Where Water Meets Rock: Spectacular Murray Canyon Waterfall

Hike Distance: 4.25 miles

Elevation Gain: 538 ft elevation gain

TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator: 68 – Moderate

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Water + Rock = Beauty

The hike from Murray Canyon to the Seven Sisters Waterfalls takes place in Indian Canyon, situated within the Aqua Caliente Reservation. This hike offers a wonderful chance to enjoy the natural beauty of these lands and understand their significance to the Aqua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. An aerial map with the trail marked in green is shown below.

Information about Aqua Caliente Tribe and Reservation

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has considered the Palm Springs area their home since ancient times. Archaeological studies indicate that the Tribe's ancestors have lived in Tahquitz Canyon for at least 5,000 years, aligning with the migration tales of the Agua Caliente people. Further archaeological evidence suggests that the Tribe's ancestors have inhabited the site of the Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Springs for over 8,000 years.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have inhabited the Palm Springs area since ancient times. Studies indicate that their ancestors have lived in this region for over 8,000 years, and the Indian Canyons, consisting of Andreas, Murray, and Palm Canyons, continue to be highly significant culturally within the Coachella Valley.

Originally, the Cahuilla territory spanned about 2,400 square miles in Southern California. In ancient times, they developed intricate communities in the Palm, Murray, Andreas, Tahquitz, and Chino canyons, which were all enriched by abundant water sources. They collected native plants and seeds for food, medicinal uses, and basket weaving, and also grew crops like melons, squash, beans, and corn.

As outsiders discovered the Coachella Valley's potential, the tribe found their ancestorial homelands disrupted. To encourage the railroad, the U.S. government subdivided the Palm Springs area into one-mile-square sections, granting the Indians every other section while the Southern Pacific Railroad emerged as the primary beneficiary of this land agreement. In 1876 and 1877, the U.S. Federal Government deeded in trust to the Agua Caliente people only 31,500 acres for their homeland. Approximately 6,700 acres of this total are situated within the city limits of Palm Springs. The remaining parcels are scattered across the desert and mountains in a checkerboard pattern, as illustrated in the map below.

Since the early 1900s, visitors have viewed Indian Canyons primarily as a hiking spot, but for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, it is their ancestral homeland. With its mountain-fed streams, lush palm groves, and seasonal waterfalls, Indian Canyons has been a long-standing oasis of natural beauty and resources, offering the Tribe a wealth of raw materials to not only survive but also thrive.

Hiking into Murray Canyon

In March, when Paula and Scott visited, we finished the hike, and these photos clearly show that Murray Canyon, situated at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains, gets more rainfall than other parts of the valley. The first 3/4 mile of the trail crosses a wide, sandy wash that, although fully exposed, is covered with lush vegetation.

Encelia, commonly referred to as brittlebush, were in full bloom. These plants among the most prevalent and easily noticeable wildflowers in the Sonoran Desert; providing a golden-yellow blanket for the desert in March.

Vibrant yellow flowers resembling daisies sit atop long stalks, rising well above the leafy stems. The plant features thick, woody branches and velvety leaves that are silver-gray or blue-green and measure two inches. The bush can grow up to five feet in height and spread as wide as five feet, often forming a mounded shape.

Before long, we encountered a palm grove at the entrance of Murray Canyon. These Washingtonia filifera, also known as California fan palms, are the only palms native to the western United States, capable of withstanding both hot summers and freezing winters. Unlike typical trees, filifera are classified as 'monocots,' placing them in the same category as grasses. They can grow up to 59 feet tall and spread 10-20 feet wide, with a lifespan ranging from 80 to 250 years. What distinguishes these palms from others in California is that when their fronds die, they remain attached and create a wide skirt around the trunk.

Desert fan palms are such an enigma. Their range is limited to the hottest, driest North American desert but unlike most other desert plants, they have not adapted to surviving a hot and dry environment. Rather than deep roots that search for hidden seams of moisture, their roots are relatively shallow extending only 8-12 feet. These palms thrive because they are confined to areas where earthquake faults provide a constant supply of groundwater at or near the surface, such as Murray Canyon Creek.

The creek also supports honey mesquite bosques, which are thick groups of mesquite trees. These bosques are usually found at the boundaries of palm oases and desert riparian areas. In contrast to fan palms, honey mesquite trees are adapted to flourish in desert settings. They have a deep root system capable of reaching water at depths of at least 40 feet, and sometimes as much as 200 feet or more below the surface, and their roots can extend 50 feet beyond their canopy.

Not only did desert fan palms and honey mesquite serve as important food sources for the Cahuilla, but these plants also supplied wood for fuel, materials for building their domed homes known as kish, and tools.

It's All About the Water

Early on, there were several simple water crossings.

However, in 2019 when we hiked in Murray Canyon, the creek was flowing at much higher levels. Here a few photos from that hike.

Back to today's hike. Soon the wide sandy path was replaced with a narrow trail winding through the bottom of the canyon.

There were additional water crossings throughout the hike.

We climbed a ledge created by granite boulders that had once detached from the canyon walls to reach a small waterfall.

It's not easy taking photos for a hiking blog.

After the waterfall, we continued following the ledge up canyon.

There was one final tricky water crossing, however, we all managed to avoid getting wet.

Twenty minutes after the first waterfall, we reached the end of the trail.

A short sandy path led to Seven Sisters waterfall.

Despite making several stops to take photos, we reached the waterfall in just 90 minutes.

Even though the water was cold, we were determined to enjoy the pool.

You only live once so I decided to take a 'waterfall shower'.

Here are a few photos from the hike back to the trailhead.

Imagine going on a desert hike and not seeing a lizard. This male desert spiny lizard is typically seen in the Sonoran Desert of Southern California. An adult male can reach a length of 5-6 inches. These lizards regulate their internal temperature by altering their color, becoming darker during cooler periods to absorb more heat from the sun, and lighter during warmer periods to reflect more solar radiation. Additionally, the desert spiny lizard uses camouflage to avoid detection by predators.

We selected the Murray Canyon hike to Seven Sisters Waterfall for Paula and Scott's introduction to desert hiking because it highlights the stunning Indian Canyons, where water breathes life into the typically arid and seemingly desolate desert. Here, lush greenery adds a vibrant touch to the brown desert wash and canyon walls. With this hike completed, two more classic adventures await: an off-trail hike to the tallest rock arch in Joshua Tree National Park and the remarkable Painted Canyon-Ladder Canyon hike in the Mecca Wilderness.