Lizards, birds abound in Mecca Hills canyon

The colorful Great Basin collared lizard resides in
the Mecca Hills' many washes.

The following article originally was written for and appeared at Uken Report.

Day hikers can see dinosaur-like creatures in a remote canyon of California's Mecca Hills.

Well, that’s dinosaurs with an asterisk. But the forerunners of dinos – reptiles – as well their descendants – birds – are plentiful in Never-Ending Canyon. A 3.72-miles lollipop trail runs the length of the Mecca Hills Wilderness box canyon as well as a connecting wash.

To reach the trailhead, take Calif. Hwy. 111 to Mecca. Turn northeast onto Fourth Street then at the roundabout veer right/southeast onto Hammond Avenue. Next, go left/east onto 66th Avenue. As the street curves northeast toward the Mecca Hills, it becomes Box Canyon Road. After crossing the Coachella Canal, drive about 3.4 miles into Box Canyon with the Mecca Hills badlands formations rising on both sides of you. Park off the side of the road. The trail is on the road's north side.

Take one of the feint dirt paths to a wash that heads east on a roadside ridge’s north side. The canyon is the first and westernmost wash coming from the northeast.

Collared lizard
Walking into it, you’ll immediately feel like you’ve left the civilized world for the Land of the Lost, as the trail serpentines between gradually narrowing canyon walls.

You’d half expect to see a small dino lurking around the bend. While dinos went extinct about 66 million years ago, the descendants of reptiles that gave rise to them are still around. Because of their similarities, dinosaurs have long been thought to be reptiles, but there are significant differences. Among them is reptiles’ thigh bones are parallel to the ground while dinos, like mammals, have thigh bones that are roughly perpendicular. Dinos split from reptiles on the family tree of life about 260 million years ago.

Among the common reptiles in the canyon today is the Great Basin collared lizard. Running between 2.5 to 4.5 inches in length, it’s easily spotted by a pair of black bands on its neck. Common across the Southwest, the collared lizard mainly eats insects and spiders, but its strong jaws allow it to much on other lizards, snakes and even rodents.

At 0.52 miles, the canyon splits. Go left/northwest. Shortly after, at 0.65 miles, you’ll reach the first of two washes coming in from the right. Take the second of them north.

Another reptile in the canyon is the western long-tailed brush lizard. Its gray or tan color makes them difficult to spot, but they’re usually spotted near the canyon’s few shrubs. They often cling to branches where they wait to snack on insects flitting by. One way to know that you’re looking at a brush lizard rather than another species is that its tail is more than twice the body length.

Salton Sea vista
Along this stretch of the hike, the trail heads around a small hill. About 0.88 miles in, the trail splits again. Go left/north.

Should you scare up a lizard during the hike, you may be lucky enough to see it flash a black and white banded tail as running away. This is the zebra-tailed lizard, which ranges from 2.5 to 4 inches. Colored gray to sandy brown, a pair of dark gray spots run down the back, gradually merging to form black crossbands along the tail. They dine on ants, bees, moths and spiders and smaller lizards. During spring, you might catch them dining on leaf buds and flowers.

At 1.75 miles, the canyon climbs to the ridge. Awesome views await. The blue Salton Sea spreads southward beyond the hills while the Santa Rosa Mountains rise to the west.

The vista is also a great spot to see birds, descendants of dinosaurs. About 150 million years ago, birds began to evolve from the type of dino known as theropods. The T. rex is a theropod, though birds split from a much smaller species rather than any of the large ones.

Flying over the farm fields between the Mecca Hills and the Salton Sea will be the red-tailed hawk. It prefers open country, where it can more easily spot prey, over the badland canyons. If you see one dive slowly, its legs outstretched, its in attack mode. They are dark brown with light barring on their wing feathers and brilliant red tail feathers. They are vital to population control of rodents, which can make up to 85 percent of their diet. They also enjoy a good snake and lizard now and then.

Rock wren
After taking in the views, walk a few yards to the north, looking for a saddle on the left. Descend it into the canyon on your left. Take it south.

This canyon has an entirely different feel – thanks its color and width – then the one you were in, even though they are only a few yards apart.

A dino descendant you may spot on the walk back is the rock wren. Between 5-6 inches long, their topside is gray to brown upperparts with small black and white spots. A light gray line runs over each eye. They sport a long slightly downward curved thin bill, which they use to extract insects and spiders while hunting on the ground.

At 3.25 miles, the trail reaches the three-way junction where you took the middle option. Continue right/south onto the stem portion of the trail that you walked in on from the road.

Be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and a sunhat as well as bring plenty of water on this trail. Dogs are allowed. Never hike the trail if rain is forecast or if rain has fallen within the past couple of days.

Never-Ending Canyon Trail aerial map. Click for larger version.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Trail runs through oasis to cool stone pools

The Stone Pools sit in a narrow canyon
where boulders capture flowing water.

The following article was originally written for and published by the Uken Report.

Day hikers can explore the San Jacinto Mountains backcountry on their way to exotic stone pools in Palm Springs, California.

The segment of the Palm Canyon Trail hike runs 6 miles round trip and gains 880 feet elevation. The trail starts in Indian Canyons, heads through North America's largest oasis, and continues into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument to the Stone Pools.

To reach the trailhead, in Palm Springs from Calif. Hwy. 111 go south onto South Palm Canyon Drive. In two miles, you’ll reach the Indian Canyons tollgate; there is a fee per adult and a lower rate per child. Shortly after the toll, the road splits; go right to the parking area next to the Trading Post. The trailhead is on the lot’s southeast side.

An exhibit of native dwellings sit near the oasis’ entry. Tawny, mostly barren, foothills rise above the canyon.

Oasis
Stepping into the oasis, you’ll feel like you’re on the set of a Tarzan or Jurassic Park movie. Hundreds of California fan palms nestle around Palm Creek (sometimes referred to as Palm Canyon Creek on maps and in articles), where water runs in winter and spring.

