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Level: Advanced
Length: 28 mi (45.1 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: One-way
Elevation: +667/ -2,152 ft
Total: 51 riders
Mountain Biking Palm Canyon Epic
#311 of 1,004 mountain bike trails in California
There is no water on the trail, so due to the length and remoteness, this trail should only be attempted in cool weather (late fall through early spring). Also, this is not a DH ride. Sure, there's plenty of DH but you need to pedal a fair bit too so an AM type bike with big tires would be ideal.
The trail was in good shape and pretty well marked as of 1/1/2014, so for the most part you can follow the other tire tracks for the first 17 miles or so, after which there are several options. If you don't have somebody who is familiar with the trail, riding with a GPS map is highly recommended. At about 13.5 miles, head right up the sandy wash for about 3 miles (yes it will suck). Turn left on Dunn Road, and take that for about 3/4 of a mile, then stop at Mike's Desert Oasis and try to find some shade under the bulldozer and eat some snacks. From there, take the singletrack up the hill (to the west) to ride Hahn Buena Vista Trail. After that we were feeling pretty beat, so we took Dunn Road back to Cathedral City rather than riding the Goat Trails.
First added by *TahoeYeti* on Jan 19, 2014. Last updated May 3, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
Leave one car at the bottom; we left one at the corner of Gene Autry Trail and Palm Canyon Drive, but if you bailout rather than riding the goat trails (like we did) then you might want to leave the car in Cathedral City instead. The neighborhood just south of Palm Canyon Drive and Cathedral Canyon Drive would work well. Then drive to the upper trailhead by going east on Palm Canyon Drive. Head up the 74 for about 18 miles, right on Pine View Drive. Take that for a very short distance (less than 1/4 mile) and park at the end at the trailhead.
The Palm Canyon Epic Trail is now closed to mountain biking. In April and June 2024 several landowners of wilderness areas donated their land to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indicans (ACBCI). The donated lands included important parts of the Palm Canyon Epic Trail. As part of ACBCI policy on land use, mountain bike travel is prohibited on these lands.
Recently Margaret Park-Robinson, Chief Planning Officer of ACBCI released a statement concerning the closure of the PCE. She can be reached at 760-883-1326 or email: [email protected]
I append the full statement to this comment.
Tom Kohn
ACBCI Statement on the PCE closure
Since time immemorial, Agua Caliente and other Cahuilla have lived within the lands of the National Monument, including Palm Canyon.
Since time immemorial, the Palm Canyon Trail has been a significant cultural and historical pathway for Cahuilla people.
Since 2000, the National Monument was established despite concerns by Agua Caliente. The legislation directs the federal agencies (BLM & USFS) to consult with Agua Caliente.
Since 2008, Palm Canyon and the portion of the trail was designated as a federal Wild & Scenic River by the US Forest Service despite concerns by Agua Caliente.
Since 2020, Palm Canyon Trail—a multi-use trail—has seen a significant increase in users: hikers, equestrian and mountain bikers, including eBikes. Most of the trail crosses BLM and US Forest Service land. The Trail crosses private land as well as land owned by Agua Caliente.
The properties the Tribe recently received as ancestral land back donations were offered to the Tribe. As a property owner with the right to regulate access to its land, the Agua Caliente chose to improve a portion of Palm Canyon Trail that is on its land—not federal land. The Tribe conducted trail maintenance work within its own property in the Indian Canyons for emergency access, security and safety for our hikers and other lawful users of the Trail. Why did it do this? Because it values its lands and prioritizes proper management of it.
Unfortunately, one entitled business owner, [Dave Wood, owner of Bikes and Brews -tgk] who is unhappy over the fact that mountain biking and e-mountain biking is not allowed in this area is acting out by spreading false information, which is unnecessarily causing confusion in the community. His false narrative insultingly prioritizes his desire to financially profit from trespassing on Tribal lands, over the Tribe’s right to protect its property and its cultural resources. Tribal employees are now receiving “anonymous” threats promising more property destruction if tribal staff attempts to interfere with this illegal activity, which generates profits by organizing trail rides for groups of bikers who (unknowingly) trespass on a trail where that activity is not permitted.
The Tribe has never permitted mountain biking on its land. The land acquired as land back donations is now Tribal land and consistent with our policy, mountain biking and eBikes are prohibited.
Anyone on a mountain or eBike accessing the land is in trespass of Tribal lands. Trespassing on, and damaging, the property of another is never ok. We ask this business owner to ride his bicycle somewhere else where this activity is permitted.
| ThankA fun ride, but over hyped as an Epic. You get a decent variety of jumps and features at the beginning, and a rough rocky technical decent at the end. The middle is a mix of sandy climbs and narrow exposure descents. Worth doing once, but won't be planning a return anytime soon
| ThankDid this one yesterday mar 29 2017. Truly is an epic ride. I would rate advanced because cacti everywhere and little rooom for error. Also 1/3 of ride is like peddling through a sand box so this really slows you down. Very hot section with no wind. Ride took me 5 hrs and I took Dunn rod down at the end cause I was too hot and needed ride to be over. Can't go
| ThankMuch faster cause of heat and very windy trail. I would not recommend this ride any later than March cause of heat. Towards the end I wish I had full suspension bike. Take all the water you can. Half my water was frozen water bottles twelve in total. Awesome ride but heat made it challenging.
We have ridden this trail (5) times now and today was the 1st time we actually found the "right" way out and ended up exactly where we wanted to. The sand wash was in the best condition it's ever been in on any of our rides. Still pretty hard packed, relatively speaking, from the rain (2) weeks ago. Even thought this is a shuttle, the 3 mile sand wash and rocky climbs make it one of the harder rides we do. It's a butt kicker for sure but when you're ton, you feel like you truly accomplished something. Make sure you bring all the water you can carry. We had (2) guys run out today.
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