Murray Canyon Trail -Agua Caliente - Band of Cahuilla People

The Murray Canyon Trail is on the ancestral lands of the Agua Caliente - Band of Cahuilla People.  The cost to get on the reserve lands with all the trailheads is $12 for an adult and $7 for a senior.

 It's a beautiful trail that is a little ho-hum in the beginning and then quickly turns into a very scenic trail.

The canyon has a stream flowing throughout it which is more powerful in some areas and weaker in others.  You cross the stream quite a few times up and down the trail.

The Rock formations are gorgeous here with lots of picture-taking moments.

Can you spot Darren in this picture?  The rocks dwarf him.

The canyon is peppered with Palm trees, Fan trees and green grasses which are closer to the summit.

Its not really a loop you have to go down the exact same way you came up.  This trail is classified as hard I would actually classify it in the difficult range.  If you are scared of falling down the boulders you've just climbed up or scared of crossing the stream balancing on a downed palm tree or have any mobility issues then this is not a trail for you. 

I highly recommend this trail, it had great views and it was a great workout with lots of nature to see.  It was very well marked, letting you know how much farther to the top by every 1/4 mile.  

We almost came out unscathed but a thorny bush attacked me and they are everywhere but there off to the side of most of the trail and I stepped on a palm tree husk that flipped back on me and stabbed me in the knee.  Darren got too ambitious climbing the big boulders and got scraped up on his leg.

And who knew that you can get slivers from Palm trees?

At the beginning of the trail, the silence is deafening.  

Once you get to the canyon at the higher altitude you hear a constant babbling brook sound of the creek rolling over rocks and there are miniature waterfalls everywhere.  It is very peaceful and serene.

When you get to the summit there is a trail marker saying the trail ends. It took us just under an hour to reach the top of the trail.  I stopped a lot to take pictures.  If you just walk past that a little bit just over the water pool and up over a rock face,  you'll see the tallest and largest waterfall on the hike. This is about 8 to 10 feet and very picture worthy.   Walking the extra few feet passed the trail marker is worth it, but that was also one of the trickier parts of the trail.

The picture does not do it justice.

If you're a klutz I would not recommend this trail because there are tripping hazards everywhere.

Parking is free at the base of the canyon and there is a Portapotty for your use before and after the trail.

Don't let the first portion of the Murry Canyon Trail deter you.   The first portion of the trail looks like a gravel road and is kind of a yawner. 

It's not until you get to the canyon that you see the real beauty of the Murray Canyon Trail.