General Overview:
This Palm Springs hiking trail is absolutely beautiful! Featuring hundreds of native palm trees in a natural oasis, Palm Canyon Hiking trail is the perfect backdrop for exploring the California high desert. Although the Palm Canyon Trail is over 15 miles long, it doesn’t mean you need to hit the trails for hours to see the palm trees. In fact, the palm trees are in the first mile of the hike and accessible after a short decent into the canyon from the parking lot. There are benches underneath the palm fronds for added shade and resting opportunities.Palm Canyon is part of the Indian Canyons, which is home to the Aqua Caliente Cahuila Indian Tribe. In 1876, The US Federal Government deeded the Aqua Caliente people 32,000 acres of land in the Palm Springs area. Today, the land remains part of the Aqua Caliente tribe and the $9.00 entrance fees helps to maintain the trails and land.
This Palm Springs hiking trail is absolutely beautiful! Featuring hundreds of native palm trees in a natural oasis, Palm Canyon Hiking trail is the perfect backdrop for exploring the California high desert. Although the Palm Canyon Trail is over 15 miles long, it doesn’t mean you need to hit the trails for hours to see the palm trees. In fact, the palm trees are in the first mile of the hike and accessible after a short decent into the canyon from the parking lot. There are benches underneath the palm fronds for added shade and resting opportunities.Palm Canyon is part of the Indian Canyons, which is home to the Aqua Caliente Cahuila Indian Tribe. In 1876, The US Federal Government deeded the Aqua Caliente people 32,000 acres of land in the Palm Springs area. Today, the land remains part of the Aqua Caliente tribe and the $9.00 entrance fees helps to maintain the trails and land.
Length: 1/2 to 15 miles (depending on how far you want to go)
A weekend trip to Palm Springs is not complete without a visit to the Palm Canyon. Previously the Go Hike Team has shared The Tahqutiz Canyon hiking trail, which features a scenic waterfall. Now, we are thrilled to share Palm Canyon, which is considered the world’s largest California Fan Palm Oasis. We love the vast amount of Palm trees that are featured at the start of the hike. To make our adventure more challenging, we hiked out of the oasis for an 2 miles and then returned back through the palm oasis.
Palm Canyon Trail Map:
View Palm Canyon Hiking Trail in a larger map
Directions to Palm Canyon: 38500 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264
From San Diego Area:
- Take the I-15 N/Escondido Fwy N.
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Keep right to take I-215 N/Escondido Fwy N via EXIT 63 toward Riverside/San Bernardino.
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Merge onto CA-60 E via EXIT 29 toward Beaumont/Indio.
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Merge onto I-10 E via the exit on the left.
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Merge onto CA-111 via EXIT 111 toward Palm Springs.
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Stay straight to go onto N Palm Canyon Dr (Gate access required).
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38500 S PALM CANYON DR is on the left.
From Los Angeles Area
- Take I-10 E via EXIT 1D toward I-10 E/San Bernardino.
- Merge onto CA-111 via EXIT 111 toward Palm Springs.
- Stay straight to go onto N Palm Canyon Dr (Gate access required).
- 38500 S PALM CANYON DR is on the left.
Where to Park: Once you enter the Indian Canyon Park (it’s $9/person), you’ll drive for about 2 miles until you reach the parking lot near the Trading Post. The trail head begins near the side of the mountain, where you’ll venture down the hill into the Palm Tree oasis. There are bathrooms (clean porta potties) and beverages/snacks for sale.
What to Bring:
When to Go: Late fall / winter / early spring to avoid hot temperatures. If you plan to go to in the late spring or early fall, we recommend going in the early morning when the park opens. We went in early May when the temperatures were around 90-95 degrees at 10 am and it got very warm fast. However, if you stay near the Palm Tree area, it feels a lot cooler than trekking up the hillside with no shade.
How it Looks:
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| Palm Tree Oasis |
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| Cactus on Palm Canyon Hiking Trail |
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| Palm Canyon Hiking Trail |
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| Palm Springs Palm Tree Oasis |
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| Palm Canyon Oasis |
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| Creek in Palm Canyon Oasis |
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| Palm Canyon |
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| Hiker enjoying Palm Canyon |
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| Palm Canyon Hiking Trail |
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| Palm Canyon Hiking Trail in Palm Springs |
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| Palm Canyon Hiking Trail |
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| Abudnace of Palm Trees (notice the tepees in the corner) |
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| Cactus in the desert |
Dog Friendly: No, only service dogs are allowed. Sorry, Lady!
Intensity Levels:
- Barry-the-Bear: “SO many Palm Trees – I loved this hike in Palm Springs! I ventured along the path in between the Palm Trees and turned around when it started up the steep hill. It took me about 45 minutes and I enjoyed every second!”
- Larry-the-Lion: “I’m glad I did this hike at the start of my weekend trip. If I did it the following day after the Ace Hotel’s pool party, I probably would not have made it in the dry heat. I really enjoyed the hike’s diverse scenery. From the tall palm trees to cactus, there was a lot of high desert flora and fauna to enjoy.”
- Chris-the-Cheetah: “This is a great hiking trail. I went for about 3 miles along the path, which climbs into the desert. With no trees, it got pretty hot! I’m glad I started it when the park opened. When I got to the car, I was a sweaty mess!”