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Running trails in Desert Hot Springs, CA
Desert Hot Springs has 4 trails in the directory — 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, and 1 shaded. 2 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 591 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Mission Creek Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 219 reviews
Nature preserve featuring a hiking trail with mountain views, and a stone house with picnic tables.
Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve
4.5 ★★★★★ 216 reviews
Preserved oasis in the desert featuring a natural spring, walking trails, and abundant palm trees.
Pushawalla Palms Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 109 reviews
Hiking area in the desert featuring scenic views of a canyon and ridges, plus an oasis.
Desert Hot Springs Loop entrance
4.4 ★★★★☆ 47 reviews
Hiking area with an easy trail that features spring wildflowers and a view at the top.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Desert Hot Springs
- Match the surface to your legs. Desert Hot Springs gives you a choice: 2 natural surface and 1 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Desert Hot Springs is Mission Creek Preserve at 42 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. Plenty of trails sit inside parks that gate at dusk and don't unlock until well after sunrise, so a trail that's perfect at lunchtime can be locked at 6am. 2 of the 4 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 3 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Desert Hot Springs. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 2 dog-friendly, and 1 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Desert Hot Springs trails by type
Running trails near Desert Hot Springs
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.