Best backpacking trips near Cathedral City, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Cathedral City (population ~51,493) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Cathedral City backpacking at a glance

Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide is the closest documented backpacking trip to Cathedral City — the Humber Park Trailhead (Devil's Slide) trailhead sits roughly 13 miles away, about 15 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 10 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning San Jacinto Mountains, Joshua Tree National Park, San Gorgonio Wilderness, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Los Padres backcountry and Channel IslandsTrailheads for these trips sit between 26 and 11,499 feet, so you can pick a low, warm-season start or a high alpine route depending on the month.

3 of these 12 routes need no wilderness permit — useful for spontaneous weekends. Across the twelve closest trips, the months hikers rate best are October, June, September.If you want the gentlest introduction, Borrego Palm Canyon climbs only 700 feet over 3 miles; the biggest single-trip climb nearby is Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio at 10,800 feet of total gain over 15.6 miles.

#	Trip	Miles away	Est. drive	Distance	Gain	Difficulty	Permit
1	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	13 mi	~15 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
2	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	13 mi	~15 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
3	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	24 mi	~26 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required
4	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	32 mi	~35 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
5	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	32 mi	~36 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
6	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	33 mi	~37 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
7	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	35 mi	~39 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
8	Borrego Palm Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	37 mi	~41 min	3 mi	700 ft	4	None
9	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	38 mi	~42 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
10	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	103 mi	~115 min	9 mi	—	10	None
11	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	112 mi	~124 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
12	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	149 mi	~166 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Cathedral City

Closest trailhead: Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide — about 13 miles / 15 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: Borrego Palm Canyon — difficulty 4/100 (Easy), 1–2 days.
Biggest adventure: Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio — 15.6 miles and 10,800 ft of climbing.

Distances are great-circle miles from Cathedral City to trailhead coordinates; actual road distances will be longer. Town data: Wikidata SPARQL (CC0), population values derived from U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Backpacking near Cathedral City: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Cathedral City?

Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide is the closest documented trip to Cathedral City at roughly 13 miles (about 15 minutes of driving) from the Humber Park Trailhead (Devil's Slide) trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Cathedral City?

Many routes near Cathedral City, including Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide, require a wilderness permit from Mount San Jacinto State Park (California State Parks). Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Cathedral City?

For Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide — the closest trip to Cathedral City — the best months are June, July, August, September, October.