East Indio Hills Badlands- 5.2 miles, rated 4.7, moderate, elevation 777 ft., time approx. 3 hours
East Indio Badlands Trail hike offers a spectacular loop through a classic badland topography formed by thousands of years of erosion and an active San Andreas Fault. You'll hike through slot canyons, in the shadow of tectonic uptilts, and along a prominent ridge with 360 views from the Salton See to San Gorgonio Mountain. It's an extremely fun hike at a shorter distance that makes it accessible to almost all types of hikers.
Dogs on leash are welcome on this trail.
Because this is a newer trail, the trailhead parking lot isn't found on some mapping services. Use this trailhead address:
42000 Golf Center Pkwy, Indio, CA 92203
There's a medium-sized parking lot where Golf Center Drive and Ave 42 connect at the 90-degree turn. If the parking lot is full, you can park along the street in any areas not marked no-parking. The lot fills up with locals and isn't usually indicative of the number of people on the East Indio Badlands Trail.
There are no toilets or water refills at the trailhead or on the hike. Be prepared with at least 1L of water, protective clothing, sunblock, and trekking poles would be helpful on some of the climbing portions of this hike, but most people would be fine without them.