The largest of the fan palms towers 10 stories high and stretches three-feet wide. Some of the palms grow in fun, unique shapes, including one whose trunk has curled like an elephant trunk so its fronds can catch sunlight.

In about a mile, the trail crosses Palm Creek and climbs up the canyon's south side to the ridge.

Once atop the ridge, you've entered the San Jacinto backcountry. Great views looking into nearby canyons and plenty of barrel and cholla cacti await.

At two miles in, the route reaches a jeep trail that follows a wide wash. Go straight-right rather than follow the wash.

The trail fizzles to a faint path at about three miles in. It continues climbing above the canyon on the right, but rather than follow it, stop and look into that canyon. You'll see a narrow trail that descends about 30 feet into it. Take that spur trail.

Stone Pools
The spur ends at the Stone Pools. Boulders and a narrowing gorge trap water flowing downhill and form beautiful pools. The greater the winter snows at the top of the San Jacinto Mountains, the higher the amount of water in the pools.

There's plenty of space to picnic at the pools, so if hiking in the morning bring a basket. Be sure to carry out what you carry in. Do not drink from the creek.

After taking in the sights, retrace your steps back though the oasis to your vehicle.

Except in the oasis, there’s no shade on the trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Hiking boots and a trekking pole are recommended to keep your balance when ascending the canyon wall.

Indian Canyons opens at 8 a.m. and closes at night, so this is no spot for a dawn hike. A popular trail, it can be crowded on weekends.

TRAIL TOPO MAPS

Click on map for larger version.

Mecca Hills trail heads to rare slot canyons

The Slot Canyon Cave Trail heads through
a narrow wash to a small cave in the Mecca Hills.

The following article originally was written for and appeared in Uken Report.

Day hikers can explore slot canyons reminiscent of Utah or Arizona right in the Coachella Valley.

The Slot Canyon Cave Trail runs 6.5 miles round trip in the Mecca Hills Wilderness Area. It gains 100 feet in elevation so is fairly flat.

To reach the trailhead, take Calif. Hwy. 111 to Mecca. Turn left/northeast onto Fourth Street then at the roundabout go right/southeast onto Hammond Road. After a couple of blocks, head left/east onto 66th Avenue. As the street curves northeast, it naturally becomes Box Canyon Road. After crossing the canal, in 3 miles look for a flat, hard-packed dirt on the left; about 50 yards from the road are boulders aligned to keep vehicles from going into the canyon. Park off the road here.

The hike begins in Big Colorful Canyon. Compared to other canyons in the Mecca Hills, Big Colorful is an easy walk as flooding has removed much of the sand.

At 0.25 miles in, Pyramid Canyon is to the right. Continue left into the wider Big Colorful Canyon.

Scenic canyon walls
The strata in this part of the Mecca Hills badlands is sharply uplifted. The result is multiple layers of rocks in a variety of colors visible on the canyon walls.

At 0.8 miles, turn right/northeast into a narrow canyon. You’re now on the Slot Canyon Cave Trail proper. This is not the trail’s official Bureau of Land Management name but was christened by previous hikers who explored the Mecca Hills.

The trail quickly opens up. Scenic formations rise above on the canyon walls.

At 1.3 miles, you’ll reach a spot where the canyon’s right wall collapsed. Though debris covers the entire canyon floor, you can negotiate it by staying on the left.

Slot canyons
Another slide appears at 1.8 miles. After that, the canyon divides. Go right/northeast.

The trail follows several narrowing curves that form a slot canyon.

Slot canyons – in which the canyon is extremely deep but usually no wider than three or so feet – are rare geological formations. They often feel like caves with windows of sunlight when the canyon briefly widens. Among the more famous slot canyons are the Narrows in Utah’s Zion National Park and Antelope Canyon on the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona.

Such canyons form over millions of years when water from rainstorms rush through titled rock, usually sandstone or limestone, which easily erode compared to granite and basalt. Rocks and sand caught up in the fast-moving water carve out the walls while digging a deeper trench.

Cave-like chamber
The slot canyon ends when it reaches a large cave-like chamber created when the walls collapsed. No flashlight is needed to see in the cave.

After taking in the cave, head back to where the canyon split. Another slot canyon awaits on the other wash; turn right/northeast onto it.

Once you’ve completed the hike up that canyon, retrace your steps back to your vehicle.

Much of the trail lacks shade, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Never hike this trail if rain is forecast or has fallen within the past 48 hours or you may be caught in a flashflood.

Slot Canyon Cave Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Henderson trail delivers green spring desert

The Earl Henderson Trail runs between Indian Canyon
and Araby Cove in Palm Springs

The following article originally was written for and published by Uken Report.

Day hikers can enjoy an elevated view of Palm Springs along the Earl Henderson Trail.

During March, the 3.3-miles round trip trail usually is green with plenty of wildflowers. The trail sports a 377-foot elevation gain in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

To reach the trailhead, from South Palm Canyon Road in Palm Springs, turn left/east onto Bogert Trail. Immediately after crossing Palm Canyon Creek, turn left/north and park at the end of the road. This is the Garstin Trailhead.

At 0.1 miles, take the trail heading left/east, which is the Earl Henderson. This segment of the trail runs along the side of Cahuilla Peak (which tops out at 1552 feet above sea level) a few feet above Palm Creek and its wash. This offers great views of Palm Springs below and the Little San Bernardino Mountains on the valley’s other side.

Barrel cactus
During March, flowers usually bloom, and the desert turns green.

California barrel cactus is most impressive along this segment. It typically is spherical when young and cylindrical when older, sometimes reaching a height of 6.6 feet. On young barrel cactus, the needles are straight and red, but they curve and gray as the cactus ages.

As March ends and especially during April, look for the brilliant yellow or orange flowers on the barrel’s top.

Later in the season, the cactus bears flowers that are maroon outside and bright yellow inside with red or yellow centers on the side that faces the sun. The fleshy, hollow fruits are yellow.

