About 20 minutes away from Desert Hot Springs. My mother in law and I were awake way before the…read morerest of the family and both of us like exploring and nature so I asked her if she wanted to go hiking with me at 6:30 am. Both of us got ready in 10 minutes and were out the door. The gate is closed and there is even a sign that says "parking lot closed" but we saw other people parking on the street and walking over so we did the same. The RV/campsite you can see from a distance is for the staff that works there, don't be alarmed by it! If you head on the trails toward the RV its very short but brings you into the giant palms and a wooden staircase that goes down to water and palms growing out of it. You can finish this very quickly. When you head out and head to the right there are branching paths here that lead to more hikes in palms, along the river oasis, and more into the mountains. The visitor center looked excellent and had a home made log cabin vibe, we could see some interesting artifacts inside but because the entrance was chained we didn't want to go in without permission even though it would have been easy to just duck under the chains.

Nice little gem of a place. Good for kids to run around. Nice little trails. Docents are…read morethere to answer questions and teach about the tectonic plates and underground water.

If you haven't explored La Quinta Cove Trail yet... go…read more We randomly stumbled on this little oasis tucked right into the mountains and it felt like such a cool surprise. Concrete Flintstones-style chairs and a table, palm trees, picnic spots, even a water station... like WHAT?? The perfect place to pause, recharge, and just take it all in whether you're solo or with a crew. Such a neat find. Will absolutely be back!

La Quinta Cove is one of my favorite local hiking spots. The trails are mostly flat, with some…read moresteeper sections as you reach the mountains, so you can make the hike as easy or challenging as you like. It's spacious which makes it easy to enjoy some quiet time. There's plenty of parking and there are restrooms at the main trailhead. Dogs on leashes are allowed up to a certain point, with plenty of waste bags and bins available. Unfortunately, there's still too much dog waste on the trails, no excuse for that, folks. Bring water and a hat, especially if you go later in the day. I prefer starting early to beat the heat. Overall, it's a great spot for peaceful desert views and a solid hike.

Nice place to walk dogs although trails Re marked no dogs at many spots . We could not quite figure…read moreit out as so many braided trails

Ooh there's something for everyone here- a super wide bike trail, mountain bike paths up in the…read morehills, paved areas to explore, and lots of hiking. It's even all-ages and dog-friendly. I actually started at the Cove trail around the way from here, but it was much too crowded. This one was an unexpected find while driving and quite empty. There's several access points all along Avenida Motezuma, and parking in the neighborhood is plentiful. If you want to hit the beaten path, someone made stairs on both sides of the creek so you don't have to climb the steep gradient. Overall, a very beautiful area. I look forward to returning. Pros: - super clean - wide paths - dog-friendly (even a doodie bag station and pet-friendly water fountain) - all levels of expertise - lots of parking Cons: - didn't see restrooms

This was a quick hike with some steep parts to get the heart pumping. Pretty panoramic views and…read morefree shaded parking at the civic center at the bottom of the hill.

I loved this trail. It was a fun and easy and scenic hike. It is pretty easily marked but got a…read morelittle confusing when it connected up with other trails. There are a few over looks that you can walk out and see the view. It kind of just ends at the top at the Ritz hotel and then you aren't really sure where to go. If the Ritz were open it would have been a nice place to stop and geta little bite to eat or a drink, but it was still closed due to COVID 19. We were thankfully that it was a nice walk down the road back to the parking lot at city hall. Not for little kids as there is quite the dropoff and is no guard rails.

Popular hike with sweeping views at the top by the cross. This is a moderate hike, steep in…read moresections but relatively short, and it's very dog friendly with many leashed dogs on the trail. Free parking is at Cap Homme / Ralph Adams Park at the end of Thrush Rd in Palm Desert. From the lot, you walk through the gate and follow the Homestead Trail signs up to the cross, so it's very straightforward to find the route. Start as early as you can because the sun makes you feel warm quickly and there's not much shade on the trail. Distance: approx. 2.2-3 miles total Elevation gain: about 600-700 ft It took me and my friend about 1.5 hours to complete the loop

The Trail to the Cross is an AOK hike; it's dog friendly, but it's not linked to the other trails…read morein the area. Tip: It's difficult to find dog-friendly hiking trails in the Palm Springs area, but this is a nice one :-) You'll get to enjoy some nice views of the valley when you hike here, though be careful - you'll be fully exposed to the desert sun and there isn't a whole lot of shade out here. Need less to say, where proper hiking shoes and bring along lots of water.

