Sun City Palm Desert Hiking Club Hike Description Archive August 2020 Descriptions of all hikes conducted by the Club between October 2008 and December 2011 were taken from the Hike Schedules and combined into a Master Hike File. This Archive includes only those hikes from that Master File that have not been rehiked by the club in the intervening period to the present. It is a complement to the Living Hike List and meant to serve as a reference for Hike Leaders looking for different hikes, as well as for members looking for other hikes in the area that they might take on their own. An index to the hikes included in the Archive is immediately below, organized by hike difficulty. The index is followed by the descriptions organized alphbetically. A. SCPD Archive Index: Hikes Listed by Difficulty Abbreviations: ABSP: Anza-Borrego State Park CVP: Coachella Valley Preserve JTNP: Joshua Tree National Park PCT: Pacific Crest Trail EASY Earl Henderson Trail Indian Canyon Sampler Mecca Hills, Big Utah Canyon Morrow Trail (Beginning) La Quinta Cove Loop Salton Sea Bat Caves Whitewater Preserve: Wine & Wildflowers EASY/MODERATE ABSP, Borrego Springs/Palm Canyon Bear Canyon Long Valley Hike Mecca Hills, Big Split Rock/ Slot Canyon Walkabout MODERATE Big Morongo Canyon (One Way) Bradshaw Trail Hopalong Cassidy/ Gabby Hayes/ Homestead Trailhead JTNP, Desert Queen Mines Mecca Hills, Pyramid Canyon Mecca Hills, Slot Canyon Cave Trail Morongo Canyon PCT, Autumn Foliage Hikes, Warner Springs Rock Point Round Valley Loop MODERATE/ADVANCED Four Trails Loop Indian Mountain JTNP, California Riding & Hiking Trail, Black Rock C.G. to Upper Covington Flat Lost Canyon via Boo Hoff Trail Mecca Hill, Grottos (The) Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve ADVANCED Boo Hoff Trail, Via Rattlesnake Alley Butterfly Peak Cat Creek Trail to Art Smith & Schey Trails Cathedral City to Trading Post Cedar Springs Trail/ Fobes Saddle Key Exchange Devil’s Slide to Tram, Key Exhange Dunn’s Steep Mining Road Folly Peak Guadalupe Trail Hahn Buena Vista Trail Henderson/ Garstin/ Shannon Trails Hopalong Cassidy/ Art Smith Trails Hopalong Cassidy Trail to Stone Eagle Jo Pond/ Cedar Spring Trail to Palm Canyon Trading Post JTNP, California Riding & Hiking Trail, Upper Covington C.G. to Keys View Road JTNP, California Riding & Hiking Trail, Keys View Road to Twin Tanks JTNP, Eureka Peak JTNP, Pinto Mountain JTNP, Quail Mountain JTNP, Warren Peak (Via Panorama Loop Trail) Maynard Mine Mecca Hills, Meccacopia and Godwin Trails Murray Hill Loop via Araby/ Wild Horse/ Shannon & Henderson Trails Murray Hill and Dunn Steep Mining Road PCT, Chihuahua Valley Road to Tule Truck Trail PCT, Fuller Ridge to Snow Creek Village PCT, Mission Creek Trail Camp to Mission Creek Preserve PCT, Deep Creek Bridge to Silverwood Lake PCT, Silverwood Lake to Swarthout Canyon PCT, Bouquet Canyon to Soledad Canyon PCT, Bouquet Canyon to Lake Hughes Road PCT, Lake Hughes Road to Pine Canyon Road Palm View Peak Pine Mountain Ramona Trail/ East Thomas Mountain Road San Gorgonio (Mt.) via Vivian Creek Trail Schey and Hopalong Cassidy Trails Shadow Mountain Sheep Mountain Sierra Peak, Santa Ana Mountains Tahquitz Peak Lookout Key Exchange Traversing the Three T’s Wellman’s Divide with Mt. San Jacinto Extension B. SCPDHC Archive Hike Descriptions ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK: BORREGO SPRINGS/PALM CANYON EASY/MODERATE Hike: 3 miles; Elevation Gain: 200 ft. with Water Crossing; Duration of Hike: 3 hours; Drive Time One Way: Approximately 1 hour. Drive to the largest and one of the most diversified State Parks in California. Small parking fee. We’ll scan the canyon walls for big horn sheep as we meander along a stream leading to a waterfall and oasis of giant palm trees. (Big horns sighted on last four hikes). After lunch at local restaurant, we leave Anza-Borrego for a driving tour past many artistic life-size metal replicas of field animals and prehistoric creatures. Date & Leaders: December 14, 2010, Shirley Hastie & Bill Pivar BEAR CANYON Easy/Moderate: 4 miles; Elevation Gain/Loss: 300 feet; Duration of Hike: 2 1/2 hours; Driving Time One Way: 5-10 minutes; Area: North of Sun City We will drive from SCPD to the end of Coyote Song Way, the street that borders the north side of Sun City, and travel part way up a dirt road toward the gate in front of the water tank road. We will park on the road and hike north up through some very scenic and beautiful washes, otherwise known as Bear Canyon, for about two miles. We should be treated to lots of evidence of a beautiful wildflower bloom. This is a wonderful desert hike with spectacular views of the Coachella Valley and Sun City from high up in the wash. Hiking sticks are recommended for this hike. Date & Hike Leader: March 