“Along Fern Canyon, originally uploaded by Cobber99.

We went up the Theleman Trail, then over the Wildhorse Trail to the Clara Burgess where we went up to the peak of Murray Hill and then back down again to the saddle where Clara Burgess meets the Wildhorse. We then took the Wildhorse south and then the Fern Canyon Trail west and to our end at the Indian Trading Post (Hermit’s Bench).

Many thanks to Florian for the vehicle swap idea – that worked great!

“Dry Oasis”, originally uploaded by me (Cobber99) on Flickr and is part of the photo album linked to below.

From: Hiking in Palm Springs:

( actual length of Fern Canyon is 4 miles, but you have to hike on either the Palm Canyon Trail or the Wildhorse Trail to reach it… )

To reach this trail, follow the directions for the Garstin Trail ( or you can reach it from the Palm Canyon Trail… ). Once on the Garstin, proceed up the Garstin Trail for about 2 miles and follow the sign for the Wildhorse/Berns/Shannon trails. Shortly you will come to a Y in the trail, keep right until you reach the trailhead sign for the Fern Canyon/Vandeventer/Hahn-Buena Vista/Palm Canyon trails. Just keep following the Trailhead signs until you reach the Fern Canyon Trail. The trail will lead you to a beautiful plateau, which is noted for beautiful wildflowers in the spring time. Follow the trail towards Palm Canyon, and you will be rewarded with a lush palm oasis at the foot of a giant boulder, covered with dripping water and gorgeous ferns. From here you can either backtrack the way you came, or continue into Palm Canyon and the Indian trading post as we did.

“San Jacinto from Theleman Trail”, originally uploaded by me (Cobber99) on Flickr and is part of the photo album linked to below.

The Theleman Trail climbs up from the valley floor and takes you, quite quickly, to the Garstin/Wildhorse trailhead. During most of the hike, the Garstin Trail to the north is visible, making it’s way up on the next ridge over.