Hiking in Indian Canyon

Andreas Canyon, CA

Today I joined friends David and Kathleen and their kids, Alex, Pauline, Nick and Peter hiking in Indian Canyon, just south of downtown Palm Springs. (Nick and Peter are twins and I hope they will forgive me if I got them mixed up). To get there, I took Highway 111 almost to downtown but turned south on South Palm Canyon Drive and drove just a few minutes to the toll gate entering the area. The cost was $9 for adults, and $7 for seniors and students.

The Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the canyons around Palm Springs area centuries ago. They thrived in this area because of an abundant water supply provided by springs throughout the area and were able to grow crops of melons, squash, beans and corn.
Today the canyons in their reservation lands have been developed into hiking and equestrian trails which range from short walks along the canyon floor to more ambitious, longer hikes up the sides of the canyons to what must be spectacular views. The three canyons in this area and the nearby Tahquitz Canyon have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The website for the attraction is:

http://www.theindiancanyons.com/

I met up with David, Kathleen and the kids at the Andreas Canyon Trail parking lot where we had planned to take a guided hike in the canyon. Turns out they cancelled the guided tour today but we struck out on our own, which worked out just fine since it allowed us to go at our own pace. After getting set up with water bottles, and toilet stops, we headed out for a great afternoon.

The first part of the hike was above Andreas creek looking down on the various palms which follow the creek. They were primarily the skirted palms, but close to the creek were also quite a few California Fan Palms, my favourite. The juxtaposition of the desert mesa and the green palms was gorgeous and the rock formations of the canyon walls were ever changing. Top it off with a bright blue sky and it just doesn’t get a lot better.

At the turn around point of the loop path we spent some time taking pics, floating leaf boats in the clear water of the creek, drawing, using palm fronds as fans and climbing rocks. On the return trip we followed the creek bed in the shade of the palms. All in all, it was a beautiful hike.

Next we drove to the trading post at the beginning of Palm Canyon which is up high on a hill looking down into Palm Canyon and has a spectacular view. We couldn’t resist going down into the canyon to check out some dome structures made from palm fronds. There were some odd Palm trees along the canyon, one that grew quite curvy and another that had fallen yet continued to grow, with the fronds growing out of the side reaching towards the sun.

Having worked up an appetite we headed to Olive Garden for dinner, and after a short wait for a table, we enjoyed a pasta loading. I know, I know, you’re supposed to do it before the exercise, but this suited us just fine.

Then the crew came back to visit my little “house” so they could imagine me in it as I continue my North American No Fixed Address Tour. It was great that our time in Palm Desert intersected and we were able to share some time together.