From the main Randall Henderson Trailhead, located off Highway 74 near the visitor center for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, hikers encounter a trio of exhilarating and awe-inspiring hikes. The Randall Henderson Cholla Loop, the middle route, traverses 1.8 miles through the sandy washes and canyons of the lower Santa Rosa Mountains and scales less than 400 feet total, making it a great outing for families, as well as hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and equestrians. When you reach the starting point, you’ll turn left about 0.6 miles in, where the landscape — speckled with shrubby cholla cacti and, in the winter and spring, beautiful wildflowers — unfurls in all directions. The views from up here are spectacular, as is the wildlife; some hikers happen upon bighorn sheep and desert tortoise while on the trail. Learn more about some of Greater Palm Springs’ native flora and fauna at the visitor center, where you’ll also find exhibits on the monument’s trails and indigenous history, as well as free parking, maps, and restrooms.
Total Distance: 1.8 miles
Level: Moderate