The Art Smith Trail offers a skillfully routed hike through the desert foothills, making you feel like you are many miles away from civilization. Referenced to by the Forest Service as "truly one of the signature trails in the (Santa Rosa & San Jacinto) National Monument," the Art Smith Trail features palm oases, dramatic rock formations, sweeping views, and unlike many other foothill hikes in the area, some solitude. There's climbing, but it's not too steep, and it's spread over a more extended series of ups and downs, making it a good workout without extreme gradients.
In this Guide:
Video and Turn-by-Turn Directions for the Art Smith Trail
The Art Smith Trail offers a skillfully routed hike through the desert foothills, making you feel like you are many miles away from civilization. Referenced to by the Forest Service as "truly one of the signature trails in the (Santa Rosa & San Jacinto) National Monument," the Art Smith Trail features palm oases, dramatic rock formations, sweeping views, and unlike many other foothill hikes in the area, some solitude. There's climbing, but it's not too steep, and it's spread over a more extended series of ups and downs, making it a good workout without extreme gradients.
There are no bathrooms or water fills at the trailhead or on the trail.
Gear For the Hike
This is a full-on desert hike. There is no shade. Prepare for the conditions and wear sun protection. In the warmer months, this trail is a non-starter. Bring at least 3L of water for the full hike. Trekking poles will be fine if you're used to them, but otherwise, don't go out of your way to use them. The slopes are pretty easy to go up and down without slipping.
Gear That I Love Right Now
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One thing to note is how cleverly built this trail is. For most of the route you are only a couple of miles away from the development in the Palm Desert Area, but because of how this trail is routed, you rarely see or hear it. It feels like you are much deeper into the desert than you actually are.
In the beginning, the Desert Riders simply road wherever they wanted. But as the Coachella Valley became more developed, they realized the need for conservation and started collecting dues to build and maintain trails. It was one of the country's earliest and most successful private trail development projects.
Art Smith, who was considered "trail boss" after 30 years at the club, founded the Desert Riders Trail Foundation in 1972. This nonprofit trust for trail preservation and building focused on making the trails accessible to not only horses, but also hikers. The Desert Riders have created 28 trails in total, many of them adaptations of native Cahuilla footways. Today, having laid the groundwork for this world-class trail system, the Desert Riders have bowed out of the trail building game and have left it up to the various local, state, and federal park and land organizations.
And if you look at the names of trails in the Palm Springs area, most of them bear names of Desert Rider club members like Clara Burgess, Earl Coffman, and Carl Lykken. This trail, which the Forest Service calls "one of the signature trails," is named after the master trail-builder himself, Art Smith.
Art Smith Trail Hike Directions
The Art Smith Trail has a reputation as a good place to spot the local endangered peninsular bighorn sheep.
If you're doing the shorter hike, you can enjoy the palms and just return back the way you came from here.
Dunn Road is named after Michael Dunn, who tried to skirt federal land to build a shortcut between Palm Spring and Rt 74. The bulldozer you see in ruins was his, abandoned after a long fight against the government and environmentalists.
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When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.