At 1.1 miles, the Shannon Trail junctions the main route from the right/southeast. It climbs the foothill to Cahuilla Peak. Continue left-straight/east.

Araby Cove
The trail gets squiggly as it dips in and out of washes and switchbacks down the foothill into Araby Cove. As descending, pause and look back at views of Palm Springs and the San Jacinto Mountains.

At 1.65 miles, it reaches a wash on the cove’s west side. You can treat this as a point-to-point hike by having someone pick up on Landsdale Road, or you can retrace your steps back to your vehicle.

The trail is named for Earl “Lucky” Henderson, a former president of the former Desert Riders, which built a number of trails in the San Jacinto foothills.

Though there are times when the mountains leave the foothills in shadow, it’s otherwise open to the sun. Given this, be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat and bring water. Dogs are allowed on trail.

Earl Henderson Trail aerial map.
Click for larger version

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Desert trail heads to Salton Sea’s only caves

Waves tunneled out caves in a butte when the Salton Sea formed.

Day hikers can explore the only caves in the Salton Sea area at Bat Caves Buttes.

The 3-mile lollipop trail runs through the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. January is an excellent time to hike to the caves as daytime highs along the Salton Sea usually only hit the high 60s.

To reach the trailhead, from the Coachella Valley take Calif. Hwy. 111 south. After passing the Salt Creek Beach Campground, watch for Crooker Drive on the right/west. A cell tower stands next to the road. Park off of Crooker Road.

The trail’s stem starts in a ghost town named Durmid, which sits at 197 feet below sea level. Nothing other than dirt roads remain there today, but during the 1950s through the early 1960s, this was a hoppin’ place. Developers marketed the Salton Sea as a resort destination, and vacation homes, hotels, yacht clubs and golf courses were built along its shores. A cafe used to sit where the cell tower now stands, and older guidebooks describing the trail often will tell you to park at the "abandoned cafe."

To begin the hike, walk across Hwy. 111 and the railroad tracks. Straight ahead, you’ll see buttes rising from the desert floor. Those are the Bat Caves Buttes. There’s no marked trail; just head straight ahead across the sandy wash. Sometimes off-road vehicle tracks can be followed to the butte.

Buttes
At one time, the entire area was a plateau as high as those buttes. Water erosion has washed away the landscape, but a hard caprock atop the Bat Caves Buttes have prevented them from entirely disappearing. Much of the erosion has occurred because the buttes sit just south of the San Andreas Fault, where uplift encourages the water to run southwest into what is now the sink forming the Salton Sea.

Seashells can be found along the ascending trail. This part of the world was at the bottom of an ancient sea about 3.1 million to 3.2 million years ago. At that time, the Gulf of California extended into the Coachella Valley with the warm shallow waters running about 30 to 98 feet deep. Fossils for at least four kinds of sharks and rays as well as three kinds of fish from that era have been found farther north in the valley.

Though fairly barren today, after a good rainfall the wash can brighten with greenery. Lilies often pop up in February amid the green-leaved desert scrub.

At 0.75 miles, you’ll reach the buttes’ base at exactly sea level. Go left/northwest around the buttes. You’ll spot footpaths cutting through and atop the rock formation. Follow the trails to the various caves in the butte.

Caves
The caves didn’t exist until a man-made accident created the Salton Sea in 1905. That year, heavy snowmelt and rainfall caused the Colorado River to swell. The five-year-old Alamo Canal, which was heavy with silt, couldn’t handle the overflow and broke. For two years, water poured from the Colorado down the canal, two riverbeds, and two dry arroyos into the Salton Sink.

In what is often labeled as California’s greatest environmental disaster, more than 350 square miles of land was submerged under several feet of water.

The Bat Caves were created during the initial flooding with waves tunneling into the butte. As the water level dropped – the Salton Sea is evaporating and one day will disappear - the caves were exposed. Because of the limited time the waves had to drill into the buttes, most of the caves are shallow with the deepest one only about 90 feet long.

The caves do have bats, which are harmless to people. Avoid disturbing the bats, however, by going no further than the cave entrances.

Vista
At the buttes’ top is a park bench overlooking the Salton Sea and the Peninsular Ranges beyond. During January, the mountains usually are snow-capped.

Upon looping the buttes, go left/southwest on the stem back to your vehicle.

At times, irresponsible people leave their trash and write graffiti on the rocks. To ensure a positive experience for other hikers, always carry out what you carry in, and don’t vandalize the formation.

The trail is entirely open to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Also bring plenty of water, a minimum of three quarts per person. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.

Bat Caves Buttes topo map. Click for larger version.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Trail heads to World War II tungsten mine

Beautiful views of the Desert Divide’s snowcapped mountains await
during winter.

This article originally was written for and published by Uken Report.

Day hikers can explore the ruins of a World War II tungsten mine in the foothills overlooking Palm Springs.

The 5.1-mile round trip Maynard Mine Trail sits on the historic Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians tribal grounds. It sports a 2001-foot elevation gain, so your quads are sure to get a good workout.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 go south onto South Palm Canyon Drive. In two miles, you’ll reach the Indian Canyons tollgate; there is a fee per adult and a lower rate per child. Shortly after the toll, the road splits; turn right and heads to a gravel parking area. The trailhead is on the palm grove’s south side and marked with a sign.

Winter and spring mark the best times to hike the trail, and not just because of the cooler temperatures. Great views of snowcapped mountains, especially on the Desert Divide, highlight any December through February hike. Wildflowers usually are in full bloom during early April.

The narrow trail sometimes is rocky with plenty of switchbacks.

Catclaw acacia
Watch for catclaw acacia, whose thorned branches easily can cut your skin. It’s sometimes called the wait-for-me bush as passersby who rub against the shrubs often need to stop and remove thorns from their clothing.

In arroyos, catclaw acacia can grow quite large – up to 49 feet high with a trunk nearly a foot around – but on these dry foothills, they tend to be quite stout.

