Drive to Yucca Valley

Driving distance is 910 miles from my house in Oregon to the start/finish point in Yucca Valley, California. I left home early in the morning on October 29 with the fully assembled bike inside my Toyota Prius.

Going south I took the fastest route, through California's central valley on I-5 and CA 99. The car got only 47 miles per gallon because of strong headwinds.

The weather was cloudy all the time with occasional rain until I crossed the Sierra Nevada into the Mojave desert. No views of Mt. Shasta or the Sierra Nevada.

I made plans to do a hike before the tour assuming I could get there early enough. On October 30 I arrived at the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve trailhead at 2 PM, giving me plenty of daylight for the hike. The preserve is 10 miles southwest of Yucca Valley.

The preserve has 3 major attractions.

First is the very popular Marsh Trail which makes a 0.5 mile loop inside a large spring-fed oasis. Most of the trail is boardwalks under a canopy of trees. Excellent for wildlife-watching.

Second is a group of outer trails that form a 2.4 mile loop in the hills above the oasis. The arid hills are a huge contrast from the green oasis below.

Third is a 4 mile dead-end trail that goes deep into Big Morongo Canyon.

I hiked the inner loop in the oasis, the outer loop in the hills, and 1/3 of the trail into Big Morongo Canyon. 5 miles (8 km) total.

An oasis this size must be fed by large springs, but I never saw water on the surface. The stream bed was dry in the oasis and in the canyon.

The preserve has many trails and excellent signage.

The 0.5 mile Marsh Trail is mostly boardwalks under a tree canopy. A rare treat in the desert.

View from the Desert Willow trail looking down on the oasis.

Looking down on Big Morongo Canyon from the Yucca Ridge trail. The oasis spills downstream into the canyon.

Great momentary sunlight when returning to the oasis on the Mesquite trail.

The hike was a great introduction to the southern California desert. And it felt great to stretch my legs after driving for 2 days.

The weather was kind of unstable. 75F (24C) and mostly cloudy. The first 2 days of the tour will have clouds and below normal temperatures.

Afterwards I went into Yucca Valley to find a motel that would allow me to park my car during the tour. The first place I asked, a chain motel, said no to parking the car. I eventually got a room at Desert Sky motel after the proprietor accepted my offer to pay $45 extra to park my car for 9 more nights.

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