The Indian Canyons in Palm Springs, are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente tribe of Cahuilla Indians. The Canyons are not only sacred to the Cahuilla people but are of great historical importance to researchers and nature lovers. Visitors will find rock art, house pits and foundations, reservoirs, trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, and much more in this nearly pristine desert-scape.
How to get there
Reaching the Indian Canyons in Palm Springs is easy since the entrance is along South Palm Canyon Drive, the main road through the center of Palm Springs.- 38520 S. Palm Canyon Dr. Palm Springs. 9$/person day-use entry. Reserve your ticket online. Bring with you hard copy/print out of your reservation. No overnight camping/use. The gate from when you enter the trails closes at 5 pm.
Be sure to get out before that or you’ll walk out and leave your car inside until the next day. As a bonus, military including retirees are free.
Hours
Sept. 1 – July 4: daily 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
(Last vehicle in at 4 p.m.)
July 5 – Aug. 31: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
(open only Friday, Saturday, Sunday – Last vehicle in at 4 p.m.)
No animals allowed.
Please be mindful when visiting as these place is sacred to the tribe. From the entrance drive another 5 miles to the Palm Canyon trailhead, next to the outpost. You will pass the split rock approximately 4 miles from the entrance.
Palm Canyon Trail
This trail stretches across the north slopes of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The best section is the first mile, full of California fan palms, viewed by an easy trail that follows close beside the creek. We only did the first mile which ends in an intersection to other trails. The first descent from the trailhead next to the outpost, rewards you with fan palm oasis. Very serene and beautiful place. Picnic tables and bathrooms located in the visitor center and down in the picnic areas.
Palm Canyon is quite magnificent. It is cool and mostly shady, filled with fan palms of all sizes next to a stream which still has pools and springs in mid summer though at drier times most water flows below ground. The trees rise up to 60 feet and have trunks 3 feet across, all from the same species . The most evident wildlife are desert spiny lizards, but rattlesnakes are also quite commonly encountered, while fish and frogs live in the reflective pools and streams.
link to my YouTube clip –https://youtu.be/8a09R9KNAAs
The Trees
We marveled upon towering fan palm trees, crossed a stream, go through a granite hill. Share the trail with horseback riders. The canyon climbs gradually with just one steepish place where the path detours around, otherwise the trail follows right beneath the trees, enjoying cool breezes and dark passageways even on the hottest, sunniest day. All around are fallen fronds and the tall trunks of the live trees, some bare, others encased by many years worth of dried leaves. Some palms show signs of fire, a semi-regular occurrence in California.
The Hike
We stayed a bit longer at the end of the 1 mile intersection to linger under the fan palm oasis and take pictures. From here you can either take Victorville trail for a 2.5 mile in total loop back to the trading post. There are several other alternatives to hike back, we opted to take the path as we came. Shaded and straightforward as the other loops will expose you to heat and sun.
Upon reaching the trading post, we had our lunch and bathroom break. Hubby opted to nap a little while I skim through our photos. We plan to continue hiking Andreas Canyon Trail after lunch.
Andreas Canyon Trail – Water in the desert
Another trail of the Indian Canyons , is the Andreas Canyon Trail. A short, beautiful, shaded, next to a stream hike.
From the trading post, drive back for about 3 miles until you reach the rotunda. From here follow the signage to Andreas Canyon/Murray Canyon to your left. It will be another 2-3 miles to reach the trailhead. Similar to Palm Canyon Trail, bathrooms and picnic tables are also available here.
Andreas Creek begins high in the San Jacinto Mountains, joining Palm Canyon just south of the Indian Canyons entrance station. A mile-long loop trail follows either side of the creek, passing many fan palms and other desert plants. Rock mortars once used for food preparation by the native Indians can be seen along the trail.
The Hike to Andreas Canyon
Andreas Canyon Trail has more bustling stream compared to the 1st mile of Palm Canyon Trail. You can either do the trail counter clockwise or in clockwise loop, as what we did. We started off to the right stopping by the rock mortar. This is the same mortar ancient Indians used to pound their food and other things. Don’t forget to appreciate the rock formation that greets you as soon as you enter the trailhead. The trail hugs the bed of the creek as it makes its way through a dense grove of palms, cottonwood trees, and other native plants.
Just a few dozen feet away from the water, it’s all desert — creosote dominates, and up on the rock formations you’ll see cholla reaching toward the sun.
The established trail is well marked (and clear), but you might be tempted to hop off once in awhile to get a closer look at the water or the palms. Otherwise, you’ll reach the back end of the hikeable canyon a bit past the 0.5 mile mark, where you’ll meet a fence and a marker denoting the Andreas Canyon Club — a private inholding of houses that sit on former railroad-owned land.
At the 0.5 mile mark, the trail hops the stream and returns to the trailhead on the southern bank, which keeps you a bit further away from the palms but also provides some truly spectacular views of the valley to the southeast.
From here, you will either go back the way you came for a shaded return or cross this stream and hike up to an expose retreat back. We braved the heat and sun and took this route back. Rewarded with spectacular views view from above.
Link to my youtube clip- https://youtu.be/G02gj_fqHMM
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