Joshua Tree & Anza Borrego Bike Tour
First tour with BA and I really enjoyed the tour. Spencer and Kempton were great guides - knowledgeable, responsive, and fun. The rides and events were well planned and organized. Definitely will do again.
Top notch. Well organized. Very good attention to detail. Fantastic service from the guides.
Grab your sunglasses (if you can find them?!) and pack some sunscreen. Come with us to escape the early-spring and winter weather blahs – the sun shines 354 days a year here! Soak up some vitamin D where the Mojave meets the Colorado Desert as you keep your cycling legs warm for summer. Even better, there’s a lot of diversity and beauty to explore in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs region. Marvel at desert sculptures, spring wildflowers, and “forests” of creosote bush and ocotillo near Borrego Springs. Sample delicious local dates as you spin alongside the Salton Sea and visit “the last free place in America” – Slab City. Pedal through historic and trendy Palm Springs and hike to a palm oasis held sacred by native residents for centuries. Ultimately, explore Joshua Tree National Park. This kingdom of golden rock outcroppings and eponymous tree-like succulents combine to form a backdrop unlike anywhere else on our planet. Last, but not least… don’t forget to take a refreshing dip in the resort pool or relax under a palm with a good book!
National Parks on This Tour: Joshua Tree National Park
This tour is operated under special use permit/s with Joshua Tree National Park. Bicycle Adventures is an equal opportunity provider.
Itinerary
Day 01
Borrego Springs: Cycle through badlands to viewpoints in the surrounding hills and wend your way through an open air art gallery in the desert.
Meals
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Borrego Springs Resort and Spa, or Borrego Valley Inn
Distance
Flat ride: 38 miles
Hilly ride: 43 miles
Elevation
Flat ride: +868 ft / -1,204 ft
Hilly ride: +2,708 ft / -2,620 ft
Borrego Springs is the only town in California that is surrounded by a State Park. Artsy, unpretentious, historic, charming, and tiny (pop. 3500), it is nestled within Anza Borrego State Park. To the west, steep desert mountains rise against a foreground of fiery ocotillo blossoms. Colorful but formidable badlands guard the way to the Salton Sea to the east. In between, the desert is dotted with the fascinating sculptures of Ricardo Breceda. In 1776 the park’s namesake, Juan Bautista de Anza, led 240 soldiers and colonists (over half were children) along with some 1,000 livestock through the valley on an epic journey northward from Mexico, eventually establishing present-day San Francisco. Savor gorgeous views as you cruise up into the hills on a more difficult route or tour the valley and more of the sculptures on a flatter ride. Study the starlit skies from Borrego Springs Resort and Spa or the Borrego Valley Inn tonight.
Day 02
Pedal along the Salton Sea, an "accidental" lake with depths rivaling Death Valley's lowest point. Visit Slab City, Salvation Mountain and Bombay Beach.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort
Distance
35 miles
Elevation
+227 ft / -291 ft
Shuttle to Niland, CA after breakfast. Take a short drive – trust us, you don’t want to ride on this road! – to Slab City, a bizarre off-the-grid encampment that has been dubbed “the last free place on earth.” Folks here live alternative lifestyles in the desert on “slabs” (concrete platforms) left over from an abandoned WWII military base. While we are out there, we will make a quick pilgrimage to Salvation Mountain as well – a modern masterpiece of desert folk art made of concrete and adobe adorned with colorful paint and religious messages – recognized by the US Senate as a national treasure. Pedal through open desert along the Salton Sea – a lake with depths rivaling Death Valley’s lowest point and a salinity greater than the Pacific Ocean. Bordered by quirky boom/bust towns, like Bombay Beach, and once part of a vast inland sea, it is now the largest lake in California. After lunch we shuttle to Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort for the next three nights.
Day 03
Joshua Tree National Park: Ride past its namesake trees. Count cactus varieties and maybe spot a jackrabbit or desert bighorn sheep.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Lodging
Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort
Distance
34 miles (up to 45 miles)
Elevation
+2,110 ft / -2,862 ft (or more)
Welcome to “unearthly” Joshua Tree National Park! Ride past its namesake trees, count cactus varieties and maybe spot a jackrabbit or desert bighorn sheep. Marvel at the twisted, spiky trees straight out of a Dr. Seuss illustration at the junction of three of California’s ecosystems: the Colorado Desert, the Mojave Desert, and the Little San Bernardino Mountains. Check out the geologic formations that make this a favored destination for rock-climbers and the hundreds of plant and animal species that make them their home. An optional climb is available for those that want some altitude and a good view of the Salton Sea from above. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 04
Return to Joshua Tree National Park. Keep an eye out for wildflowers, roadrunners and desert tortoises!
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort
Distance
53 miles (or less)
Elevation
+1,928 ft / -5,398 ft (or less)
One day is not enough to see the diversity here, so we return to Joshua Tree to enjoy a ride out through the south end of the park today. Stop for a walk through one of the most prolific cholla (cactus) gardens in the southwest and pay homage to some truly massive palm trees. Keep an eye out for desert tortoises and wildflowers as you descend out of the park through beautiful Box Canyon.
Day 05
Ride through urban Palm Springs and out of town to a palm canyon before we return you to the "real world."
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Distance
27 mile ride (plus 2.8-mile hike)
Elevation
+848 ft / -848 ft
Ride through Palm Springs and take a hike through a palm canyon. Home to the rich and famous of the Rat Pack era, the Palm Springs of today boasts the best urban life has to offer. The Rat Pack may have moved on, but the city’s style hasn’t. Palm Springs is as cool as it gets in the middle of a desert. Check out retro architecture, window shopping, sweet cafés, or maybe race a Ferrari off the line at a stoplight before we return you (albeit reluctantly) back to the “real world”.
*Bicycle Adventures operates under special use permits while on Federal Lands managed by the National Forest Service (USDA), National Parks and Bureau of Land Management. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Intrigued? Request our information packet which includes a more detailed itinerary including daily mileage and elevation gain and loss, tour pick up and drop off times and locations, recommended reading about the area, and more.