Feed Your Adventure
Ready to feed your adventure? With hundreds of miles of hiking and biking paths, Greater Palm Springs is an oasis for outdoor enthusiasts — and we’ve made it easy to spend a day soaking up the destination’s natural beauty and endless sun.
HIKE
The Trailicious Pass features 30 trails across our nine cities and helps you find the best one based on experience level or location. Be sure to start early and finish before temperatures peak, and pack plenty of sunscreen and water (1 liter minimum per person for each hour of hiking).
WIN
The best part? Check in to your hike when you’re within .50 miles of the trailhead for a chance to win a gift card from a Greater Palm Springs restaurant! Winners will be drawn weekly.
How this Pass Works

Step 1 - Get Your Pass

Step 2 - Receive Text

Step 3 - Redeem
Included Hikes

See locations on an interactive map.
Begin near the intersection of Calle Tecate and Avenida Madero at the far end of the La Quinta Cove neighborhood, where you’ll find plenty of street parking available. Though popular among walkers and joggers, bicycles and leashed dogs are also welcome to share the trail, which offers a fairly moderate workout, with a slight 405-foot elevation gain. Markers along the way highlight native plants and wildlife, such as the desert willow, while shade structures and drinking fountains offer the occasional pit stop for thirsty travelers and their pups.
The trail is accessible to the public between dawn and 10 p.m., with some of the best views unfolding at sunrise and sunset, when the mountains and sky glow a rosy pink, purple, and orange.
(closed Feb. 1 thru April 30)
Perched along the foothills of the Northern Santa Rosa Mountains, hikers have postcard-worthy views of this palm tree-filled oasis (and if you time it right and head out before dawn, you can watch as the surrounding mountains glow orange and yellow with the rising sun).
Springtime treats travelers to a host of beautiful wildflowers speckling the mountainside, and some hikers are even lucky enough to spot bighorn sheep grazing on the emerald green fairways of the Quarry Golf Course, which runs parallel to part of the hike.
Everything you need for a day hike is close at hand, including restrooms and picnic tables. Though closed in winter, the trail offers the perfect escape during the summer months, with temperatures often 30 degrees cooler than the valley floor, and a unique alpine adventure all winter long, with snowshoes available for rent from the Adventure Center.
Not sure what you’re admiring? Check the many signs sprinkled along the nature trail. Upon returning to the visitor center — where parking, restrooms, and picnic tables are available — venture inside to learn more about the native wildlife, as well as the area’s indigenous history, through special exhibits and trail guides.
Nestled in the Indio Hills just outside of Desert Hot Springs, the moderate 4.8-mile trail is mostly sand and gradually climbs almost 1,200 feet, which can be a challenge for some hikers, cyclists, and equestrians who are more accustomed to switchbacks and steep, rocky inclines.
Since there is practically no shade on the trail, pack plenty of sunscreen and water (especially if you’re bringing your four-legged friend along).
Departing from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Mountain Station, perched more than 8,000 feet up in the San Jacinto Mountains, the trail envelops hikers in birdsong and woodlands, with the seasonal Long Valley Creek flowing nearby and, depending on the time of year, vibrant wildflowers in full bloom. With restrooms and picnic tables nearby, many visitors pack their own picnic lunch and linger a bit before or after their hike.
The trail begins at the back corner of the Palm Springs Art Museum parking lot and scales approximately 0.87 miles up the side of the San Jacinto Mountains — with breathtaking views of the city unfolding just 10 minutes in (we mean it when we say it’s steep!). The path levels off at a nice resting point with picnic tables, where the beauty of Greater Palm Springs — from the palm tree canopies to the windmills to the bright green golf courses — opens up in all directions. Though you’ll be tempted to park at the museum, that lot is only for museum visitors; there are plenty of spaces in the free parking garage across the street or along the paved roads themselves.
Stop and soak in the sweeping views of Greater Palm Springs — from the palm tree lined streets of downtown, to the emerald green fairways of the O’Donnell Golf Club, to the windmills in the distance. (pack plenty of water if you’ll be hiking mid-day!)
The trail, which is mostly switchbacks at the start and not suitable for dogs, horses, or bikes, winds its way through rocky terrain until reaching the ridgeline of the lower San Jacinto Mountains.
The wet season (November thru April) rewards travelers with a kaleidoscope of colorful wildflowers in full bloom, scattered among the cacti, mesquite trees, and desert scrub.
Wildlife sightings are also common along this trail; learn more about some of the local species, such as the bighorn sheep and desert tortoise, at the visitor center, where you’ll also find exhibits on the monument’s trails and indigenous history, as well as free parking, maps, and restrooms.
When you reach the starting point, you’ll turn left about 0.6 miles in, where the landscape — speckled with shrubby cholla cacti and, in the winter and spring, beautiful wildflowers — unfurls in all directions. The views from up here are spectacular, as is the wildlife; some hikers happen upon bighorn sheep and desert tortoise while on the trail.
Learn more about some of Greater Palm Springs’ native flora and fauna at the visitor center, where you’ll also find exhibits on the monument’s trails and indigenous history, as well as free parking, maps, and restrooms.
The easy 1.1-mile loop only gains approximately 200 feet in elevation and is great for family nature walks, with fields of wildflowers blanketing the sandy landscape in winter and spring and native wildlife, such as bighorn sheep and desert tortoises, occasionally making an appearance along the trail.
You can learn more about native wildlife at the monument's visitor center, where free parking, restrooms, and trail maps are available.
To access the trail, park at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station and pay the fare to ride the tram car to the top. From there, descend the winding concrete ramp behind the Mountain Station and turn right. You’ll need to pick up a free wilderness permit at the Long Valley Ranger Station — your last pit stop with restrooms and picnic tables — before heading out to the trailhead just to the left, which begins as a Y-intersection (you can begin your loop in either direction).
The trail is open year-round except Sept. 1 - 30, and many hikers encounter wildlife while en route, so keep your camera handy in case any deer drop by.
The 689-foot climb features stunning vistas of the palm trees, swimming pools, and golf courses below (sunrise and sunset offer the best lighting but prepare for heavier foot traffic on the trail).
Unlike the Cross Loop Trail, which begins at Cahuilla Hills Park and clocks in at a slightly longer 2.7-mile trip, this out-and-back path sets out from nearby Homme-Adams Park, a beautiful 27-acre nature space with picnic seating and a large off-leash area for dogs.
Though known for its views of the valley, the Cross Loop Trail only gains 600 feet in elevation and is a great day hike for families — be sure to check out the picnic tables, barbecue pits, and restrooms at Cahuilla Hills Park, where the trail system begins, for a pre- or post-hike break. The park also features pickleball and tennis courts for additional play, as well as free parking.
Hikers are asked to stay on the trails as they are a nature preserve and observe all posted signage. The trails, accessible with paid admission or with an annual membership, are open every day, except Christmas Day, through May 31.
Seasonal closures: June 1 - September 30
Fees: Living Desert admission
Hikers are asked to stay on the trails as they are a nature preserve and observe all posted signage. The trails, accessible with paid admission or with an annual membership, are open every day, except Christmas Day, through May 31.
Seasonal closures: June 1 - September 30
Fees: Living Desert Admission
Hikers are asked to stay on the trails as they are a nature preserve and observe all posted signage. The trails, accessible with paid admission or with an annual membership, are open every day, except Christmas Day, through May 31.
Seasonal closures: June 1 - September 30
Fees: Living Desert admission