Magnesia Falls Mine and Bighorn Sheep

THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR

Magnesia Falls Canyon in Rancho Mirage is only open three months of the year, from October through December. It is really a shame because the canyon is a special place and spring is the best time to visit it.

Lots of people hike the canyon but I'm sure very few of them know there's a trail that leaves the canyon and heads up to a mining site. It's not a large mine, only some trenches and one pit short shaft about fifteen feet deep. I also think there's got to be a trail that leads to Cathedral City from the canyon. I haven't been able to follow it all the way but I know it's there. I'll find it yet.

After the hike in along a flood control ditch, you get to the fun stuff.

Climbing this big dry fall is much easier than it looks.

Someone has been up here and done a little work since I was here last. Either that or the rain just washed this clean and it looks new.

I hike up the canyon until I get to a big mesquite thicket. This is the site of Magnesia Spring. One thing I've learned from years of hiking in the desert is that where there is mesquite, there were sure to be have been Indians. It was a main food source for them.

I don't have to look far until I find some evidence of Indian activity.

With a little more exploration, I find a trail. I thought I saw this the last time I was in the canyon but it's nice to be sure.

I gain the ridge and see a couple of hikers in the canyon below.

The trail is mostly easy to follow but there are a few sections where I have to backtrack.

I notice from above some diggings in the earth and discover the mining area. I'd been here about twenty years ago but did not remember exactly how to get here.

I don't know what was mined up here but the earth has a different look to it.

There are several large trenches and this one vertical shaft about ten or fifteen feet deep.

I leave the mining area and start to head over in the direction of Cathedral City, hoping to find a distinct trail. What I find are several trails.

Some of which I'm sure were made by this guy.

He stands as if he is sizing me up for a while and then moves and crosses the slope below me.

He finds a good vantage point and stops again to check me out.

He's not really in a hurry to get anywhere which is good because it gives me time to get a few more pictures. One of these days I'm going to have to get a better camera, though.

It is amazing how well his body color matches that of the surrounding landscape. There have been times I have tried to point Bighorn out to groups of hikers where they couldn't be seen until they moved. They can be very well camouflaged.

I know some of the trails were made by the Bighorn but I doubt that they made this.

The trail I'm following, though, is heading more toward the Thunderbird Cove area in Rancho Mirage and not into Cathedral City as I'd hoped.

I'm going to have to do some more exploring in order to find the route that I want.

But it will have to be another day since the sun is already behind the hill and I've got a long way to go to get back and down the dry falls before dark.

Thankfully, I make it. Climbing up this fall during the day isn't too bad but I don't know how climbing down in the dark would be. I'm happy I don't have to find out.

Classic Palm Desert Hiking: The Original Art Smith Trail

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN

Of the trails in Palm Desert, the Art Smith Trail is my personal favorite. It starts near Highway 74 near the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument Visitors Center and heads into the heart of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The trail originally headed up Dead Indian Canyon before steering north and into the hills. Now, the trail goes up the hill nearer the trailhead in order to avoid Bighorn Sheep habitat. Today I hiked up the original trail.

There is a really good parking area at the trailhead and the trail is well marked, at least at the beginning.

The sign directs you to the NEW Art Smith Trail but that's not where I'm going today. If you want to get to the original Art Smith Trail, stay on the left of the wash next to the mountain and don't take this trail that switchbacks up the hill.

You'll come to this gate which is open for three months from October-December.

You can stay in the wash or hike up the higher dune on the left. Either way it's very sandy. In the distance is Dead Indian Palms.

Turn before getting to the Palms into the large, obvious canyon on the right. There is a large canyon on the left, Grapevine Canyon, but this is a very rugged canyon with no trail.

This classic trail sign was the only marker for this trail for years. It is still the coolest sign here.

Since the new trail was built this trail has not seen much use and is in poor shape in areas. Previously it was one of the valley's most used trails. I much prefer it to the new trail because of the view of the palms and the feeling of being alone in the wilderness.

Near the junction of the new and old trail is this rocky viewpoint. This is a good place to stop and enjoy your surroundings and a sandwich.

