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Southern California Camping

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I wanted to sleep one night in the desert.

I started late afternoon on the Bear Creek Oasis Trail out of La Quinta Cove.

There are plenty of walking options. I found the unsigned trail heading towards “Palm Oasis” using AllTrails offline.

There’s a nice picnic area near the start. No dogs allowed past this point.

All of the hiking in this area is good. But there are very few birds, reptiles, animals, or insects.

When it got dark, I looked for a sandy spot to set up my tent with a view over the town.

A very quiet night.

I used the iPhone 16 Pro Night Mode in RAW (ProRAW) for enhanced low-light detail. This sky photo looks much better than what I could see with the naked eye.

Dawn next morning woke me.

It was bright by 6am.

Early Sunday morning, hikers passed before 7am. Followed soon after by trail runners. This is a good trail to get some vertical. 708m elevation gain if you do the entire 15km return.

I climbed a little higher — then headed down for breakfast and coffee.





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Lake Cahuilla Park to La Quinta Cove, California

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

A recommended desert day hike near Palm Springs, California, is La Quinta Cove to Lake Cahuilla.

  • 10km return
  • 266m elevation gain
  • hike year round — but be wary of heat emergencies
  • dogs not allowed
  • no bicycles
  • close to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival venue

The trail is often noted for its quiet feel and beautiful scenery.

The trail surface is loose sand and gravel, so wearing good hiking shoes is recommended.

Most do this as an out and back.

As I was staying in La Quinta, I opted to get dropped at Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park ➙ and walk home.

Bleak Lake Cahuilla is interesting. But I actually couldn’t see it from anywhere on the trail. There is an entrance fee to get into this Regional Park.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Quite quickly from the lake start you climb above a couple of golf holes.

One surprise highlight is this wild horse sculpture en route.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Hot and dry. As you might expect. I did go later in the afternoon. Got some shade on the second half of the walk.

I saw one lizard. Some interesting vegetation …

… None of the bighorn sheep that are resident in the area.

Looks to me Lake Cahuilla Park to La Quinta Cove is the most interesting of a number of similar short day hikes in the area.

Arriving La Quinta.