Best backpacking trips near Indio, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Indio (population ~89,137) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Indio backpacking at a glance

Boy Scout Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to Indio — the Boy Scout Backcountry Trailhead trailhead sits roughly 23 miles away, about 26 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 9 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Joshua Tree National Park, San Jacinto Mountains, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Gorgonio Wilderness, 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	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	23 mi	~26 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required
2	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	26 mi	~29 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
3	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	26 mi	~29 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
4	Borrego Palm Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	33 mi	~36 min	3 mi	700 ft	4	None
5	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	46 mi	~51 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
6	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	47 mi	~52 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
7	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	47 mi	~52 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
8	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	49 mi	~54 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
9	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	52 mi	~58 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
10	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	118 mi	~131 min	9 mi	—	10	None
11	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	124 mi	~137 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
12	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	164 mi	~182 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Indio

Closest trailhead: Boy Scout Trail — about 23 miles / 26 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 Indio 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 Indio: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Indio?

Boy Scout Trail is the closest documented trip to Indio at roughly 23 miles (about 26 minutes of driving) from the Boy Scout Backcountry Trailhead trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Indio?

Many routes near Indio, including Boy Scout Trail, require a wilderness permit from Joshua Tree National Park (NPS). Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Indio?

For Boy Scout Trail — the closest trip to Indio — the best months are October, November, March, April.