Thanks to the catclaw, you might spot gambrel quail, which feed on the bush’s seeds, or even mule deer, who enjoy its fruit. Rabbits and lizards also abound on the trail, even if there’s no catclaw nearby.

During World War II, Palm Springs resident Jim Maynard – who founded the area’s first search-and-rescue group that evolved into the Palm Springs Mounted Police Search and Rescue team – mined tungsten near the trail’s end. Renowned for its hardness and high melting point, tungsten was in demand for the U.S. war effort.

After digging rock with small quantities of the rare tungsten in it, Maynard would haul it down the trail in a wheelbarrow. A plaque honoring Maynard sits next to a collapsed mine shaft along the trail.

Mine entrance
A sign marks where the trail ends, but you can continue beyond that and descend to the entrance of one of Maynard’s other tungsten mines. You also can go into the fairly shallow mine, but always do so cautiously.

Small pieces of abandoned equipment sit near the mine entrance. Among them is an old gasoline powered engine.

There’s no shortage of great views on the return hike. San Jacinto Peak looms above, canyons boasting palm trees and in spring running water sit below the ridgeline, and Palm Springs spreads out in the flat valley beyond.

The trail is fully exposed to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat and to bring plenty of water. Avoid this trail during summer. Dogs are not allowed.

 Maynard Mine Trail topo map.
Click for larger version.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Mecca Hills trail heads to pyramid-like rock

The Pyramid Canyon Trail heads up a Mecca Hills wash
to a pyramid-shaped rock.

The following article originally was written for and appeared at the Uken Report.

Day hikers can discover several desert wash plants on their way to a pyramid-shape monolith in the Mecca Hills.

The Pyramid Canyon Trail runs 6.04 miles with an elevation gain of 600 feet in the Mecca Hills Wilderness. The canyon cuts through the heart of the 26,242-acre badlands.

To reach the trailhead, take Calif. Hwy. 111 to Mecca. Turn left/northeast onto Fourth Street then at the roundabout go right/southeast onto Hammond Road. After a couple of blocks, head left/east onto 66th Avenue. As the street curves northeast, it naturally becomes Box Canyon Road. Cross the canal and drive about 2 miles. When the road curves southeast, look for two washes on the road's left/right side. Park off the road at the second of the two washes.

Entering the wash, the trail splits into two canyons. Go right/northeast into Pyramid Canyon.

Desert wash flora
Initially, the sandy washes are quite wide. While the badlands is extremely dry, several large desert plants make their home in this wash.

Among the largest is the desert ironwood. In ideal conditions it reaches a height of 33 feet with a trunk diameter of 24 inches. Most of the ironwood here is young, with its smooth, shiny gray bark a giveaway of its immaturity; older trees sport broken open bark.

The ironwood is a nurse plant with some 230 species of desert plants starting their growth in its protective shade. More than 60 reptiles and another 60 mammals rely on the ironwood for cover, nesting and food. If its seeds - which taste like peanuts - have fallen from the tree, you may spot doves and quail eating them.

Paloverde can grow even taller than ironwood, topping out at 39 feet high. Its grayish green branches and twigs are photosynthetic, so it thrives even when it has no leaves, which usually pop out after a rainfall. The bush grows in washes and bajadas where it can collect the most water.

The smoketree is slightly smaller at 25 feet high and across. It likes the desert's direct sunlight, and since it needs a regular source of water, washes are a perfect home. As with paloverde, the smoketree's branches contain chlorophyll pigments, allowing photosynthesis to occur all year. Because of its silver branches, from a distance the shrub looks like rising smoke. During June-July, it boasts impressive blooms of bluish-violet flowers.

On gentler slopes and the ridgetops, ocotillo stand out. Though the large, spiny sticks look like cactus, the ocotillo is more closely related to blueberry and tea shrubs. The plant can reach a height of 33 feet. After a rainfall, ocotillo sprouts small leaves and during spring, summer, and sometimes fall will bloom with bright, crimson flowers.

At about 0.85 miles, a canyon wash meets another wash from the right. Go left/north.

Rock formations
Typical of a canyon, the wash gains elevation the deeper you go into it. This allows hikers to see a variety of different rock layers, many of which are different colors - beige, burnt sienna. green, mauve, rust and white. The best time to see the rock colors is early in the morning on clear sunny days when the light doesn't wash them out.

Around 1.8 miles, the trail reaches a small hill. After passing it, in about 50 yards look back. It appears to be a pyramid.

How did a pyramid get here? Ancient Egyptian travelers swept off course in a hurricane? Ancient aliens who also visited Mars?

Try simple erosion. Water and wind hitting at just the right angles over the centuries shaped it. Combined with our minds that often imagine familiar patterns in stone, and you get one of the more interesting rock formations in the Coachella Valley.

Salton Sea vista
At about 2.27 miles, the wash splits. Go right/east. When the narrow canyon peters out, scramble to the ridge top for a great view of the Salton Sea.

The vista is from more than 120 stories up, as the ridge top is 1000+ feet above sea level while the sea's surface sits at 236 feet below sea level. Covering more than 343 square miles, the blue water seems to stretch forever.

From the ridge top as looking at the sea, look for a small canyon/wash on the right heading west to southwest. Scramble down the canyon side and continue left/southwest on it.

At 3.77 miles, you'll arrive back at where the wash split. Continue straight-right/south. From there, retrace your steps back to your vehicle.

While shadows from the canyon walls can provide some shade at certain times of the day, for the most part the trail is entirely exposed to the sun. Given this, be sure to don sunglasses, sunscreen and sunhat, as well as bring plenty of water. Never hike this trail if rain is forecast or has fallen during the past 48 hours.

Pyramid Canyon Trail topo map, Plate 1

Pyramid Canyon Trail topo map, Plate 2
Click each map for larger versions

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Mecca Hills trail leads to Rainbow Rocks

Rainbow Rocks can be reached via a Mecca Hills grotto.

Day hikers can climb through a small cave
and enjoy fantastical and colorful rock formations
in the Mecca Hills Wilderness.

