Hike Coyote Benchmark and Indio Mountain Santa Rosa Wildlife Area, CA

Jan 05, 2023 — More rain changed our plans for the hundredth time, but sometimes being flexible makes a trip more engaging, plus we probably wouldn't have checked out these lovely peaks. Located just outside of the suburban sprawl of the greater Palm Springs area, Coyote Benchmark and Indio Mountain weren't necessarily high on our to-do list. Clouds really added some wonderful vibes to the day. It also helped to do a lighter day since I was feeling particularly ill and was unwilling to skip hiking. Whiley kept telling me to stop complaining, that I'm weak, and it hurt my feelings.

We started out from the Cove Oasis Trailhead, a popular destination for locals walking their dogs. We followed the paved Bear Creek Trail, leaving it a short time after to drop in and out of a storm drain using some stairs. We picked up an unmarked trail that brought us up the drainage's slope and onto flatter desert terrain above. The trail surprisingly continued northwest all the way to the saddle separating Coyote Benchmark and Indio Mountain. I think Whiley and I were both expecting a bunch of desert boulder-hopping, but neither of us will complain about a trail. There were spots where we needed to refer to cairns to stay on course, but we were able to make quick work up to the saddle with only some minor Class 2 along the way.

Once at the saddle there was no longer a trail to follow, so both peaks would require navigating the granitic clusters. Can't get too lazy, right? First we headed south toward Coyote Benchmark. This peak is characterized by a stubborn, rocky northern ridge that we avoided for the most part by keeping just to its right. The side-hilling was minimal, but we did find it was easier to keep pretty low to avoid excessive Class 2/3 obstacles and keep to flatter ground. Regardless, it's a slow-moving endeavor and after acknowledging how much unexpected time had passed we joking blamed each other for slowing us down. I'm pretty sure Whiley wasn't joking, though. The final slope leading to the summit was steeper than the rest of the hike so far, but it can be kept Class 2 until reaching the peak's east ridge. Just be careful of loose boulders. The views almost immediately became expansive and the bright sun shining through the clouds made the lighting surreal. Class 2 continued more-or-less along the ridge, with a Class 2+ section on solid, fun boulders shortly before the summit.

We backtracked to the saddle and decided we were more interested in ascending to Indio Mountain via its southern ridge. The initial slope leading up to the ridge was steep, possibly dangerously so. Other parties seem to have preferred side-hilling on the west slopes of the peak to avoid this ascent, but after doing the full ridge traverse out-and-back Whiley and I agreed it was worth it. We started up the slope, Class 2 the whole way. At around 2000' the terrain became slightly more steep and loose, so just be careful if you've got someone below you. Once on the ridge proper, we happily took in the views and scrambled the Class 2/2+ boulders interspersed with flat, sandy sections. Whiley got a massive cactus barb in her shoe that lodged itself so deep we had to take turns trying to remove it. Pshh, non-desert people.

Though there were some small ups and downs along the ridgeline to Indio Mountain, I always prefer a little extra vertical gain compared to side-hilling on weird terrain, as I believe the alternative approach would have been. Plus, views are always a good enough reason to put in a tiny bit more work. Now at the southern base of Indio Mountain, we noted the peak was pretty fortified by massive granitic features. We decided to wrap around its left (western) side and follow a boulder-strewn slope to gain the north side of the summit block, Class 2. We backtracked to the saddle and took the trail back, reaching our cars just after serious rain rolled in.