Palm Springs hikes - Brief Article

Sunset, Oct, 2001 by Ann Marie Brown

The glamorous desert retreat offers lovely autumn hiking on three great trails

Given its reputation for turquoise swimming pools and emerald fairways, Palm Springs may seem an unlikely hiker's paradise. But within a few miles of the posh resorts are some of the most wonderful hiking opportunities in California--scenic canyons lush with palms and mountaintops where the views seem to extend into the next time zone.

Autumn is an especially good time to try out these trails. Cooler but typically pleasant weather means that anyone can have a splendid time making these hikes.

TAHQUITZ CANYON

Named for a Cahuilla shaman who, as legend has it, abused his powers and was banished from his tribe Tahquitz Canyon is a spectacular outdoor museum of desert flora and fauna. Yet it is said that the legend of

Tahquitz (pronounced tah-quish) remains so powerful that some local tribe members still refuse to venture into the shaman's rock-studded canyon.

Not so the thousands of Palm Springs visitors who have come here since it reopened to the public 10 months ago. It's a great first-time hike in the area, too, because it's a guided experience: Rangers for the preserve lead groups on a moderate 2-mile walk through the canyon to the base of its 60-foot waterfall--which movie buffs will recognize from Frank Capra's 1937 film Lost Horizon.

WHERE: Drive south on Palm Canyon Drive through the downtown area and turn right on Mesquite Avenue. Drive 1/2 mile to the Tahquitz Canyon Visitor Center. WHEN: Guided hikes leave on the hour from 8 to 2 daily Reservations required. DISTANCE: 2 miles round trip. DIFFICULTY: Moderate. COST: $12.50, $6 ages 12 and under. CONTACT: (760) 416-7044 or www.tahquitzcanyon.com.

MURRAY CANYON

If a walk in Tahquitz Canyon has whetted your appetite for a longer, more solitary desert adventure, head over to nearby Murray Canyon--a colorful landscape filled with rotund barrel cactus and nearly a thousand leafy California fan palms. After an initial sandy open stretch, the trail enters the canyon proper, twisting and turning to parallel the course of a palm-lined stream. The path ascends to the Seven Sisters, a series of small stone pools connected by spillways.

Adjacent Palm and Andreas Canyons are also worth exploring. Palm is the most developed (with a trading post selling refreshments and Native American art) but is very pretty. Andreas holds lovely fan palms and picnic tables alongside Andreas Creek.

WHERE: Drive south on Palm Canyon Drive and take the right fork for South Palm Canyon Drive. Go 2.8 miles on South Palm Canyon Drive, then bear right at the sign for the Indian Canyons. The Murray Canyon trailhead is located in Andreas Canyon, 1 mile beyond the entrance kiosk. DISTANCE: 4 miles round trip. DIFFICULTY: Moderate. COST: $6, $1 ages 6-12. CONTACT: (760) 325-3400, ext. 114.

ROUND VALLEY

No trip to Palm Springs is complete without a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, and no tram ride is complete without a hike at its high terminus. In 10 minutes, you are whooshed from the desert floor at 2,643 feet in elevation to Mt. San Jacinto State Park at 8,516 feet. Palm trees give way to conifers, and the temperature drops 30[degrees]. Once up top, you hike the Round Valley Trail: Gently switchbacked and mostly shaded, it roughly follows the flow of Long Valley Creek, meandering past huge granite boulders, old-growth white firs, and Jeffrey pines. In 2 miles, the trail reaches Round Valley, a tree-lined alpine meadow. Here you can breathe the sweet mountain air, scan the treetops for yellow-rumped warblers and a variety of woodpeckers, and then return the way you came.

WHERE: From 1-10, take the State 111/Palm Springs exit. Drive 9 miles south on State 111 to Tramway Road, then turn right and drive 3.8 miles to the tramway parking area. At the top of the tram, take the walkway downhill, then continue straight to the Long Valley Ranger Station, 1/4 mile away. Sign up for your free day-use wilderness permit, then proceed on the Round Valley Trail. DISTANCE: 4.2 miles round trip. DIFFICULTY: Moderate. COST: Tramway ticket $20.80, $13.80 ages 3-12. CONTACT: Mt. San Jacinto State Park: (909) 659-2607. Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: (760) 325-1391.