Tahquitz Falls

Agua Caliente Indian Reservation / Palm Springs, California, USA

About Tahquitz Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Tahquitz Falls (pronounced “TAH-kitz” and not “tah-KITZ”) was one of the more spectacular desert waterfalls we’ve ever experienced.

We generally perceive desert waterfalls to not have reliable flow so we wouldn’t feel like they would be worth the trouble to pursue.

Tahquitz_Falls_056_05192019 - Tahquitz Falls
Tahquitz Falls

However, as you can see from the photo above, Tahquitz Falls seriously made us reconsider those thoughts and perceptions as our experiences with this roughly 50 or 60ft waterfall would attest.

Indeed, this place really opened our minds up to the possibility of experiencing more waterfalls in the deserts this far east of the Los Angeles basin.

The Checkered Past of Tahquitz Canyon

Julie and I were amazed how we could’ve missed Tahquitz Falls during our years of waterfalling.

One reason could be that this waterfall sat in a canyon that was hidden from pretty much the rest of Palm Springs as the canyon’s mouth didn’t face the rest of the city.

Tahquitz_Falls_034_02252017 - Cliffs overlooking the east side of Tahquitz Creek concealing Tahquitz Canyon from the rest of Palm Springs
Cliffs overlooking the east side of Tahquitz Creek concealing Tahquitz Canyon from the rest of Palm Springs

Meanwhile, the canyon itself was mostly concealed by tall cliffs.

But perhaps the main reason why we weren’t even aware of this falls until our first visit in 2011 and later was that it was closed to the public before 2001.

That was when the Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians finally finished work to restore the area.

During their restoration efforts, they removed graffiti, evicted transients, and made the otherwise rugged trail more manageable for visitors from the neighboring resorts in Palm Springs.

Tahquitz_Cyn_124_04102011 - Looking towards Palm Springs from the hidden mouth of Tahquitz Canyon
Looking towards Palm Springs from the hidden mouth of Tahquitz Canyon

Indeed, the fee to visit this part of tribal lands seemed pretty steep, but at least those fees were being put to good use as evident in the benign and family-friendly trail conditions.

About the Trail to Tahquitz Falls

The hike to Tahquitz Falls consisted of a two-mile loop with interpretive markings throughout that were keyed to the trail map provided by the visitor center.

Most of the points of interest were Native American sites such as rock mortars, rock art, natural shelters, and even an old ditch.

We’ve noticed that the direction of the hike tended to change with the conditions.

Tahquitz_Falls_075_02252017 - Dad trying to figure out how to traverse Tahquitz Creek in front of Tahquitz Falls without getting his feet wet during a visit in February 2017
Dad trying to figure out how to traverse Tahquitz Creek in front of Tahquitz Falls without getting his feet wet during a visit in February 2017

For example, the first time we visited Tahquitz Falls back in 2011, we did the loop hike in a clockwise manner.

The second time we visited the falls in 2017, we stayed close to the cliffs on the east side of Tahquitz Creek before turning back due to flood damage on the other half of the trail.

The third time we visited the falls in 2019, the trail signage had us do the loop hike in a counterclockwise manner.

Even though the loop could be done in less than an hour, we very easily could have consumed the better part of a half-day checking out the various spots and chilling by the waterfall itself.

Tahquitz_Falls_023_05192019 - Trail sign in 2019 directing us to do the loop hike counterclockwise instead of going across the bridge on the left to do the loop clockwise like before
Trail sign in 2019 directing us to do the loop hike counterclockwise instead of going across the bridge on the left to do the loop clockwise like before

We generally took our time in each of our visits, which consumed roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours, including all the stops and picture taking.

Nevertheless, how the authorities want you to do this hike may change.

So in the interest of keeping this page at a manageable length, we’ll do the trail description based on our first visit as if it was done in a clockwise manner.

That way, we would benefit from the morning shade provided by the steep cliffs on the east side of Tahquitz Canyon before exposing ourselves to the hot desert sun on the way back.