The 3.65-mile round trip Rainbow Rocks Trail consists of a section of the Hidden Springs Trail. Because of the desert heat, the trail is best done in October through May. Never enter the canyon if rain is forecast or for a couple of days after rain has fallen.

To reach the trailhead, take Calif. Hwy. 111 south to Mecca. Turn left/northeast onto Fourth Street and at the roundabout go right/southeast onto Hammond Road. The street naturally curves east and becomes 66th Avenue. East of town at Garfield Avenue, the street becomes Box Canyon Road and curves northeast. The road then crosses the Coachella Canal and enters a broad sandy wash and finally Box Canyon.

While the road is paved, you’ll need to drive slower in Box Canyon. Turns can be tight, and a thin layer of sand often covers part of the asphalt.

A single wood post lets you known you’ve reached the parking area – which is just a sandy wash – for the trail to Sheep Hole Oasis. It’s roughly five miles from the canal. The trailhead for Hidden Springs Canyon is on the road’s east side and marked by rocks placed in the ground across the canyon’s mouth.

Follow the canyon east. In about 350 feet, the trail climbs atop a ridge and curls south. You’ve entered a region of barren hillsides banded in earth tones, reminiscent of South Dakota’s Badlands.

Sheep Hole Oasis
In about a quarter mile, a small clump of fan palms appear in the canyon below. This is Sheep Hole Oasis, an important watering ground for bighorn sheep.

The trail descends to the oasis and then follows the canyon south. As the trail’s sandy surface suggests, water cuts out the canyons in these hills. The sandstone easily erodes when flashfloods rush through and with the wind constantly striking the canyon walls.

In about a half mile, watch for a trail cutting through a side canyon to the east. Take this up over a small ridge and then down into Spring Canyon.

Upon entering the wide wash, go east and follow it as it turns northeast. Upon reaching another split, about a third of a mile up the wash, go right/northeast. The canyon here narrows.

Geographically, the Mecca Hills mark the Coachella Valley’s eastern edge. They formed as the Pacific Plate to the west of the San Andreas Fault slid past and under the North American plate. This lifted and folded the North American plate here. Water and wind then carved the sandstone into a series of clefts and gorges.

Grotto #2
In another third of a mile is a small slot canyon heading north. This heads to Hidden Springs. Instead continue right/east up the wash.

Shortly thereafter in about an eighth of a mile, a second canyon heads north leading to The Grotto. Continue straight-right/east. You’ve now left the Hidden Springs Trail.

As the wash curves south, it passes some fascinating examples of rock shearing, or warped rocks. Shearing here occurs as the Pacific and North American tectonic plates move laterally against one another. The pressure of that movement is so intense that it reshapes the buried rocks.

You’ll reach a grotto in a little more than a third of a mile. A grotto is a small cave that usually floods during rainfalls. Erosion in this steep mud and slot canyon created the cave-like formation. This particular cave often is referred to as "Grotto #2" on maps.

The grotto has a narrow opening. You'll need a flashlight to see while crawling around inside.

Rainbow Rocks
The cave ends at a rock wall. If you're able, climb the rock wall up. The reward for your effort is the Rainbow Rocks, a colorful array of boulders and dirt.

The varying colors offer a mini-lesson in the Mecca Hills’ geology.

If you see gray rocks that are extremely hard, they’re the Coachella Valley’s bedrock. This gneiss formed between 1.8 billion and 1.65 billion years ago, long before there was plant or animal life on Earth.

Mixed with the gneiss are layers of much younger rock. Among them are brown volcanic tuff – hardened ash – and sediments of Dos Palmas Rhyolite that settled here between 23 million to 5.3 million years ago.

Red, tan, buff rocks
Much of the Mecca Hills consists of reddish sandstone and conglomerate – pebbles cemented in layers of finer grain sands – of the Mecca Formation. This formed about 5.3 million to 2.58 million years ago when flash flooding washed away sediment from higher land east of the Coachella Valley and deposited it on alluvial fans that already were here.

Usually above the red rock are the tan, buff and gray layers of sandstone of the Canebrake Formation. This was set down between 2.6 million years to 11,700 years ago when water flowing out of higher ground to east deposited sediment here.

If you notice white, crystal-like rock snaking through a canyon wall, you’ve come across an aplite dike. It’s mainly quartz and light-colored feldspar that formed about 10 miles below the surface. There, heat and pressure allowed the rocks to melt and flow upward into the surrounding rocks, which since have been uplifted and exposed.

After taking in the sights, head back into the grotto and retrace your steps back to the parking lot.

Most of the trail is exposed to the sun, so you’ll definitely need to don sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Bring plenty of water. Because of the cave and boulders to it, you may want to carry gloves as well.

Rainbow Rocks Trail topo Map. Click for larger version.

Bighorn sheep, twisted rocks await on trail

Narrow canyons run through the Magnesia Springs area.

The following article originally was written for and published by Uken Report.

Hikers can see bighorn sheep and fantastic geological shapes on a trail

into Rancho Mirage’s Magnesia Springs area.

The 3.7 miles out-and-back Magnesia Springs Canyon Trail sports at a maximum of 449 feet elevation gain in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. It crosses an area sometimes referred to as Magnesia Falls. This trail is only accessible between Sept. 30 and Jan. 1 and then from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111, in Rancho Mirage turn south onto Mirage Road. Leave your vehicle at the lot for Blixseth Park. Head south on the sidewalk along the park’s west side. The opening section of the route is popular with trail runners.

Not barren at all
At 0.1 miles, cross the bridge over the Magnesia Storm Channel going northwest. Once the trail traverses the wash, turn left/southwest and stay on the single track paralleling it. Be careful not to head west into the foothills.

The wash and canyons may look barren, but a surprising number of plants and animals live here. Creosote, nine types of cactus, and 93 annuals have been identified here and deeper into the canyon. Bell’s vireo, the prairie falcon, and the southwestern willow flycatcher also make their home here, especially during the summer.

