DS Desert Hills

Desert Hills is the first race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. Elements of the track are based on Desert Land from Super Mario Bros. 3. Pokeys roam around the desert and the Angry Sun will drop Fire Snakes on the track. Both of these elements act as obstacles on the course. The course also has sharper turns and more intense slopes than previous tracks in the game, bringing up the difficulty for the Flower Cup.

The course reappears as a retro course in Mario Kart Wii as the first race track of the Leaf Cup.

Course layout
The track starts near an oasis with a small lake where one can sink in the water. The first Pokey can be seen in front of the starting line here as well. To the right of the first turn, the track partially surrounds a pyramid made out of Brick Blocks. One of the other Pokeys is on this turn. There is then a field of dunes, with many more Pokeys roaming within it. The course has a few sharp turns at the end of each lap before approaching the finish line. The dark sand portion of the track is an out-of-bounds area, so if the player touches it, Lakitu will bring them back to the track.

The Pipes, Angry Sun, and block designs are taken from aspects of Desert Land in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Shortcuts
There are two shortcuts in this course. The first shortcut is taken by going straight across the hairpin turn, instead of going around. In 150cc, this shortcut requires only one mushroom, if the player jumps at the right time. The second is a dash-through behind the pyramid, right before the Pokeys start appearing. Two mushrooms will be required for this.

Glitches
If the player hits the left dark terrain before they touch the water, they will fall through it with no splash animation.

Missions
There are two missions that take place here: 2-6 and 4-4. In mission 2-6, the player must use the Bob-ombs to destroy 5 Pokeys, and in mission 4-4, the player must pass the 7 numbered gates in order. The player uses Wario in both missions.

Mario Kart Wii
Desert Hills returns in Mario Kart Wii as the first course of the Leaf Cup. The course received improved graphics, like most other retro courses in Mario Kart Wii. The starting banner was recolored to blue and now displays the classic Mario Kart logo. Few other changes have been made in the this version of this track aside from the visual improvements; Karts now spin out instead of flipping when making contact with Pokeys and the course map has been rotated 180 degrees in contrast to its predecessor.

If players use mushrooms, they can go over many of this course's walls, skipping sections entirely.

Tournament
A single tournament took place on this track. Players had to defeat 10 Pokeys with Stars and Triple Green Shells as quickly as possible. It was the first tournament of December 2009.

Mario Kart DS

 * Instruction booklet bio: "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy."
 * Website bios:
 * Flag of USA.png "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy. Watch out for fireballs and stray Pokeys!"
 * Flag of Europe.png "Bring plenty of sunscreen and seat cushions for this race because the baking desert heat and bumpy terrain can give unprepared drivers serious sunburn and saddle sores. Watch out for the Pokeys too - walking cacti that can stop a speeding kart in its tracks and cost you precious seconds."

Mario Kart Wii

 * European website bio: "If you can't stand the heat, then stay away from the desert hills! Fireballs falling from the sun make it even tougher to negotiate the high turns snaking through the dunes."
 * Trading Card bio: "Desert Hills is not a very difficult course to get around, but it provides a perfect canvas for you to paint a racing masterpiece upon. Spend time on this track dialing your cornering techniques. Be sure to use Mushrooms (if you've got them) to blast over the tall dunes before the start/finish line."

Sponsors

 * Luigi Grand Prix (Trackside banners)
 * Luigi Tires (Trackside banners)
 * Mario Kart (Trackside banners) (Mario Kart DS only)
 * Super Mario (Trackside banners)
 * Super Mushroom (Trackside banners)
 * Waluigi Grand Prix (Trackside banners)

Names in other languages
Glühheisse Wüste Deserto Picchiasol