Tahquitz Falls Trail Description – from the Visitor Center to the Loop

Tahquitz_Falls_006_05192019 - The hike to Tahquitz Falls began from the backside of this visitor center, where we paid for the entrance fee and got our wrist bands
The hike to Tahquitz Falls began from the backside of this visitor center, where we paid for the entrance fee and got our wrist bands

After paying the entrance fee and getting our wrist bands, we then proceeded to the back of the visitor center where the trail began.

The first quarter-mile of the hike was wide open and exposed to the sun as the trail made a bend to the left just as it started to skirt by the east bank of Tahquitz Creek.

After this initial quarter-mile, the trail briefly forked.

The left fork provided access to the Sacred Rock, which was a giant rock said to have rock art on it.

Tahquitz_Falls_025_02252017 - The Tahquitz Falls Trail meandered amongst giant boulders like what's shown here, which had fallen from the steep cliffs flanking Tahquitz Canyon over the years
The Tahquitz Falls Trail meandered amongst giant boulders like what’s shown here, which had fallen from the steep cliffs flanking Tahquitz Canyon over the years

It eventually looped around and rejoined the main trail after a short descent to the rock bridge traversing Tahquitz Creek.

The right fork descended directly to the rock bridge over Tahquitz Creek.

We spotted some thorny plants where edible wolfberries grew alongside the trail in this stretch.

Beyond the rock bridge, the trail started to ascend as it followed along the west bank of Tahquitz Creek.

Tahquitz_Falls_031_02252017 - Following a sign that directed us to turn left at the junction and hike over this bridge towards the east side of the loop to Tahquitz Falls back in February 2017
Following a sign that directed us to turn left at the junction and hike over this bridge towards the east side of the loop to Tahquitz Falls back in February 2017

Up ahead, we could see in the distance the cliffs where Tahquitz Canyon boxed itself in, and we knew that the waterfall had to be there.

After another quarter-mile, we encountered a trail junction where a sign may or may not be there to direct us one way or the other.

This was one end of the longer loop that skirted Tahquitz Creek to Tahquitz Falls.

Even though the authorities may want you to hike this loop in a particular manner, we’ll describe this part of the loop in a clockwise manner.

Tahquitz Falls Trail Description – the East Bank of the Loop

Tahquitz_Falls_094_05192019 - Tiny wolfberries growing on some of the thorny bushes along the Tahquitz Falls Trail near Tahquitz Creek
Tiny wolfberries growing on some of the thorny bushes along the Tahquitz Falls Trail near Tahquitz Creek

Taking a left turn at the trail junction, we then crossed a pair of rock bridges as the trail ascended past an interesting flat rock that provided nice views towards the mouth of Tahquitz Canyon.

Nearby, we also saw more of those thorny plants that grew those edible orange wolfberries.

The trail then continued its climb beneath the tall cliffs that concealed much of Tahquitz Canyon from the rest of Palm Springs.

The presence of giant boulders flanking the trail suggested that these cliffs continued to supply parts of itself.

Tahquitz_Falls_046_02252017 - Context of the east side of the loop hike to Tahquitz Falls as we meandered amongst giant boulders towards the head of Tahquitz Canyon
Context of the east side of the loop hike to Tahquitz Falls as we meandered amongst giant boulders towards the head of Tahquitz Canyon

It reminded us that erosion continues to work away and reshape the landscape while exposing the underlying geology that gave rise to the canyon and the waterfall itself.

One time, we spotted desert bighorn sheep high up on these vertical cliffs.

The climb persisted for the next 0.4 miles, which comprised the majority of its 350ft elevation gain in this stretch.

Along the way, the trail started to converge towards Tahquitz Creek while revealing some smaller and hidden cascades.

Tahquitz_Falls_066_05192019 - Desert bighorn sheep seen high up on the cliffs near Tahquitz Falls during our 2019 visit
Desert bighorn sheep seen high up on the cliffs near Tahquitz Falls during our 2019 visit

Eventually, the trail then descended to the shaded plunge pool of the Tahquitz Falls, which was a very popular spot to both play in the icy cold water, take selfies, and have a picnic lunch.

