Hiking

Hiking Trails 25 Mile Radius	Nearest Location	Total Miles In/Out	Skill Level	Description
Big Falls	Redlands	0.7	Very easy terrain	Whether Big Falls is the highest water- fall in all of Southern California is subject to argument, though it is quite fair.
Big Morongo Canyon	Morongo Valley	N/A	Easy	Nearly 300 species of birds have been spotted along a 6 mile stretch of the canyon just outside of the city of Morongo.
Blake Rock Loop Trail	Yucca Valley	10.5	Strenuous	A very well marked trail both up Eureka Peak and down the California Riding and Hiking Trail.
Conejo Well Eagle Mountain	Indio	12	Moderate	This clear, well defined trail is actually a closed four-wheel drive mining road managed as a hiking trail.
Cottonwood Spring Morten's Mill Site	Indio	1	Easy	Cottonwood Spring is a lovely patch of greenery in an otherwise arid.
Cottonwood Spring Nature Trail	Indio	1	Easy	This broad clear trail leads up a wash from the road near the spring, eventually winding up to a low ridge leading to the spring.
Covington Loop	Yucca Valley	4.1	Moderate	This is a true loop with route duplica- tion unless the suggested side trips are taken.
Eureka Peak	Joshua tree	7.6	Moderate	The climb to Eureka Peak takes you past some of the lushes vegetation in the monument and to a great view of Palm Springs.
High View Nature Trail	Twenty Nine Palms	1.3	Easy	This nature trail travels to the top of a hill providing a view over Yucca Valley and northern reaches.
Lost Palms Oasis	Indio	8.4	Moderate	This is a dry, high hike, with no protec- tion from sun and wind. It is a heavily signed route with arrows at every bend.
Mastodon Peak Loop	Indio	3	Easy to moderate if peak is included.	A moderate 3-mile loop hike leads from the Cottonwood Spring Oasis to nearby Mastodon Mine, Winona Mill, and Mastodon Peak. The peak requires some scrambling but provides excellent views.
Murray Peak	Cathedral City	12	Strenuous, very tech- nical.	The highest peak in the area gives you one of the finest views of the Coachella Valley and southward.
San Gorgonio Mountain	Redlands	15.8	Strenuous, easy ter- rain.	The Vivian creek Trail is the original path to the top of San Gorgonio, built around the turn of the 20th Century.The rounded, talus-strewn summit of San Gorgonio Mountain (or “Greyback,” as it was called long ago) crowns the San Bernardino Mountains.
San Jacinto Peak	Palm Springs	12	Moderately strenuous, easy terrain.	San Jacinto Peak is a close second after San Gorgonio Mountain on the roster of Southern California high points.
San Jacinto Peak	Palm Springs	20	Very strenuous, moderate terrain and bush whacking.	This hike, known as the Cactus-to- Clouds Hike by Palm Springs hiking enthusiasts, is an absolute hoot - if you survive.
South Park Peak	Twenty Nine Palms	0.8	Easy	This gentle peak climb begins as an easy dirt trail. Although this short loop hike lies just outside of Joshua Tree National Park's northern boundary, it provides a sweeping view of the valley.
Tahquitz Peak	Idyllwild	7	Moderately strenuous, easy terrain.	Tahquitz Peak celebrates a legendary demon who, in the oral tradition of the Chauilla Indians, used to dine on maidens.
The Great San Jacinto Traverse	Palm Desert	55.9	Strenuous	This definitive trip in the San Jacinto mountains is a complete south-to-north traverse of the range, culminating in a climb to the top.
Toro Peak	Anza	3	Moderately strenuous, easy terrain.	At 8716 feet Toro Peak crowns the Santa Rosa Mountains, an elongated complex of ridges running for some 35 miles
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Biking Trails 25 Mile Radius	Nearest Location	Total Miles In/Out	Skill Level	Description
Art Smith Trail	Palm Desert	16.7	Aerobically and technically difficult.	This ride is located 4 miles north of Palm Desert just off the Palms to Pines Highway (CA 74) in the Santa Rosa Mountain.
Black Mountain Road	Cathedral City	24	Moderate, not tech- nical.	An excellent ride in a beautiful forest. A good pick when other areas are too hot for riding.
Covington Flats Eureka Peak	Yucca Valley	7.6	Moderate.	A park-designated bike route, this trip takes you through relatively lush vegeta- tion, including junipers, pinon pines.
Dunn Road	Palm Desert	17	Aerobically easy to moderate. Technically difficult.	This ride begins off of CA 74, 16.5 miles southwest of Palm Desert, near the Atajo Alpine Village subdivision.
Dunn Road	Palm Springs	20.5	Aerobically easy. Technically moderate with some steep sandy sections.	Located in the Santa Rosa Mountain Range above Palm Desert. Mostly fast downhill with speeds approaching 40 mph.
Eureka Peak	Joshua Tree	7.6	Moderately aerobic and mildly technical.	The climb to Eureka Peak takes you past some of the lushes vegetation in the monument and to a great view of Palm Springs.
Forbes Ranch Road	Cathedral City	10	Moderately aerobic, not technical.	This is a great ride for views of Garner Valley and the vast desert of the Coachella Valley.
Mount Santa Rosa	Cathedral City	26	Moderately aerobic, not technical.	Mt. Santa Rosa Road makes for great mountain biking. Long, and with great vistas, provides the rider with a medium incline.
Murray Peak	Cathedral City	12	Aerobically strenuous, very technical.	The highest peak in the area gives you one of the finest views of the Coachella Valley and southward.
Palm Canyon	Palm Desert	28.4	Aerobically moderate and technically difficult.	This trail begins 18 miles north of Palm Desert, and ends in Palm Springs just north of the border with Cathedral City.
Pinyon-Palm Canyon Loop	Cathedral City	14.5	Aerobically easy, not technical.	This is one of the most enjoyable rides in this chapter. Be sure to bring extra water, especially in the summer.
Pinyon Flats	Cathedral City	12	Aerobically easy, not technical.	With lots of flat or nearly flat riding, this is a great area for beginners to practice their skills.
Santa Rosa Mountain Trail	Palm Desert	26.8	Aerobically moderate to difficult. Technically easy to moderate.	This ride is located 19 miles north of Palm Desert, just off the Palms to Pines Highway (CA 74).
Sawmill Trail	Cathedral City	22.5	Aerobically and technically strenuous.	This is definitely the epic ride of the chapter.
Thomas Mountain Loop	Cathedral City	14	Aerobically moderate but somewhat technical.	This is one of the most popular rides in the San Jacinto mountain area. It offers a moderate climb.
Thomas Mountain Road	Palm Desert	23	Aerobically difficult. Technically moderate to difficult.	This ride is located 32 miles southwest of Palm Desert on CA 74. Completing this 23-mile ride requires strength.

Scenic Drives 25 Mile Radius	Nearest Location	Total Miles In/Out	Skill Level	Description
Palms-Pines Highway CA 243 & 74	Idyllwild	66	Auto	A two lane highway that climbs from Banning over the scenic San Jacinto Mountains.

Information on trails and regional maps can be found at www.trails.com and
"100 Great Hikes In and Near Palm Springs" by Philip Ferranti and Hank Koenig.
Trails within a 25 mile radius of Palm Springs are mentioned above.