When I think of slot canyons , I remember of the arresting water system - carve walls of Southern Utah and the grandiloquent narrow-minded defile of Northern Arizona . I imagine of iconic slots with telling names like the Subway , the Zion Narrows , and Secret Canyon . What I do n’t picture , however , is a expansion slot canon just alfresco of Palm Springs , California , a dry land more known for medallion Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and fine art deco hotels than its geologic wonder .
In fact , you would n’t bed this hoarded wealth of a hike was only a few miles off the route . It ’s not the type of hike you find on a two - lane highway thread through dramatic table or bucolic farm dry land ; on the reverse , it ’s get at by urban freeways through industrial areas full of mine and wind generator .
But it ’s there , hidden in Mecca Hills , a protected wild organize by the convergence of the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate . You may be more familiar with one of its most prominent feature , the San Andreas Fault — in fact , the dynamic defect line runs right through Mecca Hills .
The most well - know of the hikes in this wild ( and among the ripe in Southern California , in my opinion ) is the Ladder Canyon Trail , a iteration that take you into the heart of the hills through Ladder Canyon and Big Painted Canyon .
Though the raise is fairly remote ( about 40 miles southeast of Palm Springs , with the last 5 miles on a washboard route ) , it ’s astonishingly accessible for occasional day tripper . The Ladder Canyon Trail is not a very farsighted or straining hiking , and it ’s not particularly challenging … unless you have a fear of heights .
That ’s because one of the most unique aspects of the Ladder Canyon Trail is the method by which you search the slot canyon : up and down a serial publication of ladders .
At the trailhead , it ’s gentle to pretermit the entrance to the slot canyon if you do n’t know what you ’re appear for . Make a left turn too before long and you could terminate up on an entirely dissimilar ( but from what I hear , totally fun ) hike into the more proficient Rope Canyon , a track you ascend with fixed R-2 !
I ’ve read that there ’s sometimes a sign mark the slot canyon , but storms often sweep it forth . There ’s sometimes an arrow assembled with rocks by other hikers , pointing across the valley flooring to the entree . ( And in fact , these rock arrows are prevalent throughout the canyon to serve you find your means . But do n’t count on them every time you visit . )
When we came , there was neither a sign nor an arrow . We walked straight into Big Painted Canyon for about a quarter - mile and looked for the telltale mint - up of bowlder on our left wing that looked like a large rockslide . From below , the time slot was hidden until we were actually in it .
We establish a scant run at the base of the rock lot , but it was n’t really necessary . For fun , I rise the ladder while Will ( and the babe ) scrambled up the sandstone bowlder . We reconvene at the top of the rockslide and found ourselves staring into the narrow-minded ravine of Ladder Canyon .
And so the adventure began !
We immediately face our first real ravel — real import we actually had to apply it to climbdownthe trail .
If you ’