Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Managed by United States Forest Service;Bureau of Land Management
4,366 acres5.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Patrick Pelster · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Indian Wells
Indian Wells has 57 miles of mapped trails, 4.0 for every square mile of land
44% of Indian Wells’ land is conserved, about 4,057 acres. 327 acres are parks and preserves, 67 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (5.2 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #207 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
4,057 acres · of 14.3 sq mi of land
Trails
57 mi
4.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
327 ac
67 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
18%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
15 mi lanes
Highest peak
2,156 ft
Indio Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Indian Wells?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Indian Wells have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Indian Wells is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #207 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Indian Wells’ overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails4.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (57 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land67 acres of park per 1,000 residents (327 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home18% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 76%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, with 5.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center
Managed by Natural Reserve System, University of California
152 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
4,057 conserved acres
44% of Indian Wells’ land. Who manages Indian Wells’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,231 ac
Other state land1,085 ac
Town or city699 ac
State conservation38 ac
Joint4 ac
Not recorded3 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,231 acState Other or Unknown · 1,123 acLocal Park · 473 acLocal Recreation Area · 226 acUnknown · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,231 | Open |
| Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 1,085 | Restricted |
| The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens Local Park | Town or city | 473 | Open |
| Indian Wells Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 226 | Restricted |
| Unnamed site - Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy State Other or Unknown | State conservation | 38 | Open |
| Unnamed site - Coachella Valley Conservation Commission Unknown | Joint | 4 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Indian Wells
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Indian Wells
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Indian Wells
Indio Mountain2,156 ft elevation · In Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
DirectionsEisenhower Mountain1,923 ft elevation · In Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
DirectionsLa Quinta1,253 ft elevation · In Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
15 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
89Tennis
20Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Desert Bel Air Showcase HouseBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Indian Wells
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 70 | 74 | 80 | 86 | 93 | 102 | 106 | 106 | 101 | 90 | 78 | 69 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
June is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 106 °F). 0.8 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 106 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Indian Wells →
Next door
Indian Wells and its neighbors
Indian Wells has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Wells | 44% | 4.0 | 67 | 18% | A |
| Palm Desert | 7% | 2.1 | 4 | 50% | B |
| La Quinta | 18% | 3.4 | 50 | 71% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Indian Wells
Where can I hike in Indian Wells?
The longest trail networks: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, 5.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Indian Wells is conserved land?
44% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Indian Wells’ trails?
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Indian Wells?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 15 of painted or protected lanes and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Indian Wells?
27,868 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Indian Wells or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 328 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Indian Wells have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #207 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Indian Wells neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →