Reviewed by: Jay Dubb , from Costa Mesa

Summary:
Leave one car at home and only take 1 car to the trailhead!! This is a large loop (35-40), however it is a classic long fire road climb and a long trail back. Dunn Road is a great climb, nice & smooth with great views of the desert below. Leave early in the morning in the winter or fall. Once at the top of Dunn road turn right on Hwy 74 for short distance. (Please note: be careful on Hwy 74-the road is narrow at times and I have noticed that the drivers are very aggressive along this stretch- don't get run down!!)
Once you find the palm canyon trail, it is lot's of fun with a backcountry feel to it. Be careful of the cactus & thorns and if it has rained a lot recently, there can be a lot of water in the bottom of the canyon (I recall several years back riding through the "creek" with the water almost over the top of our wheels. That was way back when we didn't think twice about re-packing our hubs & BB's after the ride!).
The trail is a nice long run, however, it goes by quick compared to the LONG climb you had up to the highway, so stop a few times & look around. If there is snow on the peaks & it is not too hot, palm canyon can be a very enchanting desert scene! The climb from palm canyon back up to Dunn road is relatively easy, can be a bit sandy, but not very long, just spin it. (I have seen a couple of my bros who were forced to walk that little climb,...completely spent!!) Once back to Dunn road, a few very short rollers & then some wide open fast downhill. If you are running behind the sun, the city lights look great from up above-trust me, I have come down Dunn Road in the dark more times than not.

Recommended Route:
Up Dunn Road, down palm canyon.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Check the map,..there is a lot of adventure available in this area.

Reviewed by: Hans Littooy , from San Diego

Summary:
I found this to be an epic downhill ride - much like Noble Canyon in San Diego County. Its over 28 miles long and has about a 4000 foot elevation drop. Most of the trail is single track. There are many ridge rides and rides along step embankments with off-camber turns - quite thrilling at speed! At times, you have to travel through sandy washes, but I did not find these too bothersome in light of the overall ride. I did the ride on Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend, in 2003 and did not see a single person on the trail, though there were plenty of bike tracks, indicating a fair amount of use. Scenery is spectacular starting in high desert with small pines, descending into the drier and hotter desert along the way down. Mountain views are abundant. To complete the entire ride, you pretty much have to shuttle it drop a car off in Palm Springs and shuttle back to the top on the Palms to Pines highway (74) start at the Pine View Drive. Be sure to take plenty of water and extra tubes and patch kit I had 4 flats going down (ran into a cactus on one turn). For a detailed trail route and description, see the Southern California A Guide to the Classic Trails, 3rd Edition.

Recommended Route:
I started the ride at Pine View Drive, off highway 74, very near Santa Rosa Mtn. The first 1/4 mile or so is pavement. The trail appears on the right, and is marked with two signs - a triangle and square - be sure to look for these. Follow this trial. There is a fork in the trail at about 2 miles. Take the Ridge Top ride. For the next 10+ miles, the trail is fairly well defined, though it does go through numerous sandy washes. The trail is marked with brown 2' tall 4X4 poles. At around 14 miles, Dry Wash Road appears - take a left and climb the hill. From there, take the Hahn Buena Bista trail to Cathedral Canyon trail to the Clara Burges Trail. You'll end-up in Palm Springs, 28+ miles and over 4000 feet of elevation drop. Take plenty of water and extra tubes. The ride pretty much requires a shuttle. Figure at least 3 hrs for the ride.