This review is for Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon Trail which was a ~4.4 miles round trip that took…read more~2.5 hours to complete. Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon Trail was a popular and crowded hike near Mecca, California. Trail was flat and sandy while you're at the bottom of the canyons. Started the loop clockwise; look for the ladder on your left. Requires a little bit of rock scrambling at this part and some ladders to get to the slot canyons. Trail becomes a bit more rocky with a slight incline towards the top of the canyons. Furthermore, there was a rope and ladder near the end of the loop. Overall, this was unique trail with stunning views throughout the hike! Required to drive on a well maintained dirt road for ~4.6 miles. Low clearance cars could make it; go slow and dodge the bigger bumps as you get closer to the parking. No restroom at the trailhead! Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/7HECQHARzvs

I went there on April 6, 2025. There's 7 cars at parking area. I ran into 6 hikers while I was on…read morethe trail. It's quiet and really enjoyed the nature. Gloves and hiking boots are game changers. Last 2 miles are very rocky and sandy, so it's hard to walk. I forgot my sunscreen and sunglasses.

Located in southeastern California and close to the Colorado River, the Big Maria Mountains…read moreWilderness stands ready for a good time with primitive camping, hiking or whatever outdoor passion sparks your fire...with the exception of motorized vehicle use except where designated. It is a wilderness area after all. The Big Maria area features rough, craggy peaks, narrow canyons and bajadas (shallow slopes at the base of rocky hills where materials accumulate) dotted with foxtail and barrel cactus. There is supposed to be a herd of burro deer along the Colorado River side but I have never seen them myself. This area is a good place to stop (as I have) while in the area and take short hikes or check out the Blyth Intaglios which are nearby.

Such a great hike!!!!! I love that the beginning of the hike is paved. I have seen rattlesnakes…read morequite a few times there so just keep an eye out ;) great cardio and love sitting on the bench up top! When you get about halfway up, you will see a little fenced area and some Hohokam petroglyphs ;)

No bar at the top, was totally disappointed! I wanted to drink a cold alcoholic beverage when I got…read moreto the summit.

Seemingly short but a pretty far walk from the parking lot. Once you get to the Arch rock trail…read moreit's 1.4 miles and winds through some great rock formations, all of which you can scramble on. Our favorite parts were all the "off-trail" moments where you could get up and close with the desert. In summer it's recommended to do this trail before 10 am, it gets hot even in Spring! It was by far the hottest we were because of the long walk from parking with no shade at all. I believe the elevation is lower here so it felt warmer than the other Joshua Tree hikes. The iconic stops are whale rock, heart rock, and the large arch near the beginning of the trail. I'm not sure what it was but there is also a cliff you can walk to the edge of and there is some great rock formations in a canyon. It is popular also if you come too late there will be no parking, when we left we saw people walking from pretty far to get here since the parking lot was full.

This is probably one of the most popular attractions at the park. It does get busy so my suggestion…read moreis to come early. It's located next to the campground, but the campground is strictly for campers. There is no parking there. For the visitors, there is a small parking lot right before you get to the campground check all trails app. You may want to download it because there's no reception in the area. The trail has the arch and heart shaped rock. But what I found more interesting was the area near the shape rock where there were tons of rocks and boulders of different sizes and shapes. It was surreal. It was really cool. climb and walk-through it all. Very kid friendly. Come early and it does get hot. It's all exposed. Definitely little shade.

Goat Canyon Trestle is near Jacumba California. It is the world's largest all-wooden train trestle…read more It is probably one of the most adrenaline pumping difficult hikes I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing! IMPORTANT: there are two trails to the trestle. The shorter route, Mortero Palms, is a 6 mile hike that includes strenuous rock climbing, steep descents and route finding. Do not take this shorter route as it brings you to a cliff that requires rope rappelling. The longer route about 16 miles is the easier of the two, with abandoned train cars and tunnels. However it is on private property that is trespassing. In summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees with little to no shade. I recommend bringing 3-4 gallons of water and electrolyte replacement. You also need to be aware of hidden rattlesnakes in the rocks and brush. It is suggested to have an offline gps for navigation. The shorter route requires a high profile vehicle to the trailhead and the longer route you can pay to park at the nearby nudist camp (no joke lol). The nudists charge a nominal fee to park there. It is important to research this trail and be prepared.

IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIKING THIS 16 MILE TRAIL. Goat Canyon Trestle is very…read moredeep in the Anza Borrego desert and far from any outside help with a strenuous walk (or bike) trail being bordered by either cliffs, cholla cacti, broken wood and caved in tunnels. No shade on top of a possible TRESPASSING FINE either from parking incorrectly or getting caught walking on the rails, I do not recommend it. This is not an easy hike, but oh man it was BEAUTIFUL AND AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. Mountain bikes can go through fairly quickly, just don't fall off the cliffs (Especially around tunnel 8). Goat Canyon Trestle is the WORLD'S LARGEST wooden trestle (basically a bridge but held up by toothpicks) and its hike in Carrizo Gorge makes it a seldom visited spot. You'll see abandoned train cars, rattlesnake nests, cholla cactus along the way, and it's a wonderful trip for the brave and adventurous. Apart from 2 bypasses, getting to Goat Canyon is pretty flat. Parking is possible before the sign, or you can enter the gated Jacumba nudist colony office for $5 (they open at 9) You'll want the following to travel to Goat Canyon: -3L of water -Alltrails offline map (you can seriously get lost before the first tunnel) -Sunscreen (apart from the tunnels and cars there's literally no shade the whole way) - pliers to remove the cholla cactus sticking in you -Start early in the day and in the spring/fall as temps aren't too bad -Steel balls and no fear of heights -walk 6/8 hours on fairly flat terrain There are some mini trestles along the way that look like the wood is severely decayed. Tunnels 5 and 8 are blocked, so follow the well worn trail with a lot of man made debris. The hikingguy.com dude probably has the best picture step by step on how to navigate the tunnel bypasses. Overall, the payoff is great. It's more of an endurance test with how long the trail runs.

Nice place for a walk and the scenery was great. I will admit I didn't follow all the posts showing…read morethe trail, I ended up walking an extra 2 miles. I'm not complaining though. The walk is well marked, slot canyons and all. I'm glad I did it early morning, used 1.5 liters of water. I'd like to walk it again

This is a great hike that is not very challenging but offers tremendous views of the Coachella…read moreValley and a very different geological perspective from the surrounding area. This hike was 80% sand pathways and 20% maneuvering through the slot canyons with a few switchbacks. I'd recommend this as a must do hike if you're in the area and have 90-120 minutes. It's approximately a 5 mile loop hike.

Frail is easy to follow. It isn't too steep and it's a solid 1.6 miles to the spot from the parking…read morelot. Once at the palms, the temperature cools out dramatically under the shade. Pretty neat!

I could rave and rave about this hike. I almost didn't do it because it's a little out of the way -…read morethe trailhead entrance is off the main road past the first entrance if coming from Palm/desert hot springs. The hike itself probably only took me 45 mins or so to get to the oasis, and BOY was it worth it!! It's a shallow step/Rocky path most of the way, and right at the end you suddenly emerge over this hill and get an incredible view of a valley full of California fan palm trees! I came on a clear day with mild temps in the mid 70': and it was comfortable, and TOTALLY stunning. The volunteer @the welcome center said in summer they get some rain and it doesn't drain fast so water can pool and make it like a true oasis (don't swim in or drink that water). Overall, between Ryan mountain and this hike - it truly MADE my experience @J tree. Anybody going to visit the park I would recommend doing this trail :)

It's definitely a must do hike when you're visiting Anza borrego, Borrego springs or even Julian. I…read morewent here early May so it was extremely hot, even though I reached the trailhead around 9am. The drive to the parking lot was a little weird because after you get off the freeway, there is a dirt road for about 1.5-2 miles on which there were a lot of signs that said "no vehicles allowed" and "foot traffic only" so I wasn't sure if I should be driving. Once k got there, there were other cars parked too so my assumption is that those signs are applicable only during some seasons. The parking lot looks flat but you can see to trail once you start walking towards the canyon. The hike was really nice, it was definitely more of a walk rather than any uphills. It can get pretty hot so starting early in the summer can be advantageous.

We decided to visit the Slot Canyon during our Borrego Spring trip. Although it doesn't compare to…read morethe slot canyon views in Arizona or Utah, it was picturesque. The slots were fairly easy to navigate except for a few areas where you had to climb down or squeeze through narrow openings. You can also take the trail above the canyon which gives you panoramic views of the desert. There are 2 bathrooms but no sinks in the parking lot. Most cars can get to the parking lot but it's quite dusty. Come prepared with some water, snack, sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses. It's $10 per day to visit the park. It's an honor system where you fill out the form, drop off the cash in box, and leave the parking pass on your dashboard. The one negative and reason for removing a star is the poor signage on the trail and how to get into the slots. When we went, there were only 2 other families but the signs were not clear which direction to go into the canyon or even back to the parking lot so we ended up taking a much longer and harder route than needed.

Great hike. End of the line is a waterfall and grotto. It didn't disappoint. Pretty challenging…read moregetting there. A combination of flat desert hiking but then with rock scrambling.

Surprisingly nice hike with a tougher end-game to reach the "waterfall"…read more My biggest gripe with this trail isn't the $10 fee. It's the fact that this trail is poorly marked with wrong signage and no clear trail markers to get to the actual waterfall. There's also little to no internet serive here to double check. Tips - The trail to the waterfall starts behind the pay kiosk. No marking that this it the trail to the falls. The trail (little surprise trail) that's next to the bathroom isn't marked either. - About a mile or so into the hike you'll see a sign with an arrow pointing towards the hill.. IGNORE this sign and stay on the main trail. - The waterfall is basically at the third Oasis. Navigating through the Oases is like a labyrinth of different paths. Some are dangerous, some are easy, and some are dead ends. It's like a choose your own adventure book from the 80's and 90's. - Seeing a flowing waterfall is likely rare. Maybe early spring? - Best hiking is during the winter months or during a superbloom..