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Just a short distance from Tahquitz Canyon, Indian I’ve hiked all of these canyons, but not all of the
Canyons, also owned and managed by the Agua Caliente trails. There are 21 trails through this area, ranging from easy
people, is home to three main canyons — Palm, Murray and to strenuous.
Andreas. Year-round streams flow through these true natural Palm Canyon is an amazing wonder with a fairly flat
wonders where thousands of California fan palms — our trail — once you wind down the steep, paved trail from the
state’s only native palm tree — make them downright as- parking lot to the canyon floor. It follows Palm Canyon Creek
tounding. and all those thousands of palm trees. You can hike 1 mile or
All four of these canyons — Tahquitz, Palm, Murray 12 miles one way — your choice.
and Andreas — are listed on the National Register of His- Andreas Canyon, named after a Cahuilla chief of the
toric Places. Palm Canyon has also been cited as the world’s late 1800s, is a far shorter and even easier trail that almost
largest California Fan Palm Oasis, where between 2,000 to anyone can enjoy. Its 1-mile trail has only a 50-foot elevation
3,000 native palms line the creek through 15 miles of canyon. gain, and it features one of the prettiest of the fan palm oases.

206 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018