Preserving One Kind of Palm Springs Wildlife

The wild side of Palm Springs means different things to different people. To college students on spring break, Palm Springs is a place to party hearty.

To hikers, the wild side of Palm Springs means gentle sand-scapes, rugged mountains and hidden palm oases--places to escape Rodeo Drive East.

The newly designated Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area preserves about 200,000 acres of the wild Palm Springs preferred by hikers. The area includes portions of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains, which form that post-card-perfect background for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.

Land-use planners evaluated the Santa Rosa Mountains under the government’s Visual Resource Management Program and gave the range a “scenic quality rating of ‘A’, or excellent.”

Any visitor who looks out over the blooming ocotillo as the sun sets over the western escarpment of the Santa Rosas will likely agree with this rating. Adding to the area’s scenic qualities is a wide variety of plant life--miles of creosote and salt bush, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland, palm oases and high conifer forests.

The Santa Rosa Mountains were officially declared “scenic” last year, and placed under the administration of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The range is the nation’s fourth such area to receive National Scenic Area designation--others include the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, Mono Basin and the East Mojave.

Besides their visual appeal, the Santa Rosa Mountains were designated a scenic area because they serve as habitat for America’s largest remaining population of peninsular bighorn sheep. The bighorn, whose numbers are estimated at 200 and declining, need lots of room to roam.

Wildlife in the scenic area (not to be confused with the wild life in Palm Springs) includes golden eagles and red-tailed hawks, coyotes, bobcats and mule deer. Two small herds of wild horses also inhabit the area.

The scenic area also gives humans room to roam. The population of the Coachella Valley is 200,000, a figure that is expected to double within a decade. About 2 million visitors per year pass through the Palm Springs area, though few head for the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Visitors to the new scenic area will be helped by two maps. The Auto Club’s Riverside County map (the very latest edition) shows the area. For a more detailed look at the equestrian and hiking trails of Palm Springs, pick up a copy of “Desert Trails Map” ($2) at the Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Palm Springs or at the Hermit Bench Trading Post at the head of Palm Canyon.

For a great overview of the Santa Rosas, and of the Coachella Valley, join Highway 74 (Palms to Pine Highway) in Palm Desert and drive south a few miles to the first scenic overlook. It’s a grand panorama of Palm Springs and surrounding desert peaks.

A good introductory hike in the scenic area uses the Museum and Lykken trails in the foothills above Palm Springs. This hike begins at Palm Springs Desert Museum, where natural science exhibits re-create the unique ecology of Palm Springs and the surrounding Colorado Desert.

Displays interpret the astonishing geological forces that shaped this desert land. The museum also has exhibits portraying the original inhabitants of the Coachella Valley, who managed to live in what seems to be a very harsh and unforgiving land.

Museum Trail ascends a mile to an overlook and joins Lykken Trail, which travels another mile through the hills above town to Ramon Road. These two trails are easily followed with the help of the Auto Club’s Palm Springs-Indio Area map.

A highlight of the National Scenic Area are the palm canyons, which have long been under the jurisdiction of the Agua Caliente band of the Cahuilla Indians. Palm Canyon is the uncrowned king of America’s desert oases. A meandering stream and lush undergrowth complement more than 3,000 palms, creating a jungle-like atmosphere in some places. An easy and very popular trail leads through Palm Canyon.

Experienced, agile and adventurous hikers with a good sense of direction will enjoy some of the other trails that begin in the Palm Canyon area. A particular favorite of mine is the six-mile trek along Fern Canyon Trail. The trail--a route, really--requires bushwhacking through palm fronds and thick vegetation in the bottom of Wentworth Canyon, as well as some boulder-hopping and (non-technical) rock climbing.

Eventually, Fern Canyon Trail ascends out of its namesake canyon and joins much-easier-to-follow Vandeventer Trail and circles back to Palm Canyon.

Using the Desert Trails map, you can improvise a hike through the new Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area that suits your ability and energy level.

Lykken, Palm Canyon Trails Where: Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area. Distance: 3-6 miles round trip. Terrain: Mountains, palm-lined canyons. Highlights: Largest palm oasis, chance of glimpsing bighorn sheep. Precautions: Carry water, protect yourself from sun. For more information: Contact the U.S. Bureau of Land management, 400 S. Farrell Drive, Suite B-205, Palm Springs 92260, (619) 323-4421