Solo hiked Tues 4/16/2024 – Cactus Springs Trail-Sheep Mountain Trail- cross country from Sheep to Martinez mountains-cross country down WSW slope of Martinez- Cactus Springs Trail back. The only real trail on this loop was the Cactus Springs Trail, a nicely laid out ancestral path of the Cahuilla Tribe. It takes a direct route through the Santa Rosa Wilderness with frequent wooden forest service marker posts along the way. There are also many cairns/ducks marking the trail where it goes through the sandy wash areas but some erroneously mark paths up smaller, “dead end” washes. Going up the faint to non-existent Sheep Mountain Trail requires a bit of navigation work but is somewhat intuitive. There are helpfully cairn marked sections of this trail closer to the Sheep Mountain summit. Panoramic views off of Sheep Mountain were spectacular including Toro, Santa Rosa, San Jacinto, San Gorgonio and Martinez summits as well as the northern shoreline of the Salton Sea. That said, the view of the northwest route up Martinez from here reminds you of the work ahead! Taking the cross country route from Sheep to Martinez was the most challenging part of this trek, a constant navigation exercise without the aid of cairns that switches to a steep, direct NW ascent up to the summit. No real bushwhacking is required in finding a direct route up through the pinyons and oaks, just some care in avoiding cholla and prickly pear spines and looser scree zones in the gully portions. Climbing the Martinez summit block from the southeast side is straight forward, even with a mid-weight pack (placed it on a nice ledge for the last 3 chimney feet and retrieved it from the top). Really appreciated the very well cairn marked WSW descent down Martinez to the Cactus Springs Trail! Much thanks to everyone responsible as it was a quite fun, enjoyable way down through the rocks. Found what looked to be a nice 30 foot down climb of a dry water fall on an alternate route back to Horse Thief Creek but there was not enough daylight left for the “unknowns”. Highly recommend this loop if you’re up for the navigation work. Otherwise, the Cactus Springs Trail alone is worth the time. Logged 20.2 miles/4864 vertical ft with Gaia.
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Very nice for viewing palm trees trails are well maintained and marked.
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This trail was one of those beautiful trails I’ve hiked, in California. The lush palms throughout the 1st 1.5 miles are magnificent, and plentiful!!…
The water was flowing the whole time due to the rains, and in the end of the hike, the storms came in over the canyon and had a little bit more water… It got really windy as well so look out overhead when you walk back through the canopy…
Beautiful hike, will go back again
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Crossed the creek many times, shared the trail with horses and the waterfalls were stunning. Trail is an out and back, so total mileage is 4.0
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This hike is under rated! So beautiful! Makes a great loop with amazing views!
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A nice day hike. Unusual terrain. Palm trees in the lower canyon, desert higher up. Hiked to Stone Pools and back. Good spot for lunch. Odd to see so much water in the desert. Beautiful views of Palm Springs below and snow capped mountains above. Lots of cacti.
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Great view of Lake Cahuilla and Quarry but be very careful climbing to the overlook.
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Great hike. We planned on three miles in and then returned. Had a great snack spot with views of the snow on San Jacinto and could also see all the way to the Salton Sea. The oasis would have been another couple of miles.
Poles are a great asset and take at least two litres of water.
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This loop is “ok”. It is desert so the scenery doesn’t change. The highlight was encountering big horn sheep as we were ending the hike.
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This was an epic day.. decided not to go the whole way to the top and opted for the epic blue cheese burger at the bar in the tram station. From 7500 feet up the snow in the shaded gulleys was hard packed but not too slick. Spikes recommend.
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This is a super awesome hike but during the months going forward the earlier the better.. I grew up here and am a desert rat 🐀 of sorts.. kinda get the super hot sauna hike scenario but be very wary 😒
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A quarter of the way third of the way to Art Smith Trailhead and Palm Desert. Nice up and back from Cathedral city.
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Good hike. You can pick whenever you want to turn around. Make sure you bring water. When u think u have enough. Bring more.
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Good weather this morning. Hike for Friends of the Desert Mountains.
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Beautiful area in the Canyon of Palms. Not much water at the falls but enough shade to sit and rest. Hike is a good workout, especially with the heat. We left at 9am, finished in 2 hours. Last 1/2 mile is tough because of the heat and sun exposure. Take plenty of water. Also easy to get off trail- Gaia saved us several times!
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Hiked in chilly weather; occasional raindrops and a little graupel (crusty snow pellets) falling at the top. Glad I had extra layers to put on.
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Moderate. You only walk a short distance but the elevation is steep. Make sure to do this early in the morning before the heat and to bring water despite the short distance. The top view is awesome you get a whole scene of the Palm Springs Valley below. There’s also good chance to see big horn sheep that live here. We saw them on our hike when we were at the look out!
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Today's high will be 108, last night's low was 79. Up and back before it gets too hot. Have been blessed to see several Big Horn Sheep at the top.
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Beautiful desert workout with awesome views. The Palm grove at the turnaround is a pleasant spot to cool off in the shade. Wildflowers were going off in all sorts of variety. This will be my go to when friends and family visit and want a good hike.
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A good workout, but mostly I value the beauty and serenity. I’m amazed at the diversity of life in the desert!
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Excellent sunny hike to a remarkably small hole in the wall of a mine. Slab rocks are only shade after leaving trailhead. Not another soul on the trail on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday. Very good views back out across Palm Springs.
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Skyline is my favorite hike. There is snow and ice on the Traverse do bring your micro spikes and poles.
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August 10 2017 average temp 110...19 mi hike, 5000 foot climb, 17 mile bike back down to la Quinta. A bit warm.
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Great short hike along a flowing river that ends at an amazing waterfall.
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Great views of PSP and the Valley in general. Trail connects to many ancillary trails at the top.
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The trail was very nice, although one leg of the upstream part of the trail was washed out, so there was no loop. This made for a rather crowded hike, with tons of tourists trooping back and forth. We were treated to pretty close views of a bighorn ram, who posed atop a rock and clambered around the rocks for our benefit. The waterfall was very nice, although the big cottonwood tree next to the plunge pool blocked views for good photography. I would rate this a 5 except for the hordes hiking the trail, which detracted from the experience.
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