Hiking Around Palm Springs
There are many places to go hiking in and around Palm springs. We will list them as we go hiking on some of them and add pictures as well
- The Palm Springs Museum Trail
- Ramon
- The Clara Burgess – This trail takes you to the top of Murray Hill.
- Whitewater Canyon Nature Preserve
- Tram
- Borrego Springs
- Pushwala
- Murray Peak
These pictures were taken at a trail near the end of the Ramon trail on the north side of the city. Access is a bit difficult. You have to park on the street and walk to the end of the street. Then along a wire fence until you come to an opening which you can crawl through.
This particular area is actually a large wash that has a dike or dam across it to protect the city from flooding. Water comes down off the mountains over the cliff you see in the distance and then down into this wash. It is huge and can control / contain a great deal of water. It is also very nice to hike in. You can go all the way up to the cliff in the far distance. There is a lone palm tree sitting at the very top of the white cliff you see in the distance.
Views are Fantastic
This is an example of the views you see when you are standing with the cliff immediately behind you. The rocks are pretty rough and tumbled and hiking is something you must take carefully to avoid breaking a leg or scaring up a snake or two.
this hike took us about 3 hours although it really does not look as if it should take as long as it did. The distances are disbelieving in the desert and you usually end up walking much further than what was originally planned.
If you are interested in seeing where the earthquake zone is and the San Andreas fault line, head out to the end of the Ramon Road into Pushwalla. there is a cabin staffed by volunteers who can fill you in on the fault line, why there are palm trees in this area and sulphate hot springs as well.
The entire area is really one big fault line which is where the pacific plate meets the North American plate. I forget which one is going under the other, but apparently that is what is happening in this area.
Murray Peak is one of the fun hikes, although it has just about everything from flat sections to steep switch backs. It takes about two and a half hours to go up and around two hours to come down. There are picnic tables at the top and you need to take lots of water and something to eat when you go.
For more things to do around Palm Springs, click here.
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