Off-road or Mountain Bike Covington Flats Road, Joshua Tree National Park, California

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The dirt roads in the Upper Covington Flats has some of the park's largest Joshua Trees, junipers, and pinyon pines. The landscape is stark along most of Lower Covington Flat Road; the result of several lightning-strike wildfires during the the late 1990s. From Covington Flat picnic area to Eureka Peak is 3.8 miles (6.2 km) one way. The dirt road is steep near the end, but the top offers views of Palm Springs, the surrounding mountains, and the Morongo Basin. Your trip will be 6.5 miles (10.5 km) longer if you ride or drive over to the backcountry board, a starting point for excellent hiking. There are a number of trails in the area and the Covington backcountry registration board is available for those wishing to backcountry camp. Covington is located in the north-western section of the park, between Black Rock Canyon and Joshua Tree. Take La Contenta south off of Highway 62. The area is named after Will Covington, a pioneer Morongo Valley rancher and entrepreneur. He ran cattle in the Morongo area, and also sold supplies to travelers who were starting to drive gasoline-powered vehicles into the desert. Backcountry camping is permitted in areas that are: 1 mile (1.6 km) from roads, 500 feet from trails and water sources, not day-use only areas. Before setting out into the backcountry, you must first register at one of the backcountry boards.

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