Pushawalla Palms Ridge Loop Trail

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT

A week ago I went out and hiked a new trail (for me) on the ridge east of Pushawalla Canyon. I forgot my camera and something went wrong with the pictures on my phone so I decided to come back and get some pictures. I really like this trail and think it would be a nice one for anyone to enjoy if you want to walk off some of your holiday weight gain.

Since this is a Preserve area there are no motor vehicles allowed, you know, like bicycles and dogs.

To get to the trail, you have to walk through all the oases in the canyon.

At the last oasis, you can go either straight through this muddy section or take the trail to the left. Just for fun, I went straight.

Once you have gone through the last oasis, keep your eye on the right for this little opening in the canyon wall. It's not really a trail but it's how I got up.

It's across the canyon from this big gap in the west wall, the one with a rusted out old car.

When you top out at the gap, start heading east. You'll hit a trail, cross a little wash and start heading up hill. At least, hopefully you will.

The trail is pretty good but there are sections where erosion has caused significant damage. It's pretty rocky until you hit the top.

But once you hit the top the trail is smooth and beautiful. I initially thought this might be an Indian Trail but the trail meanders along the ridge top while an Indian trail would go from point A to point B.

It meanders along so you can take in the views of the canyons below and the mountains beyond. There are wonderful views all around.

I wonder if the rider of this bike got too caught up in the views and crashed his bike.

It certainly wouldn't have been because he couldn't see at night with this superb lighting.

Keep following the trail until you come to a split and go to the left. I went right and that fork just does a circle and comes back. Go left.

OK, you can go to the right if you want to take one more look at the view before you head down into the canyons again.

The canyon you drop into is rockier than any of the others so far. Be very careful while descending because most of those rocks are loose.

Once you've gone down the canyon, take a right into the next canyon and that will return you to Pushawalla Canyon. From there, it's a short walk back to your vehicle. That is if you have a 4X4 and can drive to the trailhead. If not, your walk will be longer. All in all this loop is just a touch over 3 miles and I highly recommend it. I saw only one set of footprints on the trail itself--mine from a week ago.

Pushawalla Canyon East Ridge Loop

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE

Today I am both thrilled and frustrated.

I am thrilled because I went back to Pushawalla Palms--where I was just two days ago--and hiked on a trail that I never knew existed. It's a nice loop that heads up to the plateau to the east of Pushawalla Canyon and offers tremendous views of the canyon and the Coachella Valley and its surrounding mountains.

My frustration is due to the fact that I don't have any good photos of it. First, I couldn't find my camera so I took pictures on my iPhone. Then, something happened during the download and I lost the majority of the photos that I did take. I have no idea what.

I'm going to try to see if there's any way to recover any of the photos and post them later. If not, I'll just add a trip report and plan to go back in a week or so for some pictures.

Well, I haven't been able to retrieve my photos (except about nine from the end of the hike) so I'll tell you about it.

You start going up the wash to Pushawalla Palms. In the middle of the last oasis, go to the right up the embankment. Then, go toward the Northeast to the wall of the canyon. The trail becomes visible as you approach the wall. It switches back up the canyon wall and it becomes obvious to me that this is a manufactured trail and not an Indian Trail.

The trail tops out on the plateau and weaves around near the rim in order to give the hiker the best view. I originally thought the trail might head over to Macomber Palms but it doesn't. It loops around and comes down into a wash east of the main Pushawalla Canyon Wash.

There's an old motorcycle atop the plateau and it looks like it almost might even start. It's an off-road bike and it has an old flashlight strapped onto the handlebars. I guess whoever was riding it crashed at night.

I come out into a little side wash and then it's back to the Jeep. I'll figure out what happened to my pictures so I don't do it again but I'll be back before the end of the year so I'll get pictures then.

I wonder if it had something to do with this last picture that I photoshopped that made the rest of the pictures just disappear. I'll never know but at least I'll be able to go back.

Pushawalla Palms Indian Trails

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE

Pushawalla Palms is one of the many oases along the Indio Hills, on the San Andreas Fault. It can be reached by a trail from the 1000 Palms Visitors Center, a trail along a ridge that comes by Horseshoe Palms that I discovered about a month ago, or from the Pushawalla Canyon Wash. The latter is how I came today.

The land here is part of the State Park System and is managed by the Coachella Valley Preserve. It's closed to all but hikers and equestrians and, personally, I wish they'd keep equestrians out. I hate hiking through horse manure.

The canyon is full of palms and mesquite and so it was surely well used by the Indians. I'll be looking around for some evidence of their presence here.

There is ample water here and it runs in a very small stream for several hundred yards.

The problem with finding any Indian relics here is that being in a canyon nothing much is permanent. Numerous floods over the years would have pretty much swept anything away. What I will be looking for are trails on the hills surrounding the canyon.

Trails like this one here. This trail climbs out of the wash beyond the last oasis.

It heads up to a little plateau above the main canyon. This would have been a terrific area to camp. It's flat, offers a good view of the surrounding area is near food and water.

But the only thing I find is the remnants of what could have been an old campfire ring. Or not.

Over on the hillside, though, is a pretty well worn trail which I head over to. I don't have time to follow it in the direction that it goes but I'll follow it back.

It is pretty well worn although there are no footprints on it, not even those of an animal.

Heading back I spy yet another trail up on the hillside and wonder where that one goes. Although I've been to Pushawalla Palms many times I never ventured much beyond the oasis. Now I feel like I've discovered new worlds to explore, and I have.

Pushawalla Ridge

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TEN

It is hard to fathom that over three hundred days into hiking this year I could discover a new trail that I hadn't done or known of but I did. It is over to the east of Washington Street near the Coachella Valley Preserve. On the past couple of times I've driven out that way I noticed what looked like a road or trail going up a ridge west of Pushawalla Canyon. Since this is an area that has been used for four wheeling in the past I figured it was an old Jeep trail but I decided to check it out anyway. I'm glad I did.

I take the Jeep on a little 4X4 drive over the where the trail starts and discover it actually is a trail. There's no parking area and you need a 4X4 to get there but it definitely is a trail.

The trail has seen recent work and a few hikers. I'm surprised to see footprints; I guess someone else saw this from Washington Street.

The trail climbs straight up the ridge and offers nice views of the valley below.

From the top, you also get nice views of San Jacinto and San Gorgonio. This would be a good place to watch a sunset or moonrise.

The trail splits and one section heads over to Hidden Palms and the other goes toward Horseshoe Palms and then to Pushawalla Palms.

It comes to this barricade made of palm tree logs.

It is a good thing it is here because there's about an 80 foot drop on the other side.

I hike over to the main Pushawalla Palms and drop down this canyon to the palms.

Before getting to the oasis you have to do the limbo.

Pushawalla Palms is one of the larger oases along the San Andreas Fault.

The palms are tall, mature and loaded with palm fruit. Mesquite also grows throughout the canyon indicating that water is readily available beneath the surface.

It's such a nice day I really wish I'd brought a lunch along. I'll know next time.