Conquering Haystack Mountain in the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

With more than 280 miles of trails varying from easy walks to demanding hikes, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, also known as the National Monument, offers a wide range of hiking options. Among these is the challenging and lesser-known hike to the summit of Haystack Mountain.

Is Haystack Mountain a Bucket List Hike

A couple of years ago, I compiled a bucket list of Southern California hikes that I wanted to complete. Although Haystack Mountain wasn't originally on that bucket list, in hindsight it should have been because it aligns with the definition of a 'memorable' hike in that it pushed me out of my comfort zone and presented new challenges. Aside from the typical distance and elevation gain considerations, this hike also introduced new element of solo hiking and navigating off-trail. You may have noticed that I used use of the word, 'Conquering' in the blog title - that's deliberate!

Several years ago, I began using the TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator to give me a better sense of the challenge a hike presents. With a hike distance of 9.52 miles and an elevation gain of 2,697 feet, the Haystack Mt summit hike is classified as follows:

With a Difficulty Score of 227, the hike easily falls in the Very Strenuous effort category.

Follow this link to visit the TrailsNH website and read about the hiking difficulty calculator.

Part 1: Art Smith Trail

The hike starts at the Art Smith trailhead located across from the National Monument Visitors Center on Highway 74 in Palm Desert. I've hiked this signature trail innumerable times so it was a comfortable start to the morning.

The trail starts in a wash that channels runoff from the surrounding canyons and …

… climbs through a series of moderately steep switchbacks from the wash to the first ridge of these Santa Rosa Mountain foot hills.

Only 15 minutes into the hike, I got my first glimpse of Haystack Mountain.

From The Art Smith, there are outstanding views of Palm Desert and the Little San Bernardino Mountains across the valley floor.

The trail continues steadily uphill as it snakes through the desert landscape.

There are several palm oases along the trail, each displaying different levels of stress. The first stand of California desert fan palms was struggling to survive possibly as a result of water scarcity, high temperatures, or diseases. Perhaps a shift in the groundwater flow away from the palms occurred due to movements in the underlying bedrock. Unlike most desert plants, palms have not adapted to survive in a hot and arid conditions. Rather than deep roots that search for hidden seams of moisture, their roots are relatively shallow extending only 8-12 feet deep. They exist because they are restricted to locations where earthquake faults bring an uninterrupted supply of groundwater to or near the surface.

This stand was doing well judging by the condition of the palm crowns. The most likely reason for gaps in the palm fronds is the wind storms that frequently occur in this part of the Sonoran Desert.

Despite challenges faced by the palms, the desert scrub plant community was flourishing all along the trail including this blooming beaver tail cactus,

this flowering barrel cactus and

this odd shaped barrel cactus.

While small common side-blotched lizards were busy scurrying along the trail, this well camouflaged chuckwalla was focused on sunning itself.

Even from a distance, the third palm oasis appeared to be in excellent health.

These California fan palms, are the sole palm species native to the western United States. Despite being commonly mistaken for trees, palms are actually classified as 'monocots,' placing them in the grass family. They can grow as tall as 59 feet and span 10-20 feet in width, with a lifespan ranging from 80 to 250 years. What distinguishes these palms from others in California is that their fronds, when they die, remain attached and create a broad skirt around the trunk.

Part 2: Off-Trail Hike Across Open Desert

After hiking for 90 minutes, I reached Mile 3 and departed the Art Smith trail to start an off-trail climb toward the peak. It was time to test my route finding and navigating abilities but first one final look back at the well-maintained Art Smith before forging ahead into the open desert.

I had researched different approaches used by others to climb Haystack, but now looking directly at the mountain's profile I needed to select the most favorable route for me. My plan was stay to the left side of the ravine that separates rib #1 from rib #2, follow as direct a line as possible up rib #1 then head west along the lip of the ravine wall to the summit.

The initial obstacle I faced was navigating over rock piles that blocked access to the foot of Haystack. It was no more than a Class 2 rock scramble but it was more difficult than it appears in this photo.

Getting closer.

After hiking for almost 3 hours and logging over 4 miles, I had gained 1,800+ ft in elevation. Ahead of me was the next obstacle, while behind me was the beautiful Coachella Valley.

It took just 35 minutes to complete the rock scramble and arrive at the foot of Haystack.

Part 3: Off-Trail to the Summit

This is where I made a mistake. I overshot the ridge that I had planned to climb and found myself on the opposite side of the ridge. I probably should have backtracked but instead I chose to push on following a new route to the central ridge that leads to the peak. In doing so, I added unnecessary mileage and the new path to the ridge was steep and covered in loose gravel which significantly slowed my progress. This is typical of the conditions I faced at this juncture.

Perhaps my lack of experience in route finding was evident. This cropped image from my hiking app highlights, within the blue circle, the mistake I made and the effort to get back on track. The red line on the left indicates the mistake I made by overshooting the ridge and trekking along a neighboring one. While the red line on the right represents my descent from the peak. FYI, the red line terminates top left of center at the summit.

Once I gained the ridge I could peer into the ravine that runs parallel to the ridge trail leading to the summit.

On the ridge trail, the rugged terrain of Haystack Mountain came into full view. The trail features 4 peaklets enroute to the summit. A peaklet is defined by the US National Park Service as small elevations branching off from the main ridge or peak. Here is a close up photo of peaklet #1

After pushing myself higher up the ridge, I took this photo that captures three of the ‘peaklets’ on this section of the trail.

