California Desert Hiking on the Canyon View Loop Trail in Whitewater Preserve

Have you ever hiked in the desert? We recently hiked the Canyon View Loop Trail in the Whitewater Preserve near Palm Springs, CA and it was quite a different experience than hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire! We were out in the Palm Springs area for my college roommate’s surprise birthday party and her husband had planned this fun hike for all of us. Having never been to California’s desert before we were excited to check out the views and experience some West Coast hiking; let me tell you – it did not disappoint!

The hike starts in the Whitewater Preserve in Whitewater, CA. Heading out to the preserve, you just drive through desert – then, all of a sudden, you enter this green oasis with picnic tables, a ranger center, and parking. When you start the hike, you pass this lovely little wading pool full of cold mountain run-off.

There are a number of trails within the Whitewater Preserve, but we stuck with the purple Canyon Loop Trail.

We had read that it’s best to hike the loop counterclockwise, so that is what we did, and what I would definitely recommend. The trail starts off as a wide dirt path,

but soon after takes a left toward a river bed. It was pretty cool to see a river (well more like a stream) in the middle of the desert!

We were there mid-May, so I imagine there is more water earlier in the year as the snow melts and less water as the summer begins. There is a little foot bridge to cross the river so we didn’t have to navigate rocks (though I am not sure if this bridge is always there – especially earlier in the season when there might be more water).

The trail continues on through the river bed toward the mountains; keep your eyes open for some well camouflaged wildlife!

The trail is pretty flat from the start through the river bed, but you know you are going to start going up when you hit these rock stairs!

The trail then starts to wind up the side of the mountain and you get consistent views as you hike (which is quite different than our usual NH experience of trying to peer through trees to get a glimpse of a view)!

As expected, the flora is quite different, as well. We saw cacti that just blended in with the browns and tans of the landscape,

but also saw lovely pops of color!

As you hike up, you will actually cross the Pacific Crest Trail.

I know that I will never hike the full PCT or the Appalachian, but it’s fun to say that I’ve been on a section of both! If we had just hiked 2400 more miles, we would have been in Canada!

We next came upon a mythical something that as a New Hampshire hiker I had only heard stories about. Could it be true? Do they actually exist?? Yes! Switchbacks!!

And yes. They are as lovely as the stories say! Ha! Not only do you get long stretches with lovely views, you aren’t walking straight up a mountain! Our West Coast friends were all laughing at our excitement over such a common thing to them.

About halfway through the hike, we reached the summit.

There were some lovely, diverse views from the top! We could even see some remaining snow in the taller mountains!

Once we finished enjoying the views, we started our decent. This was more of a dirt path that led through lots of low brush.

Once we reached the end of the trail, we made a little u-turn and walked along the road for a bit until we hit this marker.

From there, it wasn’t very long until we hit some trees and made it back to Whitewater Preserve.

We then wandered back to the little pool of river runoff that we passed at the start of the hike and cooled down our feet! Talk about chilly water! But, it did feel lovely after hiking in the desert sun.

We started this hike pretty early in the morning to beat the heat, and I definitely recommend doing that! There isn’t much, if any shade, while hiking, so the earlier hike was definitely more comfortable (and safer!) than a later hike. Also, make sure to bring lots of water! You will need it!

If you’re ever in the Palm Springs area, I definitely recommend the Canyon View Loop Trail in the Whitewater Preserve!