Wild Hikes in Palm Springs

Palm Springs might be best known for golf courses, condos, and cocktails by the swimming pool. But have you explored the best of its wild side? Here are three hikes to get you going, before going wild doing other things.

Week: 04.14.2016
Regions: Southern CA

Don’t Hurry Murray

Murray Canyon Hike in Palm Springs

Don’t let the desert stereotype fool you: Palm Springs has a wet-and-wild side beyond hotel swimming pools. A 3.8-mile (round-trip) hike in Murray Canyon showcases Palm Springs as the Agua Caliente Indians knew it: stately fan palms, towering rock formations, and a spring-fed str
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Take the Scenic Route

Spring Roadtrip on Route 66

Buckle up, we’re going on a road trip! Spring break for San Bernardino County—home to a large portion of Route 66. Famous highlights include Wigwam Village (recently made extra famous by the animated blockbuster Cars). These teepee-shaped cabins were once all across the country,
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Sweet Valley High

Garstin Trail Palm Springs Hike San Jacinto National Monument

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Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective. And getting up high to see things from a different view does the trick! At 3.6-miles (round-trip) the zigzagging Garstin Trail at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument satisfies with mind-expanding vistas of the Coachella Va
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Coachella Kinda Day

Coachella Valley View Hike Palm Springs

The Coachella Valley Preserve protects some 20,000 acres of wild desert, where the San Andreas Fault has worked as chief landscape architect. Seismic action forced freshwater springs to pop up from underground, and the water nourishes groves of California fan palms—thousands of t
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  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

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  2. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

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  3. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

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  4. Hike top Angel Island Mount Livermore San Francisco Bay

    Good Heavens

    The 4-mile hike to the top of Angel Island offers Bay-mazing scenery. Some people claim you get a five-bridge view: Richmond-San Rafael, Bay, Golden Gate, San Mateo-Hayward, and Dumbarton bridges.

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    Tram to Cool Treks

    Elevate your fun, getting whisked from palm trees to alpine wilderness on the world’s largest rotating tramcar. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway transports you up and away on a 2.5-mile scenic route from the desert floor to the refreshing wilderness of Mount San Jacinto State Park.

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  2. Coming Up Roses

    Looking to spice up your hiking life? Give your partner a rose—Mount Rose! The 10-mile out-and-back peak hike goes up to one of the grandest views in all of Lake Tahoe. Get ready f

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  3. A group of people clamored around the summit marker at Mission Peak in the Bay Area

    Your Mission Is Less Crowded

    Mission Peak is one of the Bay Area’s most popular mountains, with many hikers climbing every weekend. Skip the crowds with this 6-mile loop up the less-traveled southern route.

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  4. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

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