The view is wonderful from up here and I'd like to sit up here and enjoy it all day but some of us have to work today but I'd recommend this trail for anyone looking for a nice, short hike with great views and a chance to spot a Bighorn Sheep. Plus, if you want a longer hike you can keep going all the way to Palm Springs. All those things combine to make this the best hike in Palm Desert.

South Of Devil Canyon, La Quinta

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN

I like to go really light on my hikes often taking little more than a water bottle and my camera. It allows me to travel fast over rugged terrain covering a lot of area in a short time. Sometimes, though, it backfires on me. It did today. When I got out of my Jeep ready to hike, I hit the button on my camera and the screen flashed "Check Your Batteries" and then died. I usually have extra batteries but today I didn't bring the headlamp so I was without any extras. I'd have to use my cellphone for the pictures today and I'm never happy with them when I do.

I start to hike up Devil Canyon, south of La Quinta and wonder if there just might be an Indian trail somewhere in these mountains.

The Boo Hoff Trail takes off on the right side of the wash so I wonder if perhaps there's one on the left side that heads up into the mountains.

I leave the wash and head out overland.

I have to watch my step because there's enough out here to do some real damage.

It looks like my hunch was correct. It looks like a trail or at least I think it might be. It is very faint.

I find a couple of rock piles that often signify an Indian trail marker so I think I may be onto something.

Oh, this is definitely a trail. The longer I follow it the more distinct it gets. When I follow it back I'll have to see where it starts so that next time I come up here I'll be able to go straight to it.

I hear a sound and look above me as a Bighorn walks across the hill above me. Now I really wish I had a better camera. Another, larger ram heads across the hill on the other side of me but my pictures of him don't come out well and the video I shot is not posting for some reason. It's not very good quality, anyway. Maybe next time up in addition to extra batteries I'll bring a real camcorder.

I follow the trail until it become very tough to find. There are a few sections where erosion makes the trail very indistinct. I'll have to come back with more time, more supplies and maybe a hiking partner. It's pretty rugged from here on.

There has to be a lot to discover out here. I have never heard anyone mention this trail before but it's obviously at one time seen more than a few visitors.

I really, really, really want to know where this trail leads.

Although the larger ram has moved on, the smaller ram maintains a lookout high on the ridge.

It's a good vantage point and I can't wait to get up here again.

Dead Indian Canyon, Palm Desert

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE

Dead Indian Canyon is a wonderful little paradise in South Palm Desert. The hike is not hard but it's fun due to some rock hopping involved and the potential of finding running water in the canyon. The palm oasis in the canyon is a terrific destination for a family hike or just a morning or afternoon jaunt. When I first moved to the desert, way back in the mid 80s, people could drive way back into the canyon and hippies used to come back here and party a lot. Today, it's not possible to drive very far into the canyon so not too much partying goes on these days.

When I went to the trailhead. I fully expected to be hiking on the Art Smith Trail. The last time I went to Dead Indian Canyon, the canyon was closed and there was not signage indicating when, or if, it would be opening again.

The gate is open and evidently will be until December 31. The best time of the year to hike here is in the Spring but unfortunately that's the time it's closed. It's seems silly to me because in the Spring the Bighorn have ample forage and water throughout the Santa Rosas and if they needed to close the canyon at all, the Fall would be the season the Sheep most need to be here undisturbed.

According to legend, the canyon and oasis get its name from some early visitors who heard weird sounds at night and assumed it was from an Indian spirit. I've heard weird sounds at night here but I always just assumed it was the wind in the palm fronds.

The fun part of this hike begins when the wash ends and the rocks begin. I love this type of rock hopping.

This collared lizard settles down for the evening with a rock pillow.

The oasis is in very good shape although there is not surface water visible. Years ago this oasis always had water and the water sometimes ran down the canyon. In recent years, though, water has been sparse and the last time I saw water in this canyon was the wet winter we had about four or five years ago.

I don't head into the palms or to the dry waterfall beyond them. It's getting late and I don't want to scramble down those rocks in the dark. As much as I like rock hopping I don't relish the idea of doing it in the dark.

On the way out of the canyon I see three sheep high on the canyon walls. My good camera hasn't been repaired yet so I can't get a real close shot. But that's OK because the sheep have been here for years and will continue to live in the cliffs around this oasis.

And another thing hasn't changed after all these years: hippies still come here, too.