As I probably mentioned before, Palm Springs has a few surprises up its sleeve when it comes to hiking. There are a number of trails that are easily reachable from downtown Palm Springs. This is one of them.
North Lykken Trail starts at the end of East Ramon Road, right at the foot of the mountains. It connects with the Cactus to Clouds Trail from Palm Springs up Mount San Jacinto, which is the hiking trail with the highest elevation gain (over 10,000 feet) in the US. We are not hiking that far!
The Views from North Lykken Trail
The trail starts off with a little confusion. It looks like the main trail starts off to the right on the wider trail, but, no. Follow the trail to the left. It is also marked here as the North Lykken Trail. The right trail looks like you will get better views, but you’ll end up in the same place and the actual North Lykken Trail is easier to follow and hike.
North Lykken Trail connects with a number of different trails, so you can make this a very long hike up Mount San Jacinto or make it an out and back and turn around at whatever point you like. I recommend to walk up for at least 1 mile to get good views of Palm Springs. 2 miles up and back is a great hike.
North Lykken Trail Hike Details
Hike: Out-and-back
Length: 4 miles or any length you want
Park: Trailhead at the end of East Ramon Road
When to go: Early morning before it gets too hot. Not recommended during the summer months.
Don’t forget: Plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat, your camera
