How to Get to Ladder Canyon Hike in Mecca
If you’re staying anywhere in the Palm Springs area, from La Quinta to Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Coachella, or even Joshua Tree ~ & love to hike: then Ladder Canyon is a great option! Also called “Painted Canyon,” this hike has many pay-offs: it has a series of ladders to climb, that makes for stunning photos; there’s a gorgeous view point less than a mile into the hike; & finally, the trail ends with a walk down “Painted Canyon,” where you’ll find rocks of all colors. It’s stunning! So let’s find out how to get to Ladder Canyon hike in Mecca ~ complete with maps, tips, photos, & important trail information!
The pay-off at Ladder Canyon is right at the beginning of the hike: with these series of ladders, less than a mile from the trail head!
Top Tips for Ladder Canyon!
Bring lots of water. If you’re doing the whole loop, bring a hat & sunscreen ~ because there’s not much protection from the sun! When you get out of the “ladder” section at the beginning of the hike, there are 2 ways you can go: back along the ridge (which will lead to a dead-end eventually), or you can make a right turn onto a path that looks like it leads out towards nowhere ~ take that path!
Map to Ladder Canyon Hike
Ladder Canyon Trail
Trail Head
How to Get to Ladder Canyon Hike in Mecca
From any desert city (La Quinta, Palm Springs, etc.), you’ll take Highway 111 east towards the Salton Sea. Turn left on 66th Avenue, & drive through Mecca. 66th Avenue turns into Box Canyon Road; stay on it. After passing a canal, look for a dirt road on the left called Painted Canyon Road. Stay on this dirt road for 4-miles, & at the end you’ll find the Ladder/Painted Canyon trail head. There’s a large, dirt parking lot with plenty of parking ~ just don’t leave valuables in the car!
Ladder Canyon Hike Info
- Starting Point: Painted Canyon Trail Head
- Total Trail Distance: 6 miles round-trip, if you do the entire Painted Canyon loop.
- Hike Type: Big loop, with ladders at beginning & end of hike!
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate, need to be able to climb & descend ladders.
- Time: 2-5 hours
- Elevation Gain: 967 feet
- Pet-friendly: No. Not unless your dog likes climbing ladders!
- Kid-friendly: Yes
- Good for Trail-Running/Marathon Training: Yes
- Crowded: Light to moderate. More crowded near ladders, less crowded further along trail & in Painted Canyon.
- All Seasons? Yes, but temperatures are best October thru April. Be careful hiking May thru September, as temperatures are often over 100 degrees.
Ladder Canyon Hike Photos!
The ladders & winding rock canyons are right at the start of the hike. Follow the signs & people leading into the tight caverns of Ladder Canyon.
Highly photogenic rocks at the start of Ladder Canyon hike, in Mecca.
Ladder Canyon hike is kid-friendly…& includes the opportunity to run thru rock tunnels!
Ladder Canyon hike, also called Painted Canyon hike.
“Girl Who Travels the World’ in Mecca…
How to Get to Ladder Canyon Hike in Mecca!
Once you get out of the ladders & canyons part of the trail (which takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on how busy it is), you’ll climb a little bit, up & out of the rocks to get this view below.
Once you climb up out of the rock tunnels & ladders ~ this view awaits you…
Signage is NOT good at this view point!! Our group, & many others, were completely confused as to which way to go! Here’s the bottom line: if you go straight ahead, you get to a nice view point where you can take pictures ~ but it’s a dead-end. If you turn to the far right & walk back along the ridge (with sharp drops on either side), it’s very pretty ~ but you’ll also eventually come to a very dramatic, cliff-hanging dead-end (we took this route by mistake). The CORRECT route to take is to the RIGHT (not far right), on a trail that looks like it leads out to the middle of nowhere. It’s pretty flat, & after a couple miles, leads to an easy descent into Painted Canyon, for your (flat) walk back.
Turn right, & TAKE THE TRAIL that leads AWAY from the ridge!! It is flat & looks like this photo above.
Once you’re down in Painted Canyon, you’ll find all kinds of cool rocks ~ like this zebra-striped one.
There are a few more ladders to descend at the end of the hike, after walking through Painted Canyon.
How to Get to Ladder Canyon Hike in Mecca!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on how to get to Ladder Canyon hike in Mecca ~ & if you’ve never heard of it, I hope you’ve found a great new hike for your bucket list! After Ladder Canyon, I’m sure you’ll be starving (like we were). Head to one of the great Mexican restaurants in Indio or Coachella, or swing by my family’s restaurants, Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill, in La Quinta or Palm Desert ~ sure to satisfy every adventurer!
Happy Adventuring!
xoxo Noelia
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