Palms to Pines (Highway 74)
Palm Desert to Idyllwild · near Palm Desert / Idyllwild · California Desert
Road Cycling
At a glance
- Distance
- long
- Best season
- Fall–spring at the base; summer only manageable up high; extreme desert heat below
What is here
- Scenery
- desert
- Amenities
- Desert-to-alpine transition climb · Huge Coachella Valley views · Pinyon & pine high country · Scenic byway to Idyllwild
- Best for
- A dramatic desert-to-pines climb
- Features
- Palms-to-Pines transition climb · Desert floor to pine forest · Sweeping Coachella Valley views · Scenic byway to Idyllwild
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- EXTREME desert heat at the base in summer · Highway traffic & motorcyclists · Long exposed climb — carry ample water · Long descent — control your speed
- Beginner friendly
- No
Road Cycling detail
- Ride types
- climb
- Road
- mixed
- Climbing
- 5
- Ride notes
- A spectacular transition climb from desert to alpine — the Palms to Pines Highway (74) ascends dramatically from the Palm Desert floor up into the pinyon and pine country toward Idyllwild, watching the Coachella Valley shrink far below
- Stats note
- Big sustained climb from the desert floor to pinyon-pine high country; huge valley views
- Seasonal
- No
- Intl tip
- One of the most dramatic ecological transitions you can ride in California — State Route 74 (Palms to Pines) climbs from the Palm Desert floor up through desert scrub into pinyon woodland and cool pine forest toward Idyllwild, with the Coachella Valley shrinking far below. A true desert-to-alpine journey. Heat is key: the base is brutally hot much of the year and dangerous in summer — ride the base in cooler seasons or early mornings, carry ample water. A scenic highway with traffic and weekend motorcyclists: ride predictably, control the long descent.
The guide
The Palms to Pines Highway, State Route 74 climbing out of Palm Desert, offers one of the most dramatic ecological transitions …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Palms to Pines (Highway 74) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.7, -116.5