I have been going to La Quinta for almost 20 years and never taken time to explore the cove trails. There are a bunch of trails that criss-cross the cove area and then one that heads to Lake Cahuilla along with Boo Hoff. At the high point there was a great view that stretched from the Little San Bernardino mountains to Salton Sea. Most of the trail is in the shadow of Toro Peak.
Was not sure which was the best way to go so I decided to head up from the LQ cove. The immediate sand wash climb was a wake up call to my legs as the day before I had ridden Dunn/Art Smith/Hopalong Cassidy.
As the trail climbs, there are nice views of the starting point and downtown La Quinta. Starting at the cove is a much quicker ascent distance wise, but more hike-a-bike for mortals like me.
It is hard to believe it was raining less than 20 miles away at this time. I was trying to drag out the time in the sun as long as I could.
Once reaching the high point of Boo Hoff, the trail descends and then goes in and out of several washes.
Eventually the singletrack portion of the trail ends at a wash that goes back toward Jefferson St. A few weeks later I came back and rode it from that direction. I cannot say that I recommend it as there is a few miles of just mindless trudging through sand. Out-and-back from the cove is preferred route.
It was about 16 miles and 4.5k of climbing including some exploration around the cove.
