Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Managed by United States Forest Service;Bureau of Land Management
4,589 acres5.6 mi of trail
Boo Hoff Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: prayitno · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in La Quinta
La Quinta has 120 miles of mapped trails, 3.4 for every square mile of land
18% of La Quinta’s land is conserved, about 3,986 acres. 1,932 acres are parks and preserves, 50 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (5.6 mi), Cove Oasis (2.1 mi), Santa Rosa Wilderness (1.4 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #139 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
3,986 acres · of 35.3 sq mi of land
Trails
120 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,932 ac
50 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
64 mi
55 mi lanes · 7.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is La Quinta?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does La Quinta have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, La Quinta is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #139 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of La Quinta’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (120 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land50 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,932 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home71% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 84%
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 5.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cove Oasis
Nature preserve
449 acres2.1 mi of trail
Boo Hoff Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Santa Rosa Wilderness
Managed by US Forest Service;BLM
952 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lake Cahuilla Park
Park
709 acres1.2 mi of trail
Boo Hoff Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Coral Mountain Park
Nature preserve
209 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument4,589 acres · 5.6 mi of trail · United States Forest Service;Bureau of Land Management
DirectionsCove Oasis449 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSanta Rosa Wilderness952 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · US Forest Service;BLM
Lake Cahuilla Park709 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCoral Mountain Park209 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Fred Wolff Bear Creek Nature Preserve39 acres
La Quinta Park19 acres
DirectionsLa Quinta Sports Complex18 acres
DirectionsLa Quinta Civic Center Park8 acres
Fritz Burns Park6 acres
La Quinta Community Park6 acres
DirectionsSeasons Park5 acres
DirectionsAdams Park5 acres
Monticello Park5 acres
Pioneer Park3 acres
Desert Pride Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,986 conserved acres
18% of La Quinta’s land. Who manages La Quinta’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,973 ac
County548 ac
Town or city284 ac
Regional agency108 ac
Joint55 ac
State conservation13 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,973 acLocal Recreation Area · 577 acLocal Other or Unknown · 179 acLocal Park · 160 acUnknown · 55 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,973 | Open |
| Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | County | 548 | Open |
| Cove Oasis Trailhead Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Coral Mountain Regional Park Local Park | Regional agency | 103 | Open |
| Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Unnamed site - Coachella Valley Conservation Commission Unknown | Joint | 55 | Open |
| Fred Wolff Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| La Quinta Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| La Quinta Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Unnamed site - Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy State Other or Unknown | State conservation | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in La Quinta
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in La Quinta
Hot tub
DirectionsPlaygrounds in La Quinta
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in La Quinta
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Peaks in La Quinta
Point Happy
DirectionsCampgrounds in La Quinta
Equestrian CampgroundIn Lake Cahuilla Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.4 miUnpaved · 10.8 mi
Boo Hoff Trail2.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
64 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
55 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.8 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
105Tennis
58Pickleball
14Basketball
10Golf
7Baseball
3Skate park
1Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in La Quinta
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) | 71 | 74 | 80 | 87 | 94 | 102 | 107 | 106 | 101 | 91 | 78 | 69 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
June is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 107 °F). 0.7 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 107 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in La Quinta →
Next door
La Quinta and its neighbors
La Quinta has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta | 18% | 3.4 | 50 | 71% | A |
| Indio | 3% | 0.7 | 1 | 72% | B− |
| Indian Wells | 44% | 4.0 | 67 | 18% | A |
| Vista Santa Rosa | 2% | 0.4 | 23 | 8% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in La Quinta
Where can I hike in La Quinta?
The longest trail networks: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, 5.6 miles; Cove Oasis, 2.1 miles; Santa Rosa Wilderness, 1.4 miles; Lake Cahuilla Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of La Quinta is conserved land?
18% 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 La Quinta’s trails?
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and Cove Oasis don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in La Quinta?
64 miles of bike routes are on the map: 55 of painted or protected lanes, 7.8 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near La Quinta?
41,141 acres of parks and open public land lie inside La Quinta or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,185 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does La Quinta have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #139 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 La Quinta 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 →