Tahquitz Canyon
Mar. 31st, 2026 09:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tiggymalvern
Tahquitz Canyon is right on the outskirts of Palm Springs and I stopped off there for a quick hike on my drive to Indian Wells. Given its proximity to the city, it's a very popular trail, and not the kind I would typically hike closer to home, but in unfamiliar terrain it's better sometimes to have other people around rather than be off in the wilderness.
It's on native land, with a visitor centre and an entrance fee (good for them, they need the money since everything else was stolen from them). They insist that every hiker has at least a litre of water with them, they will check, and they will make you buy a bottle if you don't! The trail's only two miles, most of it a loop, though one short section in the middle is used both ways.
Rock formations near the canyon entrance.
Looking back from the canyon entrance over Palm Springs in the valley.
March is the perfect time to hike the southern deserts because all the flowers are out.
Looking up canyon and a flowering shrub.
The canyon stream running down towards Palm Springs. The flowering grasses were beautiful.
A US geological survey water measuring station part way up the stream.
The stream means that there's a lot of wildlife in the canyon, and there was quite a bit of activity even in the early afternoon heat. There were hummingbirds everywhere, and I got two life birds - verdin and California towhee. I spent a fair amount of time of time stopping and looking at birds.
More bushes in flower higher up the canyon.
At the head of the canyon is a 60 feet waterfall, the main reason the hike is so popular.
A lizard basking on a rock. There are far too many species of desert lizard in southern California for me to pin this one down when I only saw its head.
Heading back down towards the canyon entrance, and more greenery by the stream.
Flower extravaganza.
There was a bighorn sheep only about 20 feet off the trail back down near the visitor centre. I've only seen them once in Washington state. I was chatting to some other people with British accents who've lived in Palm Springs for 13 years, and they said they'd never seen one that close, so clearly I got lucky!
First look at the bighorn sheep through bushes and flowering grasses.
Better looks from other angles as the trail curved around. He seemed entirely unbothered by all the staring people with cameras.
Munching happily on some very sharp bushes. You think growing thorns will stop you from being eaten? Good luck with that!
It was a fun, quick hike to do to break up the drive from Los Angeles a bit, and the wildlife definitely made it worthwhile. I spent about an hour and a half there, enjoying the sun!
It's on native land, with a visitor centre and an entrance fee (good for them, they need the money since everything else was stolen from them). They insist that every hiker has at least a litre of water with them, they will check, and they will make you buy a bottle if you don't! The trail's only two miles, most of it a loop, though one short section in the middle is used both ways.
Rock formations near the canyon entrance.
Looking back from the canyon entrance over Palm Springs in the valley.
March is the perfect time to hike the southern deserts because all the flowers are out.
Looking up canyon and a flowering shrub.
The canyon stream running down towards Palm Springs. The flowering grasses were beautiful.
A US geological survey water measuring station part way up the stream.
The stream means that there's a lot of wildlife in the canyon, and there was quite a bit of activity even in the early afternoon heat. There were hummingbirds everywhere, and I got two life birds - verdin and California towhee. I spent a fair amount of time of time stopping and looking at birds.
More bushes in flower higher up the canyon.
At the head of the canyon is a 60 feet waterfall, the main reason the hike is so popular.
A lizard basking on a rock. There are far too many species of desert lizard in southern California for me to pin this one down when I only saw its head.
Heading back down towards the canyon entrance, and more greenery by the stream.
Flower extravaganza.
There was a bighorn sheep only about 20 feet off the trail back down near the visitor centre. I've only seen them once in Washington state. I was chatting to some other people with British accents who've lived in Palm Springs for 13 years, and they said they'd never seen one that close, so clearly I got lucky!
First look at the bighorn sheep through bushes and flowering grasses.
Better looks from other angles as the trail curved around. He seemed entirely unbothered by all the staring people with cameras.
Munching happily on some very sharp bushes. You think growing thorns will stop you from being eaten? Good luck with that!
It was a fun, quick hike to do to break up the drive from Los Angeles a bit, and the wildlife definitely made it worthwhile. I spent about an hour and a half there, enjoying the sun!
no subject
Date: 2026-03-31 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-31 11:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-01 02:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-01 04:23 am (UTC)