The trail at about 0.4 miles follows the narrow space between the foothill and waterway with Porcupine Creek Golf Club on your right/east.

About 1.15 miles in, the trail gets tricky. You’ve reached the impoundment area to control flooding from Porcupine Creek and other mountain runoff channels. If rain is forecast or has fallen during the past 48 hours, don’t go any further. Otherwise, head down the angled concrete wall into the dry reservoir. Once you do that , you’ve entered the Magnesia Spring Ecological Reserve.

Your options
From there, you’ve got two options – go left/south directly into a canyon or head right/southwest up a short earthen dam wall into another wash.

The route to the left typically is the way shown on trail maps. You can go farther than the other option, but the trail will be rockier.

For most of the way, the canyon walls rise steeply above you. The turnaround point is at 1.87 miles when the ascent hits too steep of a wall to climb over.

Heading right back at the impoundment takes you through a wash so will be sandy. Its end points are a bit more dramatic, however.

After cresting the earthen dam wall – take the trail on the canyon’s right/south side to prevent erosion – a wide wash splits. Going left/south takes you to a palm tree with a rock wall you can scramble up into a narrow canyon. In one turn, though, a much higher rock wall blocks you from going further.

Head right/northwest, though, and you can make a feel more turns into the increasingly narrow canyon before hitting the same too-tall-of-a-wall obstacle. The trail ends at a small cave-like undercut in the rock, created over the centuries by the splash of flowing water down the steep walls into the canyon.

Bighorn sheep
The two great sights to see in the three canyons are peninsular bighorn sheep and twisted rock layers.

While bighorn sheep aren’t always present, keep an eye out for them standing on the mountainside above you. They blend in quite well with the tawny landscape, but their size gives them away when they move.

Adult rams can weigh between 150-200 pounds – as much as a full-grown man – and ewes usually are 100-125 pounds. The adult ram’s horns sometimes reach 30 inches each in length and at the base are 15 inches in circumference.

Bighorn sheep often can be seen feeding on acacia, encelia, krameria and sweetbush, but they will adapt their diet to what’s available. During summer, the ecological preserve is a vital water source for the sheep.

Fascinating rock layers
These foothills – as well as the other peaks in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument – began to form about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic when the North American tectonic plate began to ride over the Pacific plate. The buried plate, under great pressure and heat, turned to molten magma that slowly rose, mixing with and morphing the sedimentary layers above. This created the mahogany-colored rock seen today in the mountainsides from Palm Springs to Palm Desert.

About 50 million years ago, under continued tectonic pressure, the land crumpled and pushed up the mountains we see today from the Santa Ana Mountains near Riverside to the tip of Baja California a thousand miles away. Erosion has stripped away some of the sediment covering the rocks, exposing them. In Magnesia Canyon, many are bent at odd angles or form odd, interesting shapes, such as several layers making an S shape in the canyon wall.

There’s no shade at all on the trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. You’ll want to wear quality hiking boots and carry a trekking pole for the portion of the hike past the impoundment area. Dogs are not allowed on the trail.

Magnesia Springs Canyon Trail. Click on map for larger version.

Trails head to Joshua Tree NP ranch ruins

This article was originally written for and published by Uken Report.

Despite that Joshua Tree National Park receives less than 10 inches of rain a year, settlers tried decades ago to farm it. At least in what is now the national park, those efforts at ranching and homesteading by and large failed. Still, remnants of their efforts on such marginal land holdings remain a testament to their rugged individualism.

Today, you can day hike to a few of those sites.

Before Euro-American settlers arrived in the area that now makes up the park, at least from a distance it didn’t look barren. Creosote bushes were more abundant, and mesquite and screwbeans grew across the area until the 1860s when they were cut and exported to the Los Angeles area for firewood. Ranchers saw the opportunity to raise cattle by letting them feed on grasses that grew across the Mojave.

Four great hiking trails explore the park’s ranching history.

Hidden Valley

Hidden Valley Trail
Where there are cattle in the Old West, there are cattle rustlers. During the late 1870s, William and Jim McHaney and their cowboys, known as the McHaney Gang, began stealing cattle and horses and began driving them into a 55-acre box canyon known as Hidden Valley. It was an ideal location as a narrow rock gap at the trailhead made corralling and hiding the livestock easy.

There the rustlers would rebrand the cattle and sell them along with the horses to out-of-state markets. They kept this up through the end of the 1800s.

Today, a 1-mile trail heads into the valley. The rock gap at the trailhead isn’t as narrow as it used to be, though. Local denizen William Keys (more on him later) blasted open the gap in 1936.

The best time to hike this trail off of Park Boulevard is early morning and late afternoon, as it will be crowded at midday.

Wonderland Ranch

Wonderland Wash Trail
Among the oldest of the park’s ranch ruins is the Wonderland Ranch, also known as the Ohlson House. Not much is known about the family that settled here, when they built their home, or how long they lived it.

Today, crumbling walls – some with window frames in them – and the foundation are all that remain. Tin cans, broken glass, and other odd items also can be found on the site. These items help date the ruins to around the late 1880s or 1890s.

About a third of a mile farther up the trail is a set of ruins for another ranch house. Just the foundation and a narrow staircase heading into an uncovered root cellar are all that’s left.

To see the Wonderland Ranch ruins, you’ll first have to pass through the impressive Wonderland of Rocks on this 2.1-mile trail. The trailhead is the same as that for the Wall Street Mill Trail off of Park Boulevard.

Ryan Ranch House

Ryan Ranch Trail
In 1898, Lost Horse Mine owners Jepp and Tom Ryan built a large house near Ryan Mountain. A natural spring once was located here, and to secure its use for their mine, they had to homestead the area.

In addition to pumping water 3.5 miles to the mine, they raised cattle, which helped feed the 60-plus people who worked the mine and ranch during the gold boom of the early 1900s. When the full-time mine ceased operations in 1908, the Ryans focused on cattle ranching.