From this vantage point on peaklet #3, I thought I could see Haystack summit. After trekking for nearly 3.5 hours and gaining over 2,280 ft in elevation, it seemed like a logical conclusion.

Although it was mostly a Class 2 scramble, there were a few spots bordering on Class 3.

And just like that the wind was taken out of my sails—a false summit. The true peak lay just beyond the next rise.

A female collared lizard joined me for this last section of trail. These reptiles, which are distinguished by two black rings around the neck, can reach up to 10 inches in length. Fun fact - collared lizards are one of only a few lizards that are able to run using only their hind legs.

What a sight for sore eyes, the summit cairn. At an elevation of only 3,808 ft above sea level Haystack is dwarfed by the massive peaks within the National Monument but that doesn't detract from the joy of completing this hike.

I spent about 40 minutes at the summit, surrounded in every direction by the vast expanse of desert and mountains. It’s not often you the chance to experience solitude on a summit so that made the time all that more special.

These gloves proved to be very useful so I gave them a prominent role in this photo of the US Army Corps of Engineering reference mark.

Here is the view looking south from the peak.

The central Santa Rosa Mountains to the south with Mount Martinez (left of center) at 6,562 ft, rising above the lesser peaks.

Part 4: The Slow Descent

It was after 1:30pm as I began the return journey. I was not looking forward to the descent down the cactus covered and ...

… rocky, loose gravel ridge trail.

Because of the difficult terrain, I was constantly scanning the area in front of me. Perhaps that’s why I spotted so many lizards during this hike. It's not uncommon to see a chuckwalla or collared lizard, but coming across a rosy boa snake, that's a different story.

As I put my hand on a rock to catch my balance, I saw somethings slither away. I edited this photo to highlight this desert rosy boa between the granite boulders. Although these snakes are not currently considered endangered, the sighting is unusual because they are nocturnal hunters and spends most of their life concealed beneath rocks and in crevices to escape both extreme heat and predators. One explanation for this sighting might be that spring is breeding season, a time when they leave the security of their rock piles to seek mates.

Everything about these snakes is small and slow. Desert rosy boas typically only grow to lengths of 17-44 inches and have a body diameter about the size of golf ball. They’re among the slowest-moving snakes in the world. Desert rosy boas are unable to pursue prey and must either wait in ambush or stalk their meals. When a meal is within reach, usually a few inches, a desert rosy boa strikes with surprising speed and accuracy. Prey is secured with tiny rows of needle-sharp teeth, then suffocated through constriction. With a slow metabolism they can go extended periods of time (1-2 weeks) without eating so they can wait until just the right moment to strike prey such as small mammals, birds, and occasionally lizards.

The excitement of sighting the desert rosy boa was quickly replaced with a ‘how the hell did this happen’ moment. Despite being extremely careful in my foot placement, I inadvertently stepped on what I believed to be stable ground, only to end up flat on my back, sliding down the hilly terrain. I slid for about 6-8 feet and luckily avoided a direct cactus strike but my arm did scrape against a desert agave. Desert agave have gray-green leaves with sharp spines along the edges and at the tips.

Fortunately, they were not deep cuts and after a few minutes of first aid, I was back on the trail. The photo on the right was taken after I got home and did a better job cleaning the cuts.

About 80 minutes after leaving the summit I returned to the flat desert floor at the foot of the mountain.

Now that I was back on the open desert floor, I was able to see my ‘planned’ versus ‘actual path’ up and down Haystack Mountain. The planned route was marked by the red line. I overshot the 'red' starting point and didn't want to back track so I opted for the green path for my ascent. While descending, I initially followed the red planned route but later deviated to the yellow route further south (right) due to concerns about the steep grade. Overall, I am happy with my first route finding and navigation experience. I'll definitely try to improve, but it was a good start.

The path leading back to the Art Smith Trail was dotted with unusual rock formations. With the setting sun, the harsh afternoon shadows weren't a problem taking photos.

After hiking 6.6 miles in about 6.5 hours, I was back on the Art Smith trail. It was time for my mind to slow down and return to a comfortable and easy pace on this trail I've hikes so many times over the years.

This 'dinosaur' rock formation is always a favorite sight on the Art Smith trail.

Toward the end of the hike, I was finally able to capture a common side-blotched lizard sunning itself on a rock. The species is native to dry regions of the western United States and northern Mexico. This lizard is most likely a male due to the blue flecks along its spine. One interesting fact about common side-blotched lizards, their tail serve as an anti-predatory defense – they can to survive without a tail allowing them to escape predators after being caught. This guy has managed to keep his tail intact.

Before I knew it the trailhead was in sight and the end to a long day.

Conclusion: Was it Worth the Effort

Hiking and conquering Haystack Mountain in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument was a fantastic adventure. While this mountain wasn't initially on my 'bucket list', it's a welcome addition.

Many individuals often refer to a place or activity as an 'off-the-beaten path' or a 'hidden gem' but these terms truly encompass this hiking experience. This hike offers challenging terrain, off-trail hiking, breath taking vistas, and the peace and solitude of having a mountain all to yourself. It's an amazing adventure that's well worth the effort. Tell everyone about it

A few final statistics for this hike:

Hike duration: 8 hours 2 minutes - but I take things slow and enjoy the adventure

Hike length: 9.52 miles

Elevation gain: 2,697 feet

It's time to start looking for another amazing hike for next year's major adventure and personal challenge.