Hopalong Cassidy Trail crosses foothills

The Hopalong Cassidy Trail winds up and down canyons in the foothills
overlooking Palm Desert.

Hopalong Cassidy Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

The following piece was originally written for and first appeared in the Uken Report.

Hikers can head through the foothills overlooking Palm Desert, California, on the Hopalong Cassidy Trail.

The 9.5-mile round trip trail runs through the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. It’s popular with trail runners as well as hikers.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 in Palm Desert, take Fred Waring Drive west. Turn left/south onto Painters Path. Park along the curb behind the Desert Crossing Shopping Center. At the trailhead, go left/south onto the Hopalong Cassidy Trail. The other route, heading straight/northwest, is the Mike Schuler Trail.

The trail is a moderately strenuous hike during the first quarter mile. As ascending higher into the foothills, though, it goes up and down canyons. The upside is an invigorating workout with increasingly expansive views of the Coachella Valley atop the ridge lines as you ascend.

Herb Jeffries and Gaby Hayes trails
At about 0.66 miles, the route junctions the Herb Jeffries Trail, which runs to the left/southeast. You’re near Fox Canyon just north of Cahuilla Hills Park. To stay on the Hopalong Cassidy, continue right/west.

Though seemingly barren from the distance, as hiking the singletrack, you’ll spot a great variety of flora. Three desert plants dominate, though – barrel cactus, cholla, and creosote.

A connector trail leads to the Gaby Hayes Trail at 1.66 miles. If you want to shorten the trail, this is a good spot to do so, by taking the connector to Gaby Hayes, which links up with the Herb Jeffries, then back to the trailhead. This abbreviated hike comes to about 3.4 miles round trip.

Ignoring the connector trail and continuing upward, however, and at 1.8 miles from the trailhead you’ll reach the junction with the Gaby Hayes Trail, which comes in from the left/east. The Gaby Hayes leads to Cahuilla Hills Park. Stay right to remain on the Hopalong Cassidy.

Barrel cactus
Along the way, watch for barrel cactus. There actually are a variety of species that carry this moniker, but as their name suggests, all are barrel shaped. Look for their brilliant yellow or orange flowers on the barrel’s top in April. While tiny, they are tough little plants. In fact, they’ll probably outlive you, as they boast a lifespan of 100 years.

At 2.85 miles feet, the Homestead Trail heads downhill to the left/east. Continue right/west up the hill.

Cholla also can be seen long the trail. Several varieties of cholla grow across the American Southwest, but all have cylindrical stems. The California variety often looks like a miniature saguaro.

The trail reaches the edge of Stone Eagle Golf Course at about 3.3 miles.

Creosote is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to almost 10 feet high. It is so named because of its smell, which is similar to a preservative used on railroad ties. When the bush’s oldest branches die, the crown usually splits with the new one becoming a clone. In fact, the King Clone creosote bush found in nearby Lucerne Valley is one of the Earth’s oldest living organisms, having been around around for an estimated 11,700 years.

Palm Desert Cross
At 4.75 miles, the Hopalong Cassidy Trail ends at the Palm Desert Cross. A Palm Desert icon, the cross at night can be seen from miles away thanks to its 6-watt LED bulbs powered by photocells. St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert and the Stone Eagle Golf Course maintain the cross. The 16’ by 30’ cross was erected as an Eagle Scout project in 1996. St. Margaret’s holds services there on Ash Wednesday and other select days.

After taking in the cross and valley views, retrace your steps to the parking lot. To add a little variety to route, take the Gaby Hayes Trail to the Herb Jeffries Trail then back to the main route. This is a slightly longer route, however, then simply following the Hopalong Cassidy Trail the whole way.

The Hopalong Cassidy Trail is named for the famous fictional cowboy who first appeared in short stories then in the 1930s through the 1950s was wildly popular first in film then television. Palm Desert resident William Boyd played Hopalong in the franchise’s first movies. The Gaby Hayes Trail is named for an actor who played one of Hopalong’s sidekicks, the grizzled Windy Halliday. The Herb Jeffries Trail is named for the “Sensational Singing Cowboy” actor who played in several western films aimed at black audiences.

The entire route is open to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat as well as bring plenty of water. No dogs are allowed on the trail.

Trail heads to springs in Santa Rosa Mtns.

Toro Peak is the highest summit in the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Cactus Spring Trail's west side

Cactus Springs Trail's east side

What Mount San Jacinto is to Palm Springs, California, so the Santa Rosa Mountain Range is to the central Coachella Valley, rising high above the southern horizons of neighboring Palm Desert and La Quinta.

Day hikers can explore the range by hiking a segment of the lengthy Cactus Springs Trail. The 9-mile round trip described here runs about 4779 feet below the range’s highest peak and about 3800 feet above La Quinta. It is located in the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

To reach the trailhead, from Calif. Hwy. 111 in Palm Desert take Calif. Hwy. 74 south into the Santa Rosa Mountains. Upon reaching the Pinyon Pines, turn left/southeast onto the Pinon Flats Transfer Station Road. Just before the station, turn right/east into the parking lot.

From the lot, walk the dirt road east about 800 feet to Pidgeon Springs Road. Go right/south onto it and then in about 70 feet take the very next left, heading east onto Cactus Springs Trail proper.

In about 500 feet, the trail splits; go right/southeast. The rest of the trail crosses rolling terrain, but the route essentially descends toward Horse Thief Creek.

The Cahuilla Indians used this trail for centuries, mainly because it passed water sources. In more recent times, an effort was made to mine dolomite here; you'll pass the abandoned operation as the trail curves southeast.

Toro Peak
Though high above the desert floor, the climate on the mountainside trail is similar. You'll pass plenty of cactus gardens, chaparral, pinyon pine and juniper on the way. During wet springs, blooming wildflowers – especially the brilliant blue and purple phacelia – are a treat to the eye.

To the south, Toro Peak rises above the trail. The highest mountain in the Santa Rosa Mountain Range, it tops out at 8717 feet. From its summit, in good weather, you can see Charleston Peak in Nevada.

A short range, the Santa Rosa Mountains cover 437 square miles. Geologically, they are part of the Peninsular Ranges, which run to Baja California Peninsula’s southern tip in Mexico.

At 2.4 miles in, the trail crosses Horse Thief Creek. The stream usually flows year around between its canyon walls. Cottonwoods line the creek and in autumn turn golden. The canyon marks a good spot to turn back; the more physically fit and adventurous, though, can continue onward.

From the creek, the trail climbs to the springs. Pine-covered Martinez Mountain, at 6500-feet high, looms in the distance.

Little Pinyon Flat
The terrain evens out as nearing the springs. Cahuilla families often used this flat as a gathering place, and pottery sherds still can be found there.

At 4.5 miles, the trail reaches Little Pinyon Flat Cactus Spring. The spring actually is a shallow, grass-covered mud hole, and a filter is needed to drink from it. But in the days before modern wells and piping, this was a major water source. No sign marks the spring, but once you spy a lot of animal tracks and human boot prints, you're close.

The springs is a good spot to turn back. The trail actually goes east for several more miles but can be difficult to follow at times. About 8.8 miles from the trailhead is the Agua Alta spring, and in 17.6 miles is Martinez Canyon.

This hike is best done in spring and autumn when temperatures are still comfortable. The desert route is mostly exposed to the sun, so bring plenty of water and be sure to don sunscreen and a sunhat. Dogs also are allowed on the trail.