Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [292]
The area southeast of the valley, around the Salton Sea and south through the Imperial Valley toward the Mexican border, is a hotbed, so to speak, of geothermal energy. In 2006, Southern California Edison purchased some 3.1 billion kilowatt-hours from geothermal plants here, enough to power around 400,000 homes.
Most of the valley’s water, meanwhile, comes from a giant aquifer below ground (there’s a reason it’s called Palm Springs). Real-estate developers and golf-course operators say that the water they pump drains right back into the aquifer, ensuring a supply for years to come, though that’s not exactly right. A significant portion of the water evaporates, and some of the water that does reach the aquifer picks up salt as it percolates through the ground. So much water is being taken out of the ground that the Coachella Valley is sinking about an inch per year. Locals have realized that they can’t turn the desert into a rainforest, and water conservation has begun. Still, don’t expect to see the profitable golf courses turn to sand anytime soon.
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Closest to the entrance gate of the reservation is Andreas Canyon, where there’s a pleasant picnic area. Nearby are imposing rock formations where you can find Native American mortar holes, used for grinding seeds, and some rock art. The trail up the canyon is an easy walk.
About a 20-minute walk south from Andreas Canyon is Murray Canyon, which can’t be reached by road and is therefore less visited. It’s a good place for bird-watching, and bighorn sheep might be seen on the slopes above the canyon.
Following the winding access road to the end brings you to the 15-mile-long Palm Canyon, the most extensive of the canyons, with good trails and a store selling snacks and souvenirs. In the morning, look for animal tracks in the sandy patches.
TAHQUITZ CANYON
Opened in 1999 after having been closed for 30 years, Tahquitz Canyon (Map; 760-416-7044; www.tahquitzcanyon.com; adult/child $12.50/6; 7:30am-5pm daily Oct-Jun, Fri-Sun Jul-Sep) is a historic and sacred centerpiece for the Agua Caliente people. It was traditionally home to Agua Caliente ancestors, but was taken over by teenage squatters in the 1960s. Eventually the canyon became a point of contention between the Agua Caliente, local law-enforcement agencies and squatters who claimed the right to live in its alcoves and caves. A clean-up rid the canyon of inhabitants, but it took years to haul trash, erase graffiti and get the area back to its natural state.
Rangers lead informative 2-mile, 2½-hour hikes at 8am, 10am, noon and 2pm daily; call for reservations. Self-guided hiking is also available. The visitors center at the canyon entrance shows a video about the legend of Tahquitz, a shaman of the Cahuilla people. There are also exhibits about the canyon and a great view over the valley.
MOORTEN BOTANICAL GARDENS
Tahquitz too taxing? The Living Desert too far? This plant collection (Map; 760-327-6555; 1701 South Palm Canyon Dr; adult/child $3/1.50; 9am-4:30pm Mon, Tue & Thu-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun, call ahead for summer closures) packs some 3,000 specimens of cacti, succulents and other desert flora into a small lot south of town. Founded in 1938, the garden became the life’s passion of Slim Moorten, one of the original Keystone Cops, and his wife Patricia; today their son Clark is an expert on low-water vegetation.
PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM
Near the end of W Tahquitz Canyon Way, west of N Palm Canyon Dr, this museum (Map; 760-325-7186; www.psmuseum.org;