Palm Springs, Calif. – Tahquitz Canyon is a place of mystery, legend, danger, beauty and refuge. Visible from the downtown area of this desert resort, it beckons like an enormous portal into the base of the San Jacinto Mountains.
Yet Tahquitz Canyon has been a forbidden destination for more than three decades. The canyon was declared off-limits to the public 1969 by the Agua Caliente Indian tribe after a crowd of more than 1,000 drifted from a rock concert in Palm Springs and spent days partying in the canyon. Even before that, the tribe was concerned about visitors camping illegally in the canyon, polluting streams and trampling native plants. Over the years, illegal visitors managed to sneak into the canyon, some setting up makeshift shelters and others spraying paint on the canyon's rocks and littering the ground with broken class, cans and trash.
But the “closed” sign at Tahquitz's door has been lifted recently. The Agua Caliente tribe, whose ancestors lived in the canyon for hundreds of years, re-opened the historic canyon to visitors in late December of 2000 for the first time in more than 30 years. The tribe made a remarkable effort to restore Tahquitz to the pristine state that prompted director Frank Capra to use its 60-foot waterfall to represent the mythical land of Shangri-La in his 1937 film “Lost Horizon.”
It was not an easy job. For three years, the tribe put eight people to work full time hauling out tons of garbage, cleaning graffiti from rocks and evicting transients who had made the canyon their home. The tribe built a visitor center just outside the mouth of the canyon, at 500 W. Mesquite Drive.
Ranger-led walking tours are held daily and begin every hour from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. While waiting in the center, visitors can view artifacts.
In early February, my wife Edy and I made a reservation for a 9 a.m. tour. Tours are limited to about 20 people and start with an introduction by a ranger and the screening of a 15-minute video in a small theater at the visitor center.
The video tells of the legend of Tah-kwish, an Indian shaman who abused his special powers and was banished into the canyon. Bitter about being shunned by his people, he is said to have survived by stealing people's souls and eating them. According to the legend, Tah-kwish still lives in the rocky cliffs high in the canyon and can occasionally be seen. Stories handed down by elders give accounts of Tah-kwish kidnapping young maidens. One of the young women was killed by Tah-kwish. Another he released from captivity after a year with her promise that she would not tell anyone what had happened. One day she finally revealed that she had been abducted by Tah-kwish and the next morning she was found dead in her bed.
In the video, Agua Caliente elders speak in solemn tones about the canyon and its legend. One speaks of seeing a flash of light high up in the rocks of the canyon as a boy and believed it to be Tah-kwish. Some of the elders believe so strongly in the legend that they do not venture into the canyon. Others enjoy the natural beauty of the majestic canyon but still respect the legend of Tah-kwish.
Our guide this day was tribal ranger Rocky Toyama, a wiry ex-Marine and native of Hawaii who exhibited a thorough knowledge of the canyon's history and the natural vegetation. As he led our group up the path into the canyon, he stopped frequently to point out plants that the early native residents of the area used for food, tea and medicinal purposes. At one spot, he called attention to a large slab of granite that is known as “Spirit Rock.” Nearby was a smooth rock with an indentation carved into it that was used to grind seeds and grains.
The walk up into the canyon revealed a stream with a healthy flow of water at this time of year. By April, when the snowmelt from the San Jacinto Mountains is at its peak, the stream will be filled with rushing waters that continue down into the wide “wash,” a flood control project, that diverts runoff away from homes and buildings and into a wide channel through the south end of town. Farther up, Rocky points out a rusted metal device in a water channel that was used to control water flow from Tahquitz Creek into the village in the early part of the century.
Finally, after a short uphill walk up a hillside trail, the famous Tahquitz Falls suddenly appears. It is a breathtaking sight, although the waterfall is not as dramatic this time of the year as it will be in a couple of months. The waterfall is framed by massive boulders and at the bottom is a cool, inviting pool. Like many other parts of the canyon, Tahquitz Falls had been defaced by graffiti-painting vandals before tribal crews cleaned it up.
The walk back down the canyon offers panoramic views of Palm Springs and the valley below. Along the way, we see a natural rock shelter that was used by natives centuries ago and more recently by homeless transients. Occasionally, we glance up at the cliffs above us to see if Tah-kwish is up there watching us.
Our hike takes close to three hours, although the guided tours can take anywhere from two to three hours, depending on the people in the group. For now, anyone entering Tahquitz Canyon must be part of a guided tour, although the strict rules may be relaxed in the future to allow individuals to walk the trails on their own.
Guided tours of Tahquitz Canyon are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Reservations are recommended. Call (760) 416-7044.
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