DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE
The McManus Trail is a trail with no defined trailhead; it starts in a dirt lot off of Highway 111. Once on it, it leads you to Eagle Canyon, which I found out today has no defined exit. So I guess you could say I took a hike from nowhere to nowhere.
The trail starts in a dirt lot a few hundred yards west of the building that was once Pompeii Nightclub and is now being redeveloped to be the Glory To God Ministry building.
The little storm over the weekend left a small amount of snow on the mountains above Palm Springs. It did not rain at my house but it's nice to know that winter is on the way.
There are many roads and trails in the Palm Hills area of Palm Springs but I try to stay on the single track trails whenever possible.
Following the trail down, I come to Eagle Canyon and decide to follow it to where it leads.
The canyon goes down several dry falls and requires some rock scrambling but I love this stuff so it's no problem.
It is not too easy to spot but there is a trail exiting the canyon but I decide to continue following the canyon in order to discover where it goes. I come to regret this and wonder if I should've taken the trail.
The canyon is pretty and I'm enjoying it so I'm surprised by what comes next.
At the end of the canyon is a rock and sand company with no outlet. Instead of entering, I head to the right and hike out on another nondescript empty lot.
I end up 2/3 of a mile down Highway 111 from where I started so I get to finish my hike with a quick traipse down the road to the non existent trailhead. The middle of this hike was superb but I think the start and finish need a little work.
1 comment:
Thanks for information on the McManus Trail and its connection to Eagle Canyon. The old, small book "History of the Desert Riders" says this about McManus:
"The rider who chooses to stay atop the plateau for an hour and a half more can study the entire panorama of the desert below as he rides the McManus Trail. This eventually winds its way back to civilization and Highway 111 just at the [Palm Spring] city limits. Recently, the Dunn Road has been built to interset with this trail at its culmination."
Prior to the paragraph about McManus, the book discusses (in order) the Henderson, Garstin, Shannon, Berns, Theilman, and Araby trails. The plateau mentioned with the McManus Trail is also mentioned in discussions of the Theilman and Araby.
Post a Comment