Drivers, please drive below the 45-mph recommended speed because there are pedestrians. Visitors:…read morethe Preserve is only open some days per week. The parking area is closed. Park across along the road, look before opening a door on the left side of your vehicle, and cross the road carefully. As you enter the parking area, a trail to the left leads to a hill overlooking the Preserve. The entrance area has two toilets, two picnic tables, information signs, and a helpful docent. The McCallum Trail and San Andreas Trail are open for a short way. Some trails are partly closed and as a result you cannot reach some of the informational signs. I have read those signs in the past when those trails were still open. FYI, the Mission Strand of the San Andreas Fault blocks the flow of underground water. The water rises to the surface creating a small oasis with native California fan palm trees and bird life.

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.

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.

I love this particular location for easy to moderate day hiking. It's *way* out in Thousand Palms…read more(literally at the end of Ramon road when it changes names). There is a small but informative visitor center (that is almost always looking for volunteers, so if you live out here full time consider volunteering!) and rest rooms at the parking area, and then a number of hikes out from there. The preserve sits directly on the San Andreas fault, so some of the hikes follow it for a bit. My favorite hike so far has been out to McCallum Oasis, where a permanent "pond" sits under a grove of huge palm trees. The trails are usually well marked, though sometimes you might have to go scrambling. The terrain is mostly flat, though, with the exception of a few major hills. Do note that this is 'middle of the desert' hiking - there is not much to see if you are not looking to walk/admire the natural beauty of a desert landscape. Also it *is* out in the desert - with the exception of some of the oases (oasi?) there is not a lot of shade either. Bring lots of water, and avoid the high heat of the mid-day. Also I noted that it 'feels' like you do more walking/hiking on softer sand here than other places that I have been (Indian Canyons, Big Morongo, municipal trails, etc.). That makes some hikes take slightly longer as I find walking on soft sand to be more strenuous. The preserve is free though $5 donation for parking is asked for (but not insistently - the first few times I went I didn't see the sign asking for the parking fee, didn't pay, and wasn't harassed about it). Also one other tip - the Circle K gas station just up the road (at the corner of Ramon and I think Monterey) always has the absolute cheapest gas, and does not charge you extra for using a credit card. I always make it a point to get gas when I'm leaving after my hike.

This is a pleasant walk. My husband and I spent about an hour walking two miles through an oasis,…read morethen desert, then more oasis. We were amazed by the temperature difference under the palm trees. I almost gave this four stars because it was fairly crowded. We went on a Tuesday, and it was still busy. The parking lot was filled so we had to park on the road. Which may have been a positive because the parking lot was dirt. Definitely not a good choice for a weekend afternoon. On the positive side they do have two porta potties available.

Great short hike and dog friendly. It is a rocky trail but not hard at all. Once we got to the top…read morethere is another short trail that is pretty flat. We enjoyed this hike with our dogs.

Great little trail to the top of a hill. Maybe a third to half a mile? Something like that. You…read moreneed to park at the bottom of the trail, where there are a few businesses as there is no parking on the road leading up the hill. There's a tiny bit of climbing over rocks in places, but the switchbacks aren't too steep, and there are great views from the top. The trail leads to several other trails, but just as a stand-alone, we really enjoyed it. There's even a bench at the top to sit and relax and take in the views. Didn't see any Bighorn Sheep though!

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.

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.

Nice place for a walk and the scenery was great. I will admit I didn't follow all the posts showing…read morethe trail, I ended up walking an extra 2 miles. I'm not complaining though. The walk is well marked, slot canyons and all. I'm glad I did it early morning, used 1.5 liters of water. I'd like to walk it again

This review is for the East Indio Hills Badlands which was a ~5.2 mile round trip that took ~ 2.5…read morehours to complete. Parking is on the dirt road. This trailhead seemed popular especially since it's close to the city. For this particular trail, you follow the signs for Indio Hills Badlands. It's straightforward for the most part but also recommend downloading the map from AllTrails in case you need it. Trail was comprised of sand and dirt. Plenty of rock formations throughout the hike and awesome views at higher elevation. This hike sort of reminds me of a mix of Slot Canyon in Anza Borrego and Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/1VuvNgk-sJg

I always kept this trail to , I'll eventually get around to it. Since my friend from out of town…read morecame I decided to take them on this hike because from what I read it was an incline all the way but fairly straightforward trail. Which it is. Another reason why it wasn't on the top of my list is because I figured it's a popular trail so there would be more people. Which there were but not overwhelming but you can tell this is a popular hike. Either way you will get a sweat and if you from out of town, this is definitely a hike to check out. Granted there are plenty of simple hikes like this with a good view of the valley but I say it definitely is a good one with a nice view and great to get blood flowing without killing you. If you aren't from the area. This should be one of those to check out and it's a quick hike depending on what shape you are in. You just need a water bottle and good workout shoes and you are good to go. Nothing crazy but a nice simple hike for a quick exercise outside of the gym.

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.

This is the perfect place to get the ole heart pumping. One doesn't have to drive too far to get…read morehere. There is ample street parking. The trails are clearly marked. It's very popular though not too crowded to enjoy. There are some spots that can be tricky, especially if you do not like being "on the edge". The views from the various areas is pretty nice. That golf course by Larry Ellison is magnificent! I was impressed by the 2 mountain bikers we saw. Props to them!

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.

Easily accessible But can be challenging…read more Make sure you wear the right shoes as the trail is steep. Great views Could be marked a bit better Coming down is actually harder than going up!

Wha a wonderful trail to hike! We found a herd if mountain goats crossing our trail and stopping to…read moreeat dried leaves. They're so close to us and seem comfortable with us taking photo of them. It was worth the hike as it is quite a difficulty level of rocky trail to get to the top. Tip- bring extra water and wear proper hiking shoes! Long and steep trail. Hiking sticks would be great to save some energy too!