East Indio Badlands Trail Guide

In This Guide	Video and Turn-by-Turn Directions for the East Indio Badlands Trail How to Get to the East Indio Badlands Trail Insider Tips & Recommendations for the Hike
Total Distance (?)	5.5 miles (8.9 km)
Hike Time	2:30 - 3:30 Hours (Total)
Difficulty (?)	Moderate
Total Ascent (?)	900 feet (274m)
Highest Elevation	540 feet (165m)
Fees & Permits	Free
Dogs Allowed	Leashed
Alerts & Closures (?)	City of Indio
Park Phone	760-391-4000

Just opened in 2020, the East Indio Badlands Trail hike offers a spectacular loop through a classic badland topography formed by thousands of years of erosion and an active San Andreas Fault. You’ll hike through slot canyons, in the shadow of tectonic uptilts, and along a prominent ridge with 360 views from the Salton See to San Gorgonio Mountain. It’s an extremely fun hike at a shorter distance that makes it accessible to almost all types of hikers.

Badlands: a barren area in which soft rock strata are eroded into varied, fantastic forms.Dictionary.com

Where Is the East Indio Badlands Trail?

Because this is a newer trail, the trailhead parking lot isn’t found on some mapping services. Use this trailhead address:
42000 Golf Center Pkwy, Indio, CA 92203

East Indio Badlands Trail Directions 2 — There’s a medium-sized parking lot where Golf Center Drive and Ave 42 connect at the 90-degree turn. If the parking lot is full, you can park along the street in any areas not marked no-parking. The lot fills up with locals and isn’t usually indicative of the number of people on the East Indio Badlands Trail.

There are no toilets or water refills at the trailhead or on the hike.

Gear for the Hike

This is a sandy hike in a harsh area, so I’d recommend proper hiking gear if you have it. If not, you can get away with fitness clothing.

Don’t attempt this hike when it’s hot out. There is no shade and temperatures are extreme.
Bring at least 1L of water with you.
Trekking poles will help on the climbing portions but most people are fine without them.
Low gaiters will help keep the sand and debris out of your shoes.

Altra Lone Peak 5
For most people, the Altra Lone Peak is a solid choice that will leave your feet feeling great at the end of any hike. The feel is cushy and light, and if it had a car equivalent, this would be a Cadillac or Mercedes Sedan. The grip is great and they’re reasonably durable for this type of trail runner, which I think is better in most conditions than a hiking boot, and here’s why. The downside of this shoe is that it won’t last as long as something like the Moab 2 (see alternate footwear choices at the bottom of my gear page). I’ve been using mine for many miles and my feet always feel great. Watch my video explaining why they are a great shoe here.
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Latest Price on Women’s Shoe – REI | Amazon
Latest Price on Men’s Shoe – REI | Amazon

Stay Safe Out of Cell Phone Range
If you’re not familiar with the Garmin InReach technology, it allows you to send and receive text messages where you don’t have cell phone signals. You can also get weather reports and trigger an SOS to emergency responders. Even if you don’t have an emergency, sending a quick message telling a loved one that you’re okay or are running late is well worth the cost. The Garmin InReach Mini (REI | Amazon | My Review) fits in your palm and weighs next to nothing.

Gaia GPS Mapping App
Smartphones are not backcountry instruments, but almost everyone has one today. And they all have GPS onboard. So I recommend getting a good GPS hiking app like Gaia GPS that supports offline maps. Just make sure to put your phone in airplane mode so the battery doesn’t drain. GaiaGPS not only has smartphone and tablet apps, but also an online planning tool. You can drag the GPX hike tracks from my (or any) guides into the online map and they will sync to your phone. You can also check for wildfires, weather, snow, and choose from dozens of map types with a premium membership (HikingGuy readers get up to 40% off here). Note that I also carry a paper map with me in case the phone dies or gets smashed.

Here’s my complete gear list that I personally use, have tested, and recommend, updated May 2021.

My May 2021 Top Gear Picks

No company pays me to promote or push a product, all the gear you see here is gear I use and recommend. If you click an a link and buy gear, I get a small commission that helps keep the website ad and promotion free. There is no cost to you.

East Indio Badlands Trail Maps

You can break the hike into two rough sections: getting to the badlands and the badlands. The hike to the badlands crosses a flat and sandy area often used by locals that’s pretty average. And then you enter the badlands, which is a magical spot that feels like you are in a National Park. The interesting parts of this hike make the ho-hum approach worth the effort.

This trail is also referred to as the Indio Hills Badlands Trail, the East Indio Hills Trail, and the Golf Center Trail.

East Indio Badlands Trail Directions 1 — The key to staying on the trail are these trail markers. The arrow on the top points you in the direction of the trail. There are markers like this on the entire loop. If you don’t see one every 5 minutes or so, you might be in the wrong place.

Explore Map on CalTopo View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

If you try to download the GPX file and your browser adds a “.txt” or “.xml” extension to it, simply rename it as a “.gpx” file.

How are you going to navigate this hike?
To start, you should always have a paper map and compass. And it helps to print this guide out or save it on your phone. I highly recommend a GPS as well. I use the Garmin Fenix 6 Smart GPS watch ( REI | Amazon | My Review) with maps (or the more affordable Garmin Instinct). The GPS smartwatch is nice because it’s rugged, works if your phone dies, and also has a billion other features like sleep tracking, workout recording, etc.

Elevation Profile

East Indio Badlands Trail Guide Elevation — In general you hike up to the viewpoint toward the middle of the loop, but there are a few of ups downs along the way.

3d Map

Quick Trail History

Before the official East Indio Badlands Trail opened, a mix of use trails crisscrossed this area. Understanding the need to preserve the badlands while sharing it in a responsible way, the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, Friends of the Desert Mountains, City of Indio, Indio Water Authority and the Bureau of Land Management got together and secured funding to create a trail. Local volunteers led by Friends of the Desert Mountains designed the route, built new sections of trail, and cleaned up the area around it. Today we have this awesome hike thanks to their efforts.

East Indio Badlands Trail Directions

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