A day trip to Indian Canyon, owned by the Agua Caliente, a band of the Cahuilla Indians, just on the outskirts of Palm Springs. They own over 6700 acres within the Palm Springs area and thousands of acres in surrounding areas. The Canyons have always been a good source of water in the desert and are considered sacred to the Agua Caliente people. Entry to the acres of desert land, canyons, and Oasis’ is $9 per person. A very popular destination – there was a line up of cars to get in and the parking almost full.
We first walked the Andreas Canyon loop, a short easy trail into a canyon Oasis and a great picnic spot, especially on a hot summer day as it winds along a creek and is shaded by the canyon walls. Next, a longer and moderate hike – Murray Canyon trail through the desert and into a canyon which ended at the Seven Sisters waterfall.
We then drove to another area in the preserve called Palm Canyon where there is a visitor center. We walked down a steep incline to a large Oasis. Here the fan palms were very large and happy, and the band had erected some straw huts for kids to play in. The trail continues on for 15 milez or so, but having already done 2 hikes we called it a day.