Today, the thick adobe walls of their homestead, as well as old machinery, a covered well, and graves, are all that remain of their homestead. See if you can spot a bright sheen on the adobe bricks, as they were partially constructed with gold dust from their mine.

An easy 1-mile round trip trail heads along an old ranch road to the homestead. The trailhead is off of Park Boulevard east of the road to Ryan Campground.

Barker Dam

Barker Dam Nature Trail
To collect and preserve the desert’s scarce water, ranchers long ago built rainwater catchments called “tanks.” Among them was the Barker Dam, erected by local cattlemen, including C. O. Barker, in 1900.

Originally the dam sat nine feet high and was constructed out of concrete and surfaced with stone. Cattle rancher William F. Keys (remember him?) raised the dam by six feet in 1949.

A colorful figure, Keys spent five years during the 1940s in Folsom Prison for killing a man in a dispute over access to a mine. Keys even erected a stone marker to himself for the killing, and it can be seen along the Wonderland Wash Trail.

Keys’ Desert Queen Ranch is the best preserved of the many ranches in Joshua Tree, but you can only access it through a ranger-led tour.

A 1.1-mile nature loops heads to Barker Dam. Today, it’s among the best places in the park to see wildlife, including bighorn sheep, jack rabbits, birds and even frogs. The trailhead is on Park Boulevard.

The are now making up the national park became a national monument in 1936, and with it, ranching largely ended there. The exception was the Keys ranch – which at the time the national monument entirely surrounded!

Trail heads up side of south California divide

The Momyer Creek Trail climbs up the south side of the San Bernardino
Peak Divide.

This entry originally was written for and published by the Uken Report.

With temperatures across the Coachella Valley still hovering in the low 100s, you'll need to gain some elevation to hike comfortably. One good option is the San Gorgonio Wilderness, which surrounds Southern California's highest mountain.

Try the Momyer Creek Trail (1E06), which can be shortened to a 5.2-miles round trip day hike that gains about 1850 feet in elevation. Temps top out there at the mid-70's to mid 80's during early September, though the higher you go, the cooler it gets.

To reach the trailhead, from the Coachella Valley take Interstate 10 west across the Banning Pass. In Calimesa, exit right/northeast onto Sandalwood Drive; as the road curves north, it becomes Fifth Street and enters Yucaipa. When the street ends, turn right/northeast onto Oak Glen Road then left/north onto Bryant Street. At Calif. Hwy. 38/Mill Creek Road, go right/northeast.

You'll begin a gradual climb in the mountains alongside Mill Creek. Turn onto Valley of the Falls Drive by continuing straight-right/east, remaining alongside the creek. Upon coming to Forest Falls, watch for the Momyer Creek Trailhead on your left/north; it is listed as Forest Road 1S42 on maps but really is just a large parking area. The turn is about 100 yards before the fire station.

The trailhead is on the lot's northwest corner. You're starting at 5400 feet elevation in the Sand to Snow National Monument.

Creek crossing
Within 150 feet, the trail crosses the broad wash of Mill Creek and then a tributary, Alger Creek. At this time of year, you'd be lucky to see a trickle in either stream, but during spring, especially right after a snowfall or rain in the higher elevations, it can be fast moving and even deep. If that's the case, don't cross.

Next the trail switchbacks up a ridgeline at the bottom of San Bernardino East Peak, which tops out at 10,617 feet. The slightly higher Anderson Peak, at 10,840 feet is to the east while the slightly lower San Bernardino Peak, at 10,578 feet, is to the west.

If you're looking for solitude, this is a great trail to hike. It's rarely used but other than the rocky crossing of the Mill Creek wash is well-maintained and easy to follow.

The trail also will be green. Oaks and pines line the route.

If hiking in winter or spring, you'll likely encounter snow along the way, usually starting around 6200 feet.

Options
At about 2.6 miles, the trail splits. The Momyer Creek Trail goes left and continues up the ridge to the San Bernardino Peak Divide Trail, which will take you to each of the previously mentioned peaks. The Alger Creek Trail goes right and descends into a draw with Alger Creek at the bottom. Alger Creek Camp is on the trail to the right and about 1.1 miles away.

The split marks a good spot to turn back if looking for just a day hike. You're at about 7250 feet elevation.

Though the trail can be used to reach the top of Mount San Gorgonio, no wilderness permit is needed to hike this part of the route. Either an Adventure Pass or an America the Beautiful pass is needed for your vehicle, though.

The trail is named for Joe Momyer, who during the 1960s worked to protect what is now the San Gorgonio Wilderness from development and got it included in the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Momyer Creek Trail top map. Click for larger version.

Escape desert heat atop San Jacinto Peak

Temperatures high on San Jacinto Peak usually are 20 to 30 degrees
cooler than on the valley floor.

The following entry was originally written for and published by the Uken Report.

If you live in the Palm Springs area and want to get outside, there’s no better way to escape the heat right now than to gain some elevation.

One great way to do that is heading to the top of San Jacinto Peak, where daytime temperatures are a good 20 to 30 degrees cooler than on the Coachella Valley floor. That alone almost makes the mountain’s fragrant evergreens, shaded trails, and fantastic views a mere afterthought.

San Jacinto Peak
Towering 10,824 feet into the sky – a full 1.95 miles above Palm Springs – San Jacinto Peak is the highest point in the San Jacinto Mountains and Riverside County, and the sixth highest in the lower 48. It dominates Palm Springs’ skyline and can be seen throughout the valley.

Plenty of hiking trails run across San Jacinto Peak. A good one that will be a challenge for new hikers but a moderate workout for longtimers is the 8-mile round trip Willow Creek Trail.

The best way to reach the trail is to cheat a little by taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. From Palm Springs, drive Calif. Hwy. 111 north to the tram’s Valley Station, which sits at 2634 feet elevation. The tram climbs 6000 feet and lets you start the hike at 8516 feet. There is a fee to use the tram.

