Hike the South Lykken Trail to Picnic Area

The South Lykken Trail is the south half of the 9.5-mile Carl Lykken Trail, which weaves along a series of mountain ridges above downtown Palm Springs.

This section of the trail runs 4.4 miles one-way. You will gain just over 1000ft of elevation at the highest point and descend down. It’s a moderate point-to-point hill of a hike - enough to get the blood flowing, but not enough to be huffing it up, missing out on soaking in the many scenic views. Very well maintained trail, very easy to follow, with no offshoots.The north end of the trail starts at the west end of Mesquite Road, just south of downtown Palm Springs off South Palm Canyon Drive. There is no parking available at this location, but there is on-street parking near the turnoff from South Palm Canyon Drive. Park and walk along the road to the trailhead.

On the top sits 2 sets of picnic tables, which set the scene for a perfect picnic getaway. There is no shade, so bring plenty of water, and rock a hat!

Starting this hike just before sunset will expose you to the growing shadows along the valley floor and changing colors of the sky - bring a headlamp if heading out this time of day (it’s worth it).The trail is flat and smooth with an easy enough incline grade to make this a trail run for anybody looking for that abuse.

If you wanted to complete the Carl Lykken in it’s entirety, you will need to shuttle to the North Lykken Trail because it is separated by Taqhuitz Canyon.