Palm Springs Hiking

With a breathtaking new vista around every bend, Palm Springs' desert trails will have you thinking you've died and gone to hiking heaven.

Countless miles of scenic trails? Check. Views to drain your camera battery? Check. Dramatic clifftops, hidden waterfalls and crystal-clear springs? Check, check and check. Palm Springs and the vast wildernesses surrounding it have all the ingredients for some truly spectacular outdoor experiences.

At the western edge of the city lie the peaks and foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains, while to the east is the Coachella Valley Preserve, where lush palm tree groves meet austerely beautiful desert. Go just slightly farther afield and even more options open up, like the Joshua Tree National Park.

The rugged landscapes and massive skies that surround this desert city seem almost designed to make you feel tiny, insignificant... and very, very lucky.

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Views to Thrill

  • Take in sweeping vistas of Palm Springs against the backdrop of a cotton candy-pink sunset with an evening jaunt up Palm Desert's Homestead Trail.
  • Head to the Coachella Valley Preserve to experience the zen-like calm induced by the McCallum Trail, with its swaying palms and sparkling pools.
  • Walk the Whitewater Canyon Loop Trail for views that take in all the best things: wildflowers, a river, and desert as far as the eye can see.

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Weird and Wonderful Landscapes

  • Explore the Andreas Canyon Trail, in the San Jacinto Mountains, where the soaring rocks once watched over Cahuilla Indian settlements.
  • Spot really cool rocks and an even cooler 60-foot waterfall on the Tahquitz Canyon Trail, also in the San Jacinto Mountains.
  • Creep yourself out finding faces and bodies in the bizarre rock formations and sinister twisted trees in Joshua Tree National Park.

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Challenging Hikes

  • It's only three miles long, but Palm Desert's Bump and Grind Trail rises so steeply that at the top you'll feel like you've never earned your lunch more.
  • Push yourself on the Skyline Trail, 19 miles of ascent culminating in have-to-be-seen-to-be-believed views. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway down afterward.
  • If 19 miles isn't enough, join the Pacific Crest Trail at Whitewater Preserve. Warning: Tackling the whole thing might be a push-it runs from Mexico to Canada.

Created in partnership with Visit Greater Palm Springs