail. Parked next to the road and knew we were in the right place because of all the other cars. We made our hike a loop as we went up the mountain, taking the 5 Oaks Trail, and then came down using the Vulcan Mountain preserve trail. The 5 Oaks Trail has more of a view. There are a few seats to stop, sit (catch your breath) and enjoy the view. Sadly, we haven't had rain so it wasn't as green as I'm sure it would be on a normal January. Nevertheless, a great hike to work off all the apple pie you eat in Julian.

As we all know, it is always hot in Palm Springs. 365, 24/7. This review is a bit overdue. A friend…read moreof mine wanted to go to Palm Springs and suggested for us to go on this tour. Instead of driving, we decided to get a tour and let them guide us and drive us around. Well, it was a 2 hour tour and Tony, our guide, kind of spent a little extra time with us, after other people got off the tram. Weather was just perfect. We loved everything about this tour. It is breathtaking, beautiful, peaceful and relaxing. The tour included hiking, taking couple of photos, and other things..We took the Palm Canyon trail which is relatively an easy hike for the 1st mile. Gorgeous views to stop by and take photos. Beautiful waterfalls and can also be fun for children. We were there earlier this year and that's all I can say and remember about this tour. I highly recommend to all. Prices are $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors and kids. They have a gift shop, restroom at the front of the entrance, plenty of parking spaces and it was a memorable experience. We are both glad that we took this tour. :-) Make sure you are out by 5pm, they will nicely escort you to your vehicles. Take extra clothes to change, pretty humid; and a gallon/bottles of water. Wear comfortable tennis shoes. Thank you Tony & Indian Canyons tour..

What a spectacular experience. So much to learn about the Indians that lived here and why. From a…read morenice cool walk under the trees next to the natural water flowing up through the ground then to some fabulous hiking with glorious views of the mountains to all the creatures that live all around it. Keep your eyes open for all of them and especially for the dangerous ones hiding around rocks. Stay away from the selfies with them. Shouldn't have to say it but.... Well worth the $12.00 entry fee per car. Come here when it's hot for a cooler experience under the trees or winter for some good hiking. This is Palm Springs after all.

This review is for Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon Trail which was a ~4.4 miles round trip that took…read more~2.5 hours to complete. Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon Trail was a popular and crowded hike near Mecca, California. Trail was flat and sandy while you're at the bottom of the canyons. Started the loop clockwise; look for the ladder on your left. Requires a little bit of rock scrambling at this part and some ladders to get to the slot canyons. Trail becomes a bit more rocky with a slight incline towards the top of the canyons. Furthermore, there was a rope and ladder near the end of the loop. Overall, this was unique trail with stunning views throughout the hike! Required to drive on a well maintained dirt road for ~4.6 miles. Low clearance cars could make it; go slow and dodge the bigger bumps as you get closer to the parking. No restroom at the trailhead! Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/7HECQHARzvs

I went there on April 6, 2025. There's 7 cars at parking area. I ran into 6 hikers while I was on…read morethe trail. It's quiet and really enjoyed the nature. Gloves and hiking boots are game changers. Last 2 miles are very rocky and sandy, so it's hard to walk. I forgot my sunscreen and sunglasses.