In order to get more frontal views of the falls (like in the photo at the top of this page), we had to rock hop our way onto the middle of Tahquitz Creek.

That way, the foliage above us and the cliffs to the side of the falls didn’t obstruct the view.

From here, it looked as if Tahquitz Falls had split the cliff while deep blue skies contrasted with the bright white cliff face itself.

Tahquitz_Falls_078_02252017 - Descending to the plunge pool area in front of Tahquitz Falls
Descending to the plunge pool area in front of Tahquitz Falls

Perhaps the only thing keeping this spot from being the de facto spot to take photos was the mist from the falls blowing downstream!

Tahquitz Falls Trail Description – the West Bank of the Loop

The rock hop bridge over Tahquitz Creek continued towards the opposite side of the creek.

This began the other half of the long loop, which followed the west bank of Tahquitz Creek while being more exposed to the sun.

This stretch of trail skirted the foot of the cliffs on the west side of Tahquitz Canyon before descending steeply towards the banks of Tahquitz Creek.

Tahquitz_Cyn_107_04102011 - The hike on the west bank of Tahquitz Creek half of the loop was more exposed to the sun, but was somewhat gradually downhill
The hike on the west bank of Tahquitz Creek half of the loop was more exposed to the sun, but was somewhat gradually downhill

Roughly about a quarter-mile from Tahquitz Falls, we reached what appeared to be a USGS Gauging Station (measuring the flow of Tahquitz Creek).

After briefly meandering tantalizingly close to Tahquitz Creek, the trail then veered away from it as the path followed what appeared to be a dry creek.

At a sharp bend in the trail, we spotted an old ditch or contraption originally built by the Cahuilla in 1830.

We suspected that the dry creek must have been the ditch that diverted part of Tahquitz Creek for harvesting.

Tahquitz_Falls_027_05192019 - An old contraption that once served as a ditch for the Cahuilla since 1830
An old contraption that once served as a ditch for the Cahuilla since 1830

Eventually, after 0.2 miles more, the trail rejoined the junction to complete the loop.

The remainder of the hike backtracked the remaining half-mile to return to the visitor center with views towards the basin in the direction of downtown Palm Springs.

Timing Tahquitz Falls

Ever since we became aware of Tahquitz Falls, we’ve seen in the literature other photos where the falls either trickled or didn’t flow well at all.

As far as we could tell, our visits just so happened to have occurred during wet years where substantial snowmelt from the San Jacinto Mountains resulted in very high flow.

Tahquitz_Falls_065_02252017 - Tahquitz Falls when we came early in the season on February 2017 and the plunge pool didn't seem to be nearly as deep as it was in our April and May visits
Tahquitz Falls when we came early in the season on February 2017 and the plunge pool didn’t seem to be nearly as deep as it was in our April and May visits

We suspect under such years that the flow would most likely peak during the March through May timeframe.

Although springs also feed Tahquitz Creek, seeing it flow in all its glory really depends on the snowpack and how hot the weather becomes to melt the snow.

Thus, our Tahquitz Falls experiences probably reflected higher-than-typical flows that spanned the months of February through May under such heavy snowpack years.

I’d bet that given high flow years like this, the waterfall might even flow impressively through the start of the scorching months like June and maybe even into July!

Tahquitz_Falls_053_05192019 - Tahquitz Falls when we made a return visit in May 2019. Notice how deep the plunge pool was for this guy who tried to brave the icy cold water to get as close as he could to the falls
Tahquitz Falls when we made a return visit in May 2019. Notice how deep the plunge pool was for this guy who tried to brave the icy cold water to get as close as he could to the falls

That said, in years where the San Jacinto Mountains wouldn’t get as much snow, then I could foresee the flow might peak much earlier in the start of Spring (March) and thus trickle by June.

Authorities

Tahquitz Falls is on private property in Palm Springs of Riverside County, California. It is administered by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation. For information or inquiries about the general area as well as current conditions, you may want to try visiting their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: palm springs, agua caliente, indian reservation, riverside, cahuilla, southern california, california, waterfall, tahquitz creek, san jacinto



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.