Hike Distance: 6.1 miles
The trail head for the Eisenhower Mountain Loop is located inside the Living Desert Zoo, which means you will need to pay admission in order to access the trail. After winding our way through the zoo, we reached the start of the official trail in a small wash adjacent to the zoo. Eisenhower Mountain is located in the far left of the picture below.
Since it was early fall, the brush in the wash was extremely dry and burnt from the summer heat.
After navigating through the wash, we began a steady climb to the base of the mountain.
As we gained in altitude, the view of Palm Desert behind us was impressive.
Although you can't tell by this picture, we were climbing at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
At 1,952 ft, Eisenhower Mountain loomed in front of us as we climbed higher.
Unfortunately, we discovered the trail does not go to the summit and the afternoon heat prevented us from trying to scramble to the top. We were however treated to some nice views of Indian Wells.
It wasn't the most interesting or challenging hikes in the Valley, but it wasn't bad for a last minute decision to complete a Sunday afternoon hike.