marty
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Hi all,
My wife Lauren and I got the opportunity to stay at her sister's (and her husband's) place in La Quinta, CA again. La Quinta is in the Coachella Valley, about 120 miles east of LA. It is the same valley as Palm Springs.
This was our third trip out there and it was once again fantastic. Below is a TR of the three hikes taken in the nearby Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mts.:
HIKE #1 - Boo Hoff, Morrow and Cove to Lake Trails, March 1:
The Boo Hoff Trail leaves La Quinta Cove. I did a 12-13 mile loop hike, as partially shown on the trail map at the Cove trailhead:
The Boo Hoff trail itself was about 9 miles with 2,000 feet in elevation gain and it was SO EASY. It was so easy that I saw mountain bike tire tracks on the entire trail, although it is prohibited. The trail was well marked, including this giant sign:
The hike is very nice, but not spectacular. Like most desert hikes, there were non-stop views, such as this overlook of the desert floor:
There were some nice cacti on the trail, such as this flowering prickly pear cactus:
And this cholla cactus grove:
And this flowering ocotillo cactus:
The Boo Hoff Trail eventually ended at a road. It was then up the road to Lake Cahuilla Park, where there was a lake. From there, I followed the Morrow & Cove to Lake Trails back to the Cove.
HIKE #2: Bear Creek Oasis Trail, March 3:
This hike was a bit more rugged and much more scenic than the first hike. Still, with the typical Western switchbacks, it was once again quite easy.
Bear Creek is an intermittent drainage. It was pretty dry when I did it. Here is a photo of the Bear Creek Canyon:
Here is a view of Mt. San Jacinto (left, 10,834 ft.) and San Gorgonio (center, 11,499 ft.), with a bit of Joshua Tree NP to the right. Mt. San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern CA and has a small area above treeline:
The hike ascends about 2,300 feet and the RT is 9 miles. It ends at a California fan palm oasis:
A barrel cactus had bloomed that morning, so I caught this shot of it, with a bee pollinating it:
The desert plants were definitely green, as this has been a very wet winter there, with about 5 inches of year-to-date rain on the desert floor. Peak flowering is still a few weeks off. Here is a typical view of the desert landscape:
Of the two hikes, I would recomend the Bear Creek Oasis Trail. It is more scenic, wilder and has a better destination (the oasis).
STAY TUNED FOR SEPARATE TRIP REPORT FOR HIKE #3!
Marty
My wife Lauren and I got the opportunity to stay at her sister's (and her husband's) place in La Quinta, CA again. La Quinta is in the Coachella Valley, about 120 miles east of LA. It is the same valley as Palm Springs.
This was our third trip out there and it was once again fantastic. Below is a TR of the three hikes taken in the nearby Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mts.:
HIKE #1 - Boo Hoff, Morrow and Cove to Lake Trails, March 1:
The Boo Hoff Trail leaves La Quinta Cove. I did a 12-13 mile loop hike, as partially shown on the trail map at the Cove trailhead:
The Boo Hoff trail itself was about 9 miles with 2,000 feet in elevation gain and it was SO EASY. It was so easy that I saw mountain bike tire tracks on the entire trail, although it is prohibited. The trail was well marked, including this giant sign:
The hike is very nice, but not spectacular. Like most desert hikes, there were non-stop views, such as this overlook of the desert floor:
There were some nice cacti on the trail, such as this flowering prickly pear cactus:
And this cholla cactus grove:
And this flowering ocotillo cactus:
The Boo Hoff Trail eventually ended at a road. It was then up the road to Lake Cahuilla Park, where there was a lake. From there, I followed the Morrow & Cove to Lake Trails back to the Cove.
HIKE #2: Bear Creek Oasis Trail, March 3:
This hike was a bit more rugged and much more scenic than the first hike. Still, with the typical Western switchbacks, it was once again quite easy.
Bear Creek is an intermittent drainage. It was pretty dry when I did it. Here is a photo of the Bear Creek Canyon:
Here is a view of Mt. San Jacinto (left, 10,834 ft.) and San Gorgonio (center, 11,499 ft.), with a bit of Joshua Tree NP to the right. Mt. San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern CA and has a small area above treeline:
The hike ascends about 2,300 feet and the RT is 9 miles. It ends at a California fan palm oasis:
A barrel cactus had bloomed that morning, so I caught this shot of it, with a bee pollinating it:
The desert plants were definitely green, as this has been a very wet winter there, with about 5 inches of year-to-date rain on the desert floor. Peak flowering is still a few weeks off. Here is a typical view of the desert landscape:
Of the two hikes, I would recomend the Bear Creek Oasis Trail. It is more scenic, wilder and has a better destination (the oasis).
STAY TUNED FOR SEPARATE TRIP REPORT FOR HIKE #3!
Marty
