Hiking in the Preserve

 

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Go for a Hike

The preserve offers 6 trails ranging from three-tenths of a mile to an 11-mile round trip hike through Big Morongo Canyon. The trails represent different environments for vegetation, ranging from the high elevation of Yucca Ridge to the low desert down Big Morongo Canyon. Visitors generally begin hiking at the kiosk in the parking lot.

Be sure to take enough water and protection from sun

Trails are for pedestrians only: No dogs, no bikes

Absolutely no smoking anywhere in the Preserve

View Individual Trails
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve - Trail Map

Trails

Marsh Trail
0.65 miles/1050 meters 15 minutes Easy, All boardwalk

This boardwalk meanders over and along the stream under a cool canopy of Fremont cottonwoods, red willows, and an occasional white alder. Marshes along the way support dwarf willow, goldenrods, cattail, yerba mansa, water parsnip, and watercress. It is a birder’s paradise, especially during the spring and fall migration of neotropical birds. Relax at one of the three decks located along the way. This trail is accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, and provides a nature experience for everyone.

Desert Willow Trail
0.75 miles/1200 meters 25 minutes Moderate
Take a nice sunny walk with partial shade along most of the trail. Midday walks during the summer months can be quite hot, but there are benches situated in shady spots along the way. This dirt trail wanders through open fields of fall-blooming alkali golden-bush, along the edge of honey mesquite thickets, then drops into a desert wash habitat with desert willow, evergreen yerba santa, and wild tarragon.

The trail is a loop off the shady Marsh Trail, and you can climb the Yucca Ridge Trail to get panoramic views of the valley, the canyon, and the mountains.

Yucca Ridge Trail
0.72 miles/1160 meters 25 minutes Moderate
Experience a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the preserve’s woodland and wetland areas. Take in the community of Morongo Valley, the snow capped San Gorgonio and San Jacinto mountain peaks, and the Big Morongo Canyon below. Walk through the vegetation of the desert scrub, including creosote bush, Mojave yucca, Mormon tea, numerous species of cacti, and even club moss clinging to the cool sides of the rock surfaces. This trail enters the marsh habitat at the juncture with the Mesquite Trail at one end and joins the desert wash habitat along the Desert Willow Trail at the other.
Mesquite Trail
0.51 miles/820 meters 15 minutes Easy
Enjoy an enchanting streamside walk under the canopy of Fremont cottonwoods and red willows. Boardwalks and bridges lead you along the stream that forms the marsh habitat which supports cattails, bulrushes, wire rushes, watercress and yerba mansa. Relax on the benches of the George Helmkamp Deck. Observe a large outcropping of granite that marks the face of the Morongo Valley Fault.
West Canyon Trail
0.85 miles/1350 meters 35 minutes Moderate
The West Canyon trail runs from the Mesquite trail along a high ridge and then down to the Canyon trail. From the top of the saddle ridge, you get a panoramic view of Big Morongo Canyon, where the usually-dry stream-bed meanders down the canyon. A couple of steep switchbacks take you down to the canyon floor, and an easy walk up to the marsh. Along the way you will see Mojave yucca, Mormon tea, creosote bush, wild plum, honey mesquite, and desert almond continue their struggle to survive.

Springtime brings an abundance of wildflowers to the hillsides below the saddle. Broad carpets of yellow coreopsis and purple chia dazzle the eye. While on the ridge, a watchful and quiet hiker might catch a glimpse of a wily coyote or a shy bighorn sheep on the Canyon Trail below.

Canyon Trail
8.34 miles/13 km (round trip) 5-6 hours Moderate, Strenuous uphill
This 8.34 mile round trip route (9.76 miles from the parking lot) descends gradually from the higher, cooler Mojave Desert habitat down the canyon to the warmer Colorado Desert climate and then returns via the same route. This trail is a favorite of many local hikers. The trail follows the willow-lined bed of Big Morongo Creek. From the canyon floor, hikers gaze at the steep-sided and sometimes towering canyon walls. Bighorn sheep sometimes perch on the rocks above you. This trail is subject to the desert heat and can be extremely strenuous on the return trip. Carry plenty of water and allow sufficient time for the return trip.