Best backpacking trips near Palm Desert, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Palm Desert (population ~51,163) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Palm Desert backpacking at a glance

Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide is the closest documented backpacking trip to Palm Desert — the Humber Park Trailhead (Devil's Slide) trailhead sits roughly 18 miles away, about 20 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 9 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning San Jacinto Mountains, Joshua Tree National Park, 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	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	18 mi	~20 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
2	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	18 mi	~20 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
3	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	25 mi	~28 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required
4	Borrego Palm Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	31 mi	~35 min	3 mi	700 ft	4	None
5	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	39 mi	~44 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
6	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	40 mi	~44 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
7	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	41 mi	~46 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
8	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	43 mi	~47 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
9	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	45 mi	~51 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
10	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	110 mi	~122 min	9 mi	—	10	None
11	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	116 mi	~129 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
12	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	156 mi	~174 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Palm Desert

Closest trailhead: Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide — about 18 miles / 20 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 Palm Desert 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 Palm Desert: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Palm Desert?

Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide is the closest documented trip to Palm Desert at roughly 18 miles (about 20 minutes of driving) from the Humber Park Trailhead (Devil's Slide) trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Palm Desert?

Many routes near Palm Desert, 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 Palm Desert?

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