Sand to Snow National Monument in Morongo Valley | Map and Routes

The West Canyon trail is a moderately easy climb, with some steep areas. After reaching the top of the saddle ridge, follow the gentle slope to a panoramic view of Big Morongo Canyon, where the stream slowly meanders down the canyon. A couple of steep switchbacks will lead you to the canyon floor and an easy walk up to the marsh. Along the way you will enjoy desert plants as they continue their recovery from the wildfire that ravaged the area in June 2005. Mojave yucca, Mormon tea, creosote bush, wild plum , honey mesquite and desert almond are among the. Plants that continue their unending 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.

Take a nice sunny walk with limited 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. Just passed the Currie Bridge continue your walk along the Desert Willow Trail where it join s the shady Marsh Trail, or climb the Yucca Ridge Trail to get panoramic views of the valley, the canyon and the mountains.

Experience a spectacular bird’s-eye view of the preserve’s woodland and wetland areas. Take in the Morongo Valley, the snowcappped 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, numberous species of cacti and even club moss clinging to the cool sides of the rock surfaces. View white dikes of splits intruding into an ancient outcrop of gneiss that is over one billion years old and one of the oldest exposed rock formation in California. 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 Trial at the other.

3.5 miles | moderate: From the Preserve trailhead, follow the rock lined path across the river to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Turn left and head south on the PCT. At the top of the ridge, turn left at the Canyon View Loop Trail. turn left again when you reach the road. In approximately 300 yards, turn left at the trail marker to return to the Visitor Center.

Enjoy an enchanting stream side 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, water cress and Yerba mamas. Travel along the base of the yucca Ridge and relax on the benches of the large octagon shaped George Helmkamp Deck. Skirt the foot of a desert mountain where scrub oak, Mojave. Yucca, cacti, Indian paintbrush and boulders painted with lichen hug the drier slopes above. From the comfort of the deck, observe a large outcropping of ancient gneiss that marks the face o the Morongo Valley fault.

3.5 miles | moderate: From the Preserve trailhead, follow the rock lined path across the river to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Turn left and head south on the PCT. At the top of the ridge, turn left at the Canyon View Loop Trail. turn left again when you reach the road. In approximately 300 yards, turn left at the trail marker to return to the Visitor Center.

This trail is fairly beautiful, but offers little to no shade. I reccomend that if you go, try to get there as soon as you can and don't wear lots of clothes!! When you get to the actual preserve, there is a gate. You can call ahead to the Mission Creek Ranger Station, and get a gate code to open it up so you can drive through. We usually just hike from the gate about 1.6 miles to the Stonehouse/Campground. If you do get the gate opened, you can drive to the Stonehouse, and skip the walking. If you walk past the Stonehouse there is a sign telling you the mileage to certain places from that point. From there, it is 2 miles to the start of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Be prepared; most of it is really deep sugarsand. You will definitely be sore the next couple days! Again, there is little to no shade, so put on some sunscreen, and bring lots of water. From the start of the PCT, it is 4 miles to Whitewater Preserve. Now, when you get to the sign at the start of the PCT, you can go either right or left. We went left for about 20-30 minutes, about a half mile of mildly strenuous climbing, and came to a beautiful overlook, really great picture spot. After that we just turned around and went back the way we came, stopping to eat lunch at the Stonehouse. All in all, we walked about 8 miles, and got a really good workout in 4 miles of sugarsand. So this is a pretty good trail if Whitewater is closed or you just want to get away from crowds. The creek is really special and holds a certain energy that you know automatically to respect. The path to the PCT crosses right over the creek, and sometimes there are little tadpoles in the water. Again, little or no shade, especially in the summer, I cannot stress this enough, but overall, really great trail.

Enjoy an enchanting stream side 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, water cress and Yerba mamas. Travel along the base of the yucca Ridge and relax on the benches of the large octagon shaped George Helmkamp Deck. Skirt the foot of a desert mountain where scrub oak, Mojave. Yucca, cacti, Indian paintbrush and boulders painted with lichen hug the drier slopes above. From the comfort of the deck, observe a large outcropping of ancient gneiss that marks the face o the Morongo Valley fault.

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail #2000 is a 13.4 mile (31,000-step) route located near Morongo Valley, California. This route has an elevation gain of about 4808.5 ft and is rated as hard. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.

West Fork Trail is a 2 mile (4,500-step) route located near Whitewater, California. This route has an elevation gain of about 465.8 ft and is rated as medium. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.

PCT-Whitewater Canyon Road is a 1.5 mile (3,500-step) route located near Whitewater, California. This route has an elevation gain of about 619.9 ft and is rated as hard. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.

Desert Willow Trail is a 0.7 mile (1,500-step) route located near Morongo Valley, California. This route has an elevation gain of about 29.5 ft and is rated as easy. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.

PCT-Whitewater Preserve Ranger Station Access Trail is a 0.7 mile (1,500-step) route located near Whitewater, California. This route has an elevation gain of about 0 ft and is rated as easy. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.

Pomelo Drive is a 3.1 mile (7,000-step) route located near Desert Hot Springs, California, USA. This route has an elevation gain of about 567.4 ft and is rated as medium. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.

West Canyon Trail is a 0.8 mile (2,000-step) route located near Morongo Valley, California. This route has an elevation gain of about 118.1 ft and is rated as easy. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.