COVID-19 Update

The hiking trails in the Palm Springs area remain open. The Aqua Caliente Tribe has also reopened Indian Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon.  Hikers must maintain proper social distancing (at least 6 feet) and wear facial coverings when proper distancing cannot be maintained, for example when passing other hikers or if trails are congested.  

Please avoid trails that cut through residential areas such as the Araby trail near Rim Road.

Information for Hikers

Palm Springs has a variety of hiking trails that allow residents and visitors to experience our magnificent mountains up close. For a full list, please follow this link to the Visit Greater Palm Springs website. We have also developed an interactive map of nearby trails so you can determine which are best for you. Click on this link for the interactive map. 

Dogs are not allowed on these trails in order to protect the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. These restrictions are required under the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. 

Check out a video that was made by a group of Palm Springs Unified Teachers in collaboration with the Volunteer Trail Rangers that organized to help educate hikers about the dangers that dogs pose to the big horn sheep. (The Volunteer Trail Rangers are not affiliated with the City or our Code Enforcement program.)

Dogs are welcome on the following trails elsewhere in the valley:

City of Palm Desert: Homme-Adams Park and Cahuilla Hills Park
From Highway 111, travel 1.2 miles south on Highway 74. Turn right on Thrush Road, then travel 0.2
mile and cross the storm channel. Turn right and proceed to the trailhead parking area. Hiking with dogs
is allowed only on the trails that connect Homme-Adams Park and Cahuilla Hills Park, as well as to the
cross. Dogs are prohibited on trails that extend north of the Gabby Hayes Trail and south of the cross.
While on these trails, dogs must be on a leash. Within the fenced area of Homme-Adams Park, dogs may
be off leash, but must be under voice control.

City of La Quinta: Cove Oasis Trailhead
From Highway 111 in La Quinta, travel 1.3 miles south on Washington Street. Turn right on Eisenhower
Drive and proceed for 3.7 miles until it intersects Avenida Bermudas. Turn right. At 0.2 mile, the road
bends to the right and becomes Calle Tecate. The parking lot is 0.2 mile further on the left. Dogs are not
allowed on the following trails that extend south and east from the Cove Oasis Trailhead area: Bear
Creek Canyon Trail, Bear Creek Oasis Trail, and La Quinta Cove to Lake Cahuilla Trail.

San Bernardino National Forest
Trails in the National Forest portion of the National Monument may be accessed with leashed dogs,
except for lower elevations of the Cactus Spring Trail where it enters Bighorn sheep habitat.

Whitewater Preserve
Whitewater Preserve is 2,851 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management’s San Gorgonio Wilderness, and includes the year-round Whitewater River. This scenic property lies at the end of Whitewater Canyon Road, northwest of Palm Springs, off Interstate 10. Click here for more information about maps and events.

Mission Creek Preserve
Located in a transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, the 4760 acre Mission Creek Preserve has a rich species composition, with flora and fauna representing both deserts. The preserve is located to the west of Highway 62 near Desert Hot Springs, California. Click here for maps and events.

Staff at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument developed a helpful question and answer guide to explain why dogs are prohibited from the trails in these mountain ranges.