11, 2010, Jack Maddan BIG MORONGO CANYON (ONE WAY) MODERATE Hike: 6 miles Elevation: Loss of 1800 feet Area: Morongo Valley Duration of Hike: 3 hours Drive Time One Way: 40 minutes The hike begins in a lush riparian oasis at Big Morongo Preserve, a spectacular landscape of cottonwoods, willows, cattails, and other riparian species. The trail quickly plunges into the sharply barren desert down the canyons towards Desert Hot Springs. This is a one-way downhill hike with a short shuttle from Indian Avenue near Hwy. 62 back to Morongo Valley. Wildflowers may be in full bloom. Bring snacks and water. Date & Leaders: March 16, 2011, Marsha Hansen & Iona Scapple BOO HOFF TRAIL VIA RATTLESNAKE ALLEY ADVANCED Hike: 13.4 miles Elevation gain: 1,565 feet Area: Santa Rosa Mountains; Duration of Hike: 7-8 hours Drive Time One Way: 30 minutes This is an exciting loop hike (clockwise) that starts and ends at La Quinta Cove. The hike is over sandy trails, sandy washes, and over defined mountain trails. Hikers will pass by Lake Cahuilla and proceed to the Boo Hoff Trail for grandeur and majestic views of Coachella Valley, Little San Bernardino Mountains, Mt. San Gorgonio, San Jacinto Peak and La Quinta Cove. Bring plenty of water and prepare for warm/hot weather. Date & Leader: April 2, 2009, Jan. 5, 2010, March 8, 2011, Wes Bond BRADSHAW TRAIL MODERATE Hikes interspersed in all-day trip (see below) Date & leaders of most recent hike: December 9, 2013, Burt Falk/Larry Baker, Ernie Manson, Mike Wilkinson The Bradshaw Trail, nicknamed the Gold Road, is an historic overland stage route which originally connected San Bernardino, California to gold fields in La Paz, Arizona, four miles north of Ehrenberg. It was the first road connecting Riverside County to the Colorado River. Today, a graded dirt road, traverses southeastern Riverside County and a part of Imperial County, beginning roughly 12 miles east of North Shore and terminating about 14 miles southwest of Blythe for a total of 70 miles. This drive/hike combination trip requires a 4 wheel drive vehicle which, fortunately, all three leaders possess. Drive length: Approximately 250 miles, of which 70 miles will be on the graded dirt Bradshaw Trail. We'll enter the Bradshaw from the west and exit in the Palo Verde agricultural area, southwest of Blythe. The trip will take all day and will include a handful of short hikes to interesting areas along the way, including Pinnacle Canyon, Red Canyon and the Hauser Geode Beds, where we can dig (bring a shovel) for the crystal- lined "eggs." Since it will be a long drive, I'd like to limit the number of passengers in each SUV to 3, plus one in Mike's Jeep. That means that, excluding the 4 drivers, and assuming we can't acquire additional 4 wheel drive vehicles, we need to limit the trip to the first ten signing up. COST PER PARTICIPANT: $40 BUTTERFLY PEAK (6,228’), A NIFTY FIFTY PEAK ADVANCED Hike: 6 miles; Elevation gain: 1,700 feet; Duration of Hike: 4-5 hours; Drive Time One Way: 1 hour; Area: Desert Divide, San Jacinto Mtns; Butterfly Peak is located on the Desert Divide, north of the Garner Valley on Highway 74. This hike involves a paved road, a jeep road and off trail scrambling. Date & Leader: November 8, 2011, Burt Falk CAT CREEK TRAIL TO ART SMITH & SCHEY TRAILS ADVANCED Hike; 7.21 Miles; Elevation Gain:1,500 Feet; Area: Santa Rosa Mountain; Duration of Hike: 4 – 5 Hours; Driving Time To Trailhead: 30 Minutes This hike provides many majestic views of Palm Desert Cove from the Hopalong Cassidy trail and the Schey trail (including the outlook point). Hikers will have excellent view of the Big Horn Country Club, the Stone Eagle Golf Resort, Haystack Mountain, and Eisenhower Mountain. The trail will take hiker through beautiful mountain canyons, up a sandy wash through an oasis, and some parts of the trail are steep in ascent and descent and, likewise, hiking sticks are strongly recommended. A camera on this hike is a must. Date & Hike Leader: April 8, 2010, Wesley L. Bond CATHEDRAL CITY TO TRADING POST ADVANCED Hike: 12 miles Elevation gain: 1,600 feet; Duration of Hike: 7 hours Drive Time One Way : 30 minutes; Area: Santa Rosa Mountain The Palm Canyon Trail at the base of the Trading Post in Indian Canyon is one of the best oases in a canyon gorge that competes in beauty with the Palm Canyon Oasis. The trek involves walking on dirt roads, defined trails, and sandy washes. Date & Leader: February 8, 2011, Wes Bond CEDAR SPRINGS TRAIL/FOBES SADDLE KEY EXCHANGE Advanced Hike: 8 miles; Elevation Gain: 1200-1400 feet; Duration of Hike: 4-5 hours; Driving Time One Way: 1 hour; Area: Garner Valley/Desert Divide Burt will lead hikers from the Fobes Ranch TH to Cedar Springs TH, while John will lead hikers from the Cedar Springs TH to Fobes Ranch TH.