New Guidebook Details Top Palm Springs Hikes

30-plus trails detailed in ‘Day Hiking Trails of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, Vol. II’ Guidebook

A new travel guidebook describes more than 30 day-hiking trails in Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, and the surrounding area.

“Day Hiking Trails of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley Vol. II,” by hiking guidebook author Rob Bignell, covers trails in Palm Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, and nearby regions, including Joshua Tree National Park, the Salton Sea, and Idyllwild. It was released Aug. 5.

In just five days, the book has been named Amazon.com’s Top New Release in General California Travel Guides and hit No. 2 on Amazon’s Los Angeles California Travel Books bestsellers list.

“The Coachella Valley is chockful of great trails and hidden wonders,” Bignell said. “You can hike to the top of 10,000-foot-high peaks. You can head through desert oases and to waterfalls.  You can walk amid the remains of ancient volcanoes.”

A national park, a state park, two national forests, and a variety of other public lands all are open to hikers, bicyclists and other outdoors lovers in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Most are free while the others carry a nominal entrance fee.

The book provides a plethora of information about each featured trail, including:

• Driving directions to the trail
• Where to park and find the trailhead
• Course the trail takes
• Scenic points to look for on the trail
• Wildlife and flora you might spot
• Interesting tidbits about regional geology and history
• Best times to hike the trail

“Many of these trails are perfect for families with children,” Bignell said. The trails run from a tenth of a mile to seven miles in length, with most only one to three miles long. His son Kieran hiked many of the trails with him.

“Day Hiking Trails of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, Vol. II” is the follow-up to Bignell’s Day Hiking Trails of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, which was released in 2019. That book hit No. 1 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list for California travel books. He also is the author of Best Sights to See at Joshua Tree National Park, which was released in 2020.

Bignell lived and worked as Opinion page editor of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs during the 2000s. Each hike was originally written for and appeared in the Uken Report (https://ukenreport.com), which strives to be the most authentic, respected online news and marketing platform in the Coachella Valley.

An avid backpacker and long-time editor, Bignell is uniquely qualified to write about hiking, especially for families. Bignell has served in the Army National Guard and taught middle school students in New Mexico and Wisconsin. A former newspaper and magazine editor in California (San Diego, Santa Clarita, and Crescent City), his journalism work has won several awards, from editorial writing to sports reporting. In 2001, The Prescott Journal, which he served as managing editor of, was named Wisconsin’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year.

This is Bignell’s 33rd hiking guidebook. He now lives with his son in western Wisconsin.

The book can be purchased online at https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Trails-Springs-Coachella-Valley/dp/1948872161.