Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → South Central Desert → Tahquitz Canyon

Location: East of Los Angeles

Distance: 1.7 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain: 350 feet

Time Required: 1 hour

Red Tape/Notes: Admission is $12.50 per adult; the trail is open from 7:30am – 5:00pm (last hikers allowed to start the trail at 3:30pm) daily from Oct 1 – July 4, and the same hours Fridays – Sundays from July 5 – September 30. For more information, visit this website.

What’s Nearby?: Joshua Tree, Indio, Salton City

Tahquitz Canyon is a quick and fairly entertaining hike – you’ll receive a hiking guide with your entrance fee and it’s kind of fun to follow the guide and try to find all the spots noted (rather like a scavenger hunt), most of which are associated with the Agua Caliente band of the Cahuilla Indians, who lived here once. We never found the rock art, but the ancient irrigation systems are quite easy to spot, and if nothing else, it’s worth visiting the 60 foot waterfall at the end of the trail (just make sure you go in the winter or spring, when it’s been raining, otherwise you’ll be rather disappointed in the waterfall).

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → South Central Desert → Tahquitz Canyon