DIVERSIONS : Desert Horse Country : Adventures: The canyons surrounding Palm Springs are oases of beauty and natural history especially attractive to hikers and riders.

Long before golf courses blanketed the desert town of Palm Springs, before there was a Bob Hope Drive--or a Bob Hope, for that matter--horseback riding in the canyons of Palm Springs was the favorite pastime.

“People came from all over to see the canyons,” recalls Frank Bogert, a former seven-term mayor and author of the book “Palm Springs: The First Hundred Years,” who started coming to the canyons in 1921.

Today, Bogert rides in the canyons as a member of the Desert Riders, a horse club established in 1930. The hoopla over the canyons has since died down--in fact, ask many Palm Springs residents, says Rod Johnson, owner of the Smoke Tree Riding Stables, and they probably don’t even know this desert oasis exists. But members of the Desert Riders--the oldest organized club in Palm Springs--are among the 90,000 or so faithful who visit the canyons each year, and they have become the caretakers of the canyon trails.

“People assume that to be in Palm Springs is to be in a dry area,” Johnson says, “but you get up into the canyons, and there’s all these palm trees and water. It’s just beautiful.”

The more than 2,000 acres of canyons were once home to the Cahuilla Indians, who lived in caves, found relief from the hot sun beneath the Washingtonia Filifera palms, and drew water from the underground springs, which run through the canyons even in the hottest months.

Most of the hiking and equestrian trails were created by Indians, who lived in the canyons at least 500 years ago, and possibly as long ago as 2,000 years, according to Richard Malinovich, chairman of the Tribal Council of the Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians. The Cahuillas charge a $3.50 entrance fee to the canyons, two of which (Palm and Andreas) are accessible by car. A trading post overlooks Palm Canyon, where walkers can begin their hikes or pick up handmade leather goods, dolls, plants, books and other Indian-related items.

Equestrians can begin their ride at the Smoke Tree or Los Compadres stables. Horses can be rented at Smoke Tree ($36 for a 2-hour guided tour of the canyons) or boarded for the night ($10 at Los Compadres; $12.50 at Smoke Tree). If you bring your own horse just for the day, parking is free.

This is the closest the canyons have come to commercialization, though the federal government approved a measure in the 1920s to make a national park out of Palm, Andreas and Murray canyons.

“It was the big thing then to make the canyon a national park,” Bogert said. “There was a lot of publicity going on. Most people didn’t even stop in Palm Springs, they went right to the canyon . . . it was solid cars going in.”

But no one bothered to ask the owners--the Cahuilla Indians--if they would consider selling. They wouldn’t.

It’s just as well, Bogert says, because it’s unlikely the canyon would have remained in its natural state once in public hands. The canyon, he says, hasn’t changed much since he first visited 70 years ago.

The Desert Riders take weekly excursions into the canyons, where there are more than 30 trails. Though the list of club members sounds suspiciously similar to the Palm Springs social roster, slipping on a pair of Western boots, jeans and a hat has a way of neutralizing. Prestige on a trail ride comes from slipping into a sturdy leather saddle and taking hold of the reins--and letting the horse do its stuff.

The start of the trail is the most desert-like, plowing through several miles of deep sand through the Palm Canyon Wash. At the gate to the Indian Reservation, the Indians welcome riders--and collect any cash that is owed for riders who aren’t included in prepaid groups, such as the Desert Riders.

“We have a good relationship with the Indians,” says Johnson, who is also a Desert Rider. “They’ve done an A-1 job of preserving the canyons. They’re really concerned about it.”

Though the canyons are accessible to cowpokes at any level, some trails are better left to experienced hands--or at least experienced hoofs. A good trail horse is a sure-footed animal that can navigate a rocky river bed or balance along a narrow mountain ridge with all the grace of a world-class ballerina. A horse new to trail riding, on the other hand, could shy away from any of the numerous challenges the canyons have to offer. (Greenhorns have been known to leap into the air over something as trivial as a broken branch.)

Riders may come upon signs of the Indian communities that once thrived here: rock art, house pits, dams, reservoirs and bedrock mortars used to prepare food. Wildlife is occasionally sighted, along with colorful desert flowers in the spring.

Picnic areas near the streams, in the shade of some hefty palm trees, are a suitable halfway point for horseback riders. The Desert Riders have their lunches catered, says Laini Victor, the club’s chuck-wagon boss. She prepares the menu and arranges for the food to be ready when the riders arrive.

Picnic sites in Palm and Andreas canyons can be reached by car. Murray Canyon, the one many riders seem to agree is the most scenic, can only be reached by hiking or horseback.

Victor has been riding around Palm Springs for more than 25 years. She says the canyons have the best trails, since most of the desert routes are now covered by townhouses and other development anyway.

“It used to be you could ride all over, there was nothing there,” she says. “There was even a big fight to develop into Andreas and Murray (canyons), but the Indians and environmentalists fought it.”

One of the few new trails in the canyons is the Victor Trail, commissioned by Victor in 1974 in honor of her father, John.

“My family used to come here from Illinois in the late ‘30s,” she says. “Father always liked beautiful views, so I wanted to put in a trail in his honor.”

Although attracting more visitors to the canyons would help pay for upkeep of all the trails, the Cahuillas are hesitant to do it.

“We don’t want to advertise,” Malinovich says. “It’s a Catch-22 situation: We want visitors to enjoy it and help with the upkeep, but we can’t have too many. The more people, the more impact.”

Some tribe members are trail guides for organized hiking tours lead by Desert Adventures. They attempt to explain, says Malinovich, how the Indians utilized every plant and animal, how they lived off the land and had a deep respect for the environment.

“The Indian people were able to avail themselves of the resources, particularly here in the desert,” says Malinovich, whose mother was Cahuilla. “They either ate (a plant) or used it for medicinal purposes, and every animal has its place.”

By leading the tours, Malinovich says, they hope some of their respect for the environment will rub off.

The following offer horseback departure points for Palm Springs canyons: Smoke Tree Stables, 2500 Toledo Ave. (619) 327-1372; Los Compadres, 1849 S. El Cielo Road. (619) 327-5411. The best time to ride is during the cooler months, usually from October to May.

Desert Adventures offers hiking tours. For information: (619) 324-3378.