Climate Zones Merge in Unique Morongo Canyon

We Southern Californians are fortunate to have two deserts--the Mojave and the Colorado--at our feet. Big Morongo Canyon, tucked in the Little San Bernardino Mountains near the San Bernardino-Riverside County line, bridges these two desert worlds and offers the hiker a chance to explore one of the state’s largest natural oases.

For many centuries, native people used Big Morongo Canyon as a passageway between the high and low deserts. The last of these nomads to inhabit the canyon were a group of Serrano Indians known as the Morongo, for whom the canyon is named.

When white settlers entered the area in the mid-19th Century, the Morongos were forced onto a reservation and the canyon became the property of ranchers. Today, Big Morongo Canyon is managed and protected by the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The relative abundance of water is the key to Big Morongo’s long human history and its botanical uniqueness. Several springs bubble up in the reserve, and one of the California desert’s very few year-round creeks flows through the canyon. Dense thickets of cottonwood and willow, as well as numerous water-loving shrubs, line Big Morongo Creek. This lush, crowded riparian vegetation sharply contrasts with the well-spaced creosote community typical of the high and dry slopes of the reserve and of the open desert beyond.

The oasis at Big Morongo is a crucial water supply for fox, bobcat, raccoon, coyote and big-horn sheep. Gopher snakes, rosy boas, chuckwallas and California tree frogs are among the amphibians and reptiles in residence.

The permanent water supply also makes it possible for the showy western tiger swallowtail and other butterflies to thrive, along with several species of dragonflies and Croton bugs.

Big Morongo Canyon is best known for its variety of birds, which are numerous because the canyon is not only at the intersection of two deserts but also at the merging of two climate zones--arid and coastal. These climates, coupled with the wet world of the oasis, make the preserve an attractive stopover for birds on their spring and fall migrations.

More than 200 bird species have been sighted, including the rare vermilion flycatcher and the least Bell’s vireo. Commonly seen year-round residents include starlings, house finches and varieties of quail and hummingbirds.

For the hiker, the preserve offers several short loop trails ranging from a quarter-mile to one mile long. Some of the wetter sections of trail at the bottom of the canyon are crossed by wooden boardwalks, which keep hikers dry and keep fragile creek-side flora from being trampled. Trails called Desert Wash, Cottonwood, Willow, Yucca Ridge and Mesquite explore the environments suggested by their names.

A longer path, Canyon Trail, travels the six-mile length of Big Morongo Canyon. You could make this a one-way all-downhill journey by arranging a car shuttle or by having someone pick you up on Indian Avenue. The leg-weary or families with small children might enjoy a 2 1/2-mile round-trip canyon walk to a small waterfall.

Directions to trail head: From Interstate 10, about 15 miles east of Banning and a bit past the California 111 turnoff to Palm Springs, exit on California 62. Drive 10 miles north to the signed turnoff on your right for Big Morongo wildlife preserve. Turn east; after 1/10 mile you’ll see the preserve’s service road leading to a parking area.

To reach the end of the trail at the mouth of Big Morongo Canyon, you’ll exit California 62 on Indian Avenue and drive exactly a mile to a dirt road on your left. A “Dip” sign precedes the turnoff, and a pump enclosed by a chain-link fence suggests your parking space.

The hike: From the parking lot, you may pick up the trail by the preserve’s interpretive displays or join the dirt road that leads past the caretaker’s residence. Pick up a copy of the Big Morongo Bird List from a roadside dispenser.

Off to the right of the old ranch road you’ll see a pasture lined with cottonwood trees and a barn built in the 1880s. Often the road is muddy, so detour with the signed and aptly named Mesquite Trail, which uses a wooden boardwalk to get over the wet spots. As you stand on the boardwalk in the midst of Big Morongo Creek, take a moment to listen to the sounds of running water, chirping birds and croaking frogs.

Canyon Trail meanders with the creek for a gentle mile or so and arrives at a corrugated metal check dam that has created a small waterfall. For the less energetic, this is a good turnaround point.

The trail continues descending through the canyon with Big Morongo Creek until, a bit more than three miles from the trail head, the creek suddenly disappears. Actually, the water continues flowing underground through layers of sand.

The canyon widens and so does the trail. About five miles from the trail head is the south gate of the preserve. At the canyon mouth, every inanimate object in the vicinity has been peppered by off-the-mark marksmen. Compensating for Big Morongo’s somewhat inglorious end is a stirring view of snow-capped Mt. San Jacinto, which lies straight ahead. Stick to your right at every opportunity as you exit the canyon; a dirt road will soon deliver you to Indian Avenue.

Big Morongo Canyon Trail Parking Lot to Waterfall 2 1/2 miles round trip Parking Lot to Canyon Mouth 12 miles round trip; 1,900-foot elevation gain