Best Walking Trails & Routes in Morongo Valley

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This cool winding boardwalk meanders over and along the stream under a canopy of Fremont cottonwoods, red willows and an occasional white alder. Marshes along the way support dwarf willow, goldenrods, cattail, Yerba mamas, water parsnip and water cress. A birder’s paradise, especially during the spring and fall migration of now tropical birds, the marsh area supports the second highest density of breeding birds known in the U.S. There’s a 6 foot wide boardwalk with edge curbs is made of 60% recycled plastic milk containers and 40% sawdust. Environmentally appropriate, the building material lasts longer than wood and is non polluting. This trail is handicapped accessible and provides a nature experience for everyone.