Lykken Trail

The alluvial fan called Oswit Canyon at the base of the South Lykken trailhead is in jeopardy. A developer plans to build 160 homes on this pristine canyon entrance. If you loved this hike — it will never be the same — the view ruined, a dam, endangered Bighorn sheep and wildlife pushed out. Check out
or fb — save oswit canyon.

Tahquitz Canyon or Bust
While on vacation, I’m always looking for a good hike that introduces me to the local environment, and gives me a good workout at the same time.
This trail met my requirements tenfold. It was an easy walk from the hotel we were staying at, making this an convenient choice.
After a night of imbibing, I was eager to clear my head and burn off some empty calories.
My girlfriend wanted to sleep in, so we got a later start than normal, and arrived at the trail head at 9am.
I recommend a start time of 7am, or better yet catching sunrise.
We started the loop from South Lykken trailhead located on W Mesquite Ave, which was clearly marked with a sign posting rules and a handy map.
We ended the journey at North Lykken trailhead located off of S Palm Canyon Dr.
We began the steady incline and gained elavation rather quickly. Along the way, we ran into hikers of all ages. They all seemed happy to be there, and greeted us with smiles and pleasant exchanges. I kept inquiring about the location of the picnic tables, which are about the halfway mark.
Along the route we saw lizards running all over the place! They reminded me of the geckos in Hawaii. So cute !
When we came across the deep Tahquitz Canyon, we were awe struck. Breath taking, literally!
The rock formations are really spectacular and ever changing as you move forward, and we spied strange cactus, some were in bloom, along with wild flowers that defied logic.
So many photo opportunities…
Finally making it to the picnic tables, we took a quick breather & ate a nutritional bar and drank some water. We met a lovely couple from Vancouver BC, and talked about other hikes in the area.
The sun was getting bolder so we continued on…
We came across a fork in the trail and my girlfriend thought it looked like an easy way down.
We took the «short cut «to Desert Riders Park. This trail leads to a park/​lookout spot and continues onto to a fire road above the Cahuilla HIlls, a private hillside neighborhood. Further down the road it ended at an impassable gate (one of many) with signs warning you of private property.
We had to turn around and hike all the way back up the mountain.
Mommy ! This off trail adventure added extra time onto our hike, when we were already tired and it was getting warmer. This made the 8.8 mile turn into over 10 miles.
It felt like we were in the episode of the Brady Bunch when they visited the the Grand Canyon. Tired, hungry, and LOST. «Bobby ! Cindy !»
We wished that we’d put some hotdogs and beans in our flashlight, we were getting hungry as the hour approached noon. Where was little Jimmy when we needed him ?
Needless to say, when we finally finished the trek, we took Über to our lunch spot instead of walking the few miles.
Even with our mishap, we will definitely do this lovely hike when we return.
There is zero shade on this hike.
Bring plenty of water, and snacks for an energy boost.
Wear sunscreen and a hat

Great hiking. My son and his friends max and cole hiked it and had the best time. Its a amazing view and great adventure for anyone with a few hours to enjoy the great outdoors.

I can’t wait to hike this trail again! This is a really enjoyable hike with spectacular views directly west and above Downtown Palm Springs. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow; most of the path is relatively smooth, although several sections could be described as steep and rocky. Also, the trail can easily be lost in the descent toward the Museum side of the hike. The Trailhead, found at the end of Ramon Rd., gains elevation quickly through a series of switchbacks at the start, then evens out until it reaches the picnic tables where you can connect with other trails leading further into the San Jacinto Range. It’s roughly 3 miles to the picnic tables and back, though many continue on to the Museum end of the trail (or begin there and follow the trail to Ramon). Off-​road parking at either the Ramon or Museum trailhead can be readily obtained. This is a wonderful hike that requires a moderate effort and affords unforgettable views of the valley and a good choice for a first hike or if your time is limited. It’s one of my favorite local trails, to be sure, and will disappoint few. Hike this trail!

Great little trail right near downtown! Parking was pretty easy on the street although the entrance was pretty hard to find (see photo I snapped of the cross streets of the entrance). It’s a relatively moderate hike with some gorgeous views. Highly recommended if you’re in town visiting like we were!

I absolutely love this trail! Done properly, it can be really rewarding and enjoyable.
Here are a list of do’s and don’ts:
Do:
~Park on the street next to Mac Magruder’s abandoned Chevy dealership, then head up the road to the trailhead.
~Start in the morning — NOT an afternoon hike!
~Bring water.
~Sunscreen.
~Wear sun-​protective clothing, hat and sunglasses.
~Pace yourself and smile at others on the trail… a greeting is nice too :)
~Try different variations — hike up to the first tables and continue on a few miles to the other tables, do a loop, do a speed hike/​run up to the first tables, etc.
~Enjoy the view and take photos!
Dont’s:
~Don’t avoid due to rattlesnake paranoia — be cautious, but this a very well-​used trail — snakes generally don’t like people tramping all over the place. Also, avoid in the evening when snakes may be roaming the hillside (they are most active in the evening.)
~Don’t do the opposite of my above recommendations :)
Here’s a Strava link to a loop I did recently:
I think I prefer hiking up, across to the tables at the Simonetta Kennett vista point, then back (the road sucks as the sidewalks are not continuous.)
For a short hike, park next to Mac’s place and hike up to the Josie Johnson Vista Park, it’s 3.9 miles, 1,143 ft. and takes roughly 1.5 hours.
The highlights for me included:
~You can get a great workout if you push it.
~The views of Palm Springs are excellent.
~You can see down into Tahquitz Canyon — including the waterfall.
~Cool desert terrain — rocks, cactus, lizards and beautiful flowers in the spring.
5 stars

I love the constant uphill, paths can be a little narrow. The mix of jagged n smoothe rocks is pretty neat. A beautiful view of the coachella valley as you continue to climb. We brought our dog and it was hot theres really no shade there at 9am!

Came to palm springs with the husband and doggies for a little getaway. I wanted to go hiking with the pooch to tire her out, and to get some exercise.
After reading several reviews about the plethora of hiking options, I decided to do the Lykken Trail despite all the warnings about rattlesnake sightings here. We went in January and I was hoping we wouldn’t run into any rattlers.
We were able to find the trail with great instructions on this website:
Here is the excerpt you will find most helpful: The north end of this trail starts at the end of Mesquite Road. You will have to park down by Palm Canyon and walk to the trailhead. There is a Tahquitz Canyon visitors at the end of the road, but you cannot park there if you are hiking the South Lykken Trail. As you walk up Mesquite you will pass a mobile home park on the left, and a big house on the right. Continue up the road, and the trailhead is right where the road turns right toward the Visitors Center.
We started hiking around 2pm and boy, was it hot! I mean yes, I know it’s Palm Springs, but it’s the middle of winter! It was doable, but I would have preferred to start at 3pm so that more of the trail would be shady.
The trail was pretty well maintained, but it is semi challenging. I’m not an avid hiker so I was definitely sweating and my legs were working. We kept hiking up until we hit a fork. We went right and took a picture next to a big rock formation. I think we could have kept going, but we decided that we had had enough.
Round trip it was about 3 hours. It was a fun little hike and it definitely tired out our dog, Maggie. She was knocked out the rest of the night! Definitely recommend for people looking for a dog friendly hike.

I live near the S. Palm Canyon trailhead to the South Lykken trail so very familiar with it. It can be a moderate to a little difficult at places but offers some good views like many of the Palm Springs trails.
Be aware this area now has a very high concentration of Rattlesnakes! These rattlesnakes are very difficult to see as they blend in perfectly with the ground coloration. I encountered 4 last spring and even received a dry strike by one I walked past not seeing it. My neighbor was not so lucky. He received a serious bite in early spring 2013 on the trail. Several days in Loma Linda hospital, over 20 vials of antivenom, months to fully recover and a $ 170,000. bill. (Antivenom is several thousand dollars per vial).
Due to the steep increase in bites and encounters, in the summer of 2013 Animal Control began releasing large (5 – 6′) aggresive Coachwhip snakes in the hillsides trying to decrease Rattlesnake population. I witnessed one of the releases of a batch of these snakes. Unfortunately there was no improvement. I and most others in the area no longer hike the South Lykken trail and now prefer North Lykken.
Also of note to those who continue to hike South Lykken: Do not try to use the fire road above Cahuilla HIlls as a shortcut down. You will now meet up with an impassable gate where the fire road ends at private property and a private hillside neighborhood. As always, stick to the hiking trails provided by the city.

This trail is dog friendly, as opposed to the Tahquitz Canyon hike, which is right next door (it’s hard not to confuse the two). Only street parking is available, on Mesquite Ave, right before you hit Belardo Rd. I would not recommend this trail to recreational hikers. It is over a 4 mile hike, and the sign at the bottom categorizes it as a «strenuous» hike, which I would agree with. I would also believe the warnings about rattlesnakes, although we didn’t run into any while we were there in late November, when the weather was temperate. Long story short, my husband, dog and I hiked for about 20 minutes before feeling tired, and deciding to turn around and head back. So I don’t know about any possible streams or waterfalls on the trail, but the view was nice.
**Note: This review applies to the South entrance of the trail!

Love the hike

I spend several months per year in the Palm Springs area. I stay off of the higher elevation trails because of my fear of rattlesnakes. Today, April 15, 2013, in the local newspaper, The Desert Sun, there is an article about a casual hiker on the Lykken Trail being bitten by a speckled rattlesnake. While he said it was just a little one, after it bit him on the finger, his hand and arm immediately began to swell and then he was spitting up blood. Fortunately, he got to the city hospital quickly and then was transferred to the special venom center at Loma Linda Hospital. If you go on these trails, stay on the trail proper. If you take a dog, keep it on a leash, rattlers like dogs too. If you see a rock in the middle of a trail, the last person passing that point saw a rattler close by; the rock is a warning to you. Snakes !

This is a very well maintained trail for runners and hikers. Dog friendly too!
When you reach the top of the canyon there are picnic tables to relax or eat at if you bring food & drinks.
Limited shade so bring sunscreen and or hats etc
If you start at the north entrance at Mesquite it’s a nice hour and a half running trail. It stretches parallel to South Palm Canyon and you can continue your run. Traffic is light.
You can always cut this run short by just starting the run at the golf coarse near the levee. Run up to the picnic tables and then back down.