Best Bike Trails in La Quinta
Sooo, I’ve already written about great bike trails in Palm Springs ~ but I thought La Quinta deserved its own post. I’m in the desert now, & the weather is sunny & 70 degrees: absolutely perfect biking (or hiking) weather. While I was out driving today, I saw people biking everywhere: from the La Quinta Cove, to all around Old Town La Quinta….& I even saw a teenage girl fall off her bike at the La Quinta Resort! It’s a zoo out there. To keep you & your family safe, I’ll focus on all the great paved rides in town in this post: the “Best Bike Trails in La Quinta!”
This article covers great paved bike trails & a couple of mountain bike trails in La Quinta, California. Photo courtesy of VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com.
Fuel up before your ride at the area’s best brunch spots ~ or enjoy happy hour at some Old Town’s liveliest restaurants…..
Map of La Quinta Bike Trails
The great thing about La Quinta is there are a ton of WIDE sidewalks, ideal for bikers who’d prefer to stay off the street. There are also dedicated bike lanes, which are better for road bikers ~ & are shown in purple on the map below.
All thin purple lines above indicate bike lanes.
Bear Creek Trail
Loop around Rancho La Quinta
Loop around The Citrus
Loop around Mountain View, Hideaway, & Madison Club
Loop around PGA West
Best Paved Bike Trails in La Quinta
- Bear Creek Trail, in the La Quinta Cove (2.7 miles one-way, or 5.4 round-trip) = One of the safest bike trails is in the La Quinta Cove: the Bear Creek Trail. At 2.7 miles long, with a gentle (but persistent) incline the whole way ~ you’ll get a good workout here! Park in one of two dirt lots at the “Top of the Cove,” which is by the Cove’s hiking trails; or park at the bottom of the cove, near Old Town La Quinta.
There are two bike rental shops by Old Town: Pedego Electric Bikes & the Village Peddler. From either shop, head west towards the mountains & Avenida Montezuma, which runs next to the Bear Creek Trail, all the way to the “Top of the Cove.”
This is the Bear Creek Trail, as seen from the “Top of the Cove.”
- Loop around Rancho La Quinta (Roughly 4 miles) = If you take Washington St. north, Avenue 48 east, Jefferson St. south, & Avenue 50 west: you’ll make a big loop around Rancho La Quinta Country Club. And you won’t have to cross any streets to make the loop; there’s sidewalk all the way here. This is an easy loop to reach from either the La Quinta Resort (take Eisenhower north until it dead-ends into Rancho La Quinta), or The Chateau at Lake La Quinta (head south one block to reach Ave. 48).
A loop around Rancho La Quinta gives you views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
- Loop around The Citrus (Roughly 4 miles) = Just south of Rancho La Quinta is another popular country club: The Citrus. Because it’s right across from Old Town La Quinta ~ you can follow up this loop with happy hour at one of Old Town’s haunts: like Stuft Pizza or RD RNNR. Starting at Avenue 52: go north on Washington St, turn right on Avenue 50, then right on Jefferson St, & one more right on Avenue 52, which has lovely views of SilverRock Golf Course.
- BIG Loop around Mountain View, Hideaway, & Madison Club (Roughly 8 miles) = For a bigger loop & a less congestion: head further east, past some of La Quinta’s nicest golf clubs. This loop also takes you by Empire Polo Grounds, home of Coachella & Stagecoach. Start at the intersection of Jefferson & Avenue 50, near Ralphs shopping center: head east on Avenue 50. Turn right either on Madison or Monroe, depending how long you want the ride to be; I prefer the nice sidewalks on Madison (especially around Madison Club & Hideaway). Both Avenue 52 & 54 have great sidewalk paths that run from Jefferson all the way to Monroe….so choose-your-own-adventure here.
You can make this loop as short or long as you want…..
The Hideaway & Madison Club are two of the prettiest golf courses in the desert, & they’ve got great big sidewalks around each club: perfect for biking…
- BIG Loop around PGA West (???) = The traffic really starts to thin when you get out to PGA West: & you still have wide sidewalks AND bike lanes. This is a great area to bike in. You can either bike inside the community, which is pretty safe due to low car speeds ~ or head out to Avenue 54 & Madison St, taking it as far south as you want. You can make this ride as long as you want. Turning right on Avenue 58 will take you out to The Quarry & Lake Cahuilla, while staying straight on Madison takes you out to Andalusia Golf Club & Coral Mountain.
Heading east from there will have you out in Indio’s date fields, with very little traffic & lovely mountain views.
PGA West is a LARGE & sprawling place: biking around it gives you endless variations & rides. The further south & east you go: the less traffic. Photo courtesy of PGA West.
Best Mountain Bike Trails in La Quinta
If you’re a mountain biker, head to the “Top of the Cove” & park in one of the two lots up top, off of Avenida Bermudas. Two of the best mountain bike trails here are the popular Boo Hoff Trail (goes up to 12 miles), which is good for both hikers & bikers (there are separate tracks in spots for bikers), & the “Cove to Lake Cahuilla Trail,” which is 6 miles round-trip.
Great Hotels in La Quinta: Two of my favorite hotels in town are the sprawling La Quinta Resort, which is the most high-end hotel in town with stunning grounds & 30+ pools. or the more boutique Chateau at Lake La Quinta, which has lovely views of the mountains & Lake La Quinta.
Our family has rented a house in La Quinta and so far, we’re loving the bike trail in the Cove. Especially love how it’s separated from traffic/cars, it really feels safe for my girls, who are learning how to bike. I’d love to explore the hiking trails in the La Quinta Cove more, but it’s a little confusing when we get up there to know where to go. Do you ever plan on writing a gude on hikes up there? I have a feeling you’ve probably done them all! Thanks, Heather
Hi Heather, thanks so much for your detailed feedback & question! I also love the Cove’s bike trail, it’s so nice that it’s very much separated from cars..feels much safer. So yes ~ I do plan on writing a guide to hiking in the Cove soon, it’s on my list! I’ve done most of the hikes up there; Boo Hoff the most as it’s a great 5-mile loop (when you turn around at the 2.5 mile mark & go back downhill). It’s also fine to just go up & not do any particular hiking trail: just kind of wander & explore. But check back, I’ll try to put a guide out soon! xoxo Noelia
My friends and I stayed at the Movie Colony Hotel, and were able to bike all around the Las Palmas loop and all through downtown. So fun! Love biking past all the mid-century modern homes.
Thanks for your comment, Jessica! Seeing all those mid-century modern homes is awesome, even if some are hidden by high walls : ) xoxo Noelia