After taking a few steps off the tram, you’ll probably wonder why you’re breathing a lot harder. There really is less oxygen up there, so take it easy for a bit. Fortunately, the tram’s mountain station is a good spot to acclimate yourself to the higher elevation. The station includes an observation area, restaurant, snack bar and gift shop.

Jeffrey pine
From the station, walk into Mt. San Jacinto State Park by heading uphill and west to Round Valley. At 0.3 miles is the Willow Creek Trail; go left/south onto it. Divide Peak and the 9356-foot high Landells Peak to its right loom ahead.

Jeffrey pine appears all along the trail. It typically grows around 80-130 feet tall but is smaller when at or near the tree line. Its resin smells like butterscotch. The tree often is confused with the ponderosa pine, as both look quite similar. To tell the difference, look at the cones – the Jeffrey pine’s barbs point inward so that they feel smooth, but the ponderosa pine’s barbs stick outward so they are prickly in the hand.

At 1.3 miles, the High Trail comes in from the right. Continue straight-left/south.

You’ll soon enter the Hidden Divide Natural Preserve. It’s so-named because the watershed splits there between the Long Valley Creek drainage to the north and Tahquitz Creek to the south. As a high point, this part of the trail offers great views of the San Jacinto range’s southern end, the Santa Rosa Mountains, and on a clear day even Palomar Mountain about 30 miles away. No off-trail hiking is allowed within the preserve.

Wildflowers
Upon leaving the preserve, the trail descends. You’ll cross an intermittent stream. The trail soon leaves the state park and enters San Bernardino National Forest. In the national forest, the trail also is marked as “3E02” on maps.

Two interesting wildflowers bloom during summer along the trail.

The plain mariposa lily is one of them. A truly Californian plant, it grows in the conifer forests of the state’s southern and central mountains, though it has been found in one Nevada county. Usually its bell-shaped flowers bloom during June and July in a loose cluster. Up to six erect bell-shaped flowers sit in a loose cluster. Its color ranges from white to light purple and sometimes there is spotting low at the base and greenish streaking on the outer petals.

The lemon lily also is in bloom during June and July. While found across the Southwest, in California it only grows in moist areas of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains and around Palomar Mountain. Wonderfully fragrant, its bright yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in groups of up to 31 to a stem. Sometimes a few reddish spots appear on the flowers.

Mountain Fire
At 3.6 miles, you’ll reach a junction with the Cedar Trail that heads to Laws Camp. Continue right/northwest to stay on the Willow Creek Trail.

You’ll soon notice several burnt pine trunks. These are remnants of 2013’s Mountain Fire. The fire burned for 16 days and required 3500 firefighters to put it out.

The trail reaches Willow Creek at 4 miles. This is a good spot to turn back.

If you’ve got some extra energy, though, the trail does continue, crossing Skunk Cabbage Meadow and junctioning the Pacific Crest Trail in Saddle Junction at 5.6 miles from the trailhead, making for a 11.2 miles round trip hike.

Willow Creek Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Trail climbs to Spitler Peak on Desert Divide

Evergreens dominate the top of the Desert Divide.

This article originally was written for and published by Uken Report.

One of the best ways to escape the desert heat is to gain some elevation. Fortunately, a number of nearby trails do just that by heading to the Desert Divide, a ridge connecting several peaks south of Mount San Jacinto.

The 12-mile round trip Spitler Peak Trail (3E22) is one such trail. Be aware that due to the 2013 Mountain Fire, the trail has been reworked, so older topo maps of the route are inaccurate.

From Palm Desert, take Calif. Hwy. 74 into the mountains. Turn right/east onto Apple Canyon Road at Hurkey Creek. Park in a turnout about 150 feet before reaching the trail. Walk along the roadside north to the trailhead, which goes right/east from the pavement.

Chamise and manzanita
The trail starts in Garner Valley’s chaparral country at about 4920 feet elevation. The
first mile is relatively flat with the second mile a gentle ascent.

Chamise is the most common shrub in the lower chaparral region. The flowering plant reaches up to four-feet high with a number of stick-like branches. Its highly flammable leaves are oily, hence its nickname greasewood. Related to roses, the plant does well in Southern California’s foothills, as its wide spreading and deep penetrating roots securely anchor it.

A little higher up, manzanita appears. Taller than chamise, the manzanita shrub’s strikingly red branches usually reach about six feet. It begets small pink flowers in spring. Dozens of manzanita species exist, with some limited to very specific areas, such as Orange County or the Sonoma area.

At mile three, the ascent grows increasingly steep. Here it runs through the oaks section of the chaparral. The Mountain Fire left nothing but charred trunks of the oaks that grew here, leaving behind an eerie landscape. Desert scrub plants, however, are slowly filling in the understory.

Oak and evergreen
Most of the burned out trees were various species of scrub oaks, which can reach 13 feet high. Their dull green leaves are waxy on the top and hairy underneath, an adaptation to the dry, hot climate.

As the trail switchbacks up toward the Desert Divide, evergreens rise around you. Incense-cedar, western juniper, white fir, and pines - including foothill, Jeffrey, sugar - all inhabit the divide’s top. The green contrast with the chaparral below is quite stark.

At 7000 feet, the trail reaches Desert Divide. The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the ridge top.

Looming above to the south is Spitler Peak. At 7440 feet elevation, it’s the fifth highest of the dozen peaks on or near the divide. Red Tahquitz Peak is the tallest at 8720 feet while Butterfly Peak is the shortest at 6240 feet.

Spitler Peak summit
You can scramble and bushwhack to the top of Spitler Peak, but it’s not recommended unless you are in excellent physical shape and familiar with backwoods navigation. The top offers an excellent view of the entire Coachella Valley to the north and Lake Hemet to the south.

Alternately, you can take the PCT south to partially wrap around the peak. This provides some good vistas of the Coachella Valley.

After taking in the peak, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

Much of the trail is exposed to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen and sunhat as well as bring plenty of water.

Spitler Peak Trail topo map. Note the newer route in red.
Click for larger version.