If you are out inexperienced this entire hike is a challenge. Almost all rocks. The canyon leg is…read moreall boulders, 843 yards. You are challenged to find footing, get over large boulders going uphill. Once done, another 1.25-1.4 miles to the top. Narrow rocky incline. DO this side first. The other leg, ridge leg is narrow, gravel and rocks with sun hitting it hard in late morning and early afternoon. Steep inclines on both sides. Need good hiking shoes..we met several experienced hikers who only go up and down ridge leg and skip boulder canyon side because it is difficult. Views at top spectacular. Go early. Take LOTS of water. Trails not clearly marked and easy to take wrong turn. Do not underestimate the entire loop. We did, survived, loved it but next time will skip the canyon boulder side.

What a great hike located in the Indian Wells mountains right behind the Palm Desert living desert…read morezoo. The complete hike is closer to 5.5 miles and is no joke. Very rocky terrain and no shade. It's not too steep at any point and you are mostly following the watershed trail off the mountains. You have to pay admission to the living desert to get access to the trail. Can't wait to go back and do it again.

We decided to hike bump & grind one early morning for a sunrise view of the city. What an…read moreincredible area, beautiful views, and really wonderful people along the way. Many even trail running in the dark, way to go!!! I would call it moderate, and I could see it being quite difficult if we started when the sun was already up. They have decent parking on the road where the trailhead starts.

Great place for a hike in the desert! My husband and I are beginners, but it's a great place to get…read morea workout! It does get crowded so if you get there late, they will be lots of people. Parking runs up and down the street and it will be difficult to find a spot. The views are beautiful, the climb steep, but it makes it a lot easier if you have a hiking stick.

Gorgeous and challenging to access mountain. You will be one of the only people summiting, whether…read moreyou come on a weekday or weekend. It's just not easy to access and there are no trails going up this mountain. It's a rock scramble that you'll have to navigate yourself. This past weekend, I ended up going up Martinez Mountain and Sheep mountain. We started at the Cactus Spring Trail and hiked to Horsethief Creek. We were able to filter a good amount of water at the creek with a decent water source and from there hiked to Cactus Spring (about 5 miles from the start of the trailhead). Martinez Mountain was about 8 mile round trip back to Cactus Spring. It was quite a feat to traverse and required some class 3 moves to get up to the summit. Quite a thrilling adventure. Coming down the backside of the gully was not for the faint of heart; I definitely got some injuries I wish I didn't get...if I do this mountain again, it would probably be an out and back, although you can hit Sheep the same day (I ended up doing Sheep the next day). All in all; it's quite a challenge and you probably won't see a soul up here, but it's worth it for the adventurous-minded!

On April 27th, 2014 Lindsay, Kate and myself set off to climb Martinez Mountain. We drove up the…read more74 and parked the truck near an old mine. We started about 8 am, and the hike lasted almost 12 hours. All of us are in great shape but this turned out to be a brutal day hike. Starting point is located up the 74. Make a left on the dirt road right after the sugarloaf cafe. Then after the cactus spring trailhead sign, drive down and to the left to get the closest start. Exact location: Latitude: 33.5767109413 Longitude : -116.4422111493 The elevation was 3922 ft The hike starts off descending and you go cross a small stream about a half mile in. At 1.7 miles in and 3400 ft, we crossed Horse Thief Creek, which surprisingly had a good amount of water flowing. No water after that. After 1 mile of good grade it leveled out and we followed a wide wash, making out way to the mountain. We met another hiker who knew the area well and told us where the trail we needed connected to the wash. At 4.97 miles from our start, we took the trail to the right and headed to the saddle just west of Martinez Mountain. It could easily be missed without keeping an eye out. 1.35 miles after leaving the wash, we made it to the saddle and stopped for lunch. We could see Jacinto, Santa Rosa Mountain, and the south side of the Martinez. From here, there is NO TRAIL to the top. Making out way up the ridge was a scramble. It was a lot of work, and there are large boulders and overgrown bushes. Its steep and you will need to be in great shape. At 7.64 miles from the start, and 6543 ft up, we summited! The summit is a group of large boulders and you will need to be able to lift your own bodyweight to get up. We found the summit sign in ammo box, which only had about 100 signatures in the last ten years. On our way down we decided to go a more direct way down, which was very steep and slow moving. Our knees really took a beating jumping down rock to rock. We then got back on the trail in the wash and headed back to the start. In total, we hike 14.8 miles. We had a great time and want to explore this area more!

I can't recommend Joshua Tree Adventures highly enough. My friend and I did a day of guided hiking…read morewith Ethan in Wonderland of Rocks. He took us to beautiful parts of the park that we would never have found on our own. We are in our late sixties and hike regularly. Ethan designed a route that was a good match for our abilities; some elevation gain, walking up and over granite faces and between boulders. He was there to provide help if we needed but was also willing to let us sort out our footing on our own. He regularly checked in to see how we were feeling about the route. As we walked, he gave us a lot of information about the geology, plants and history of the park and answered all of our questions. I wI'll definitely book another adventure with him on my next visit to the park.

We had a great tour today with Tom, he was an excellent guide, great stories! Highly professional…read more Our first trip to the park and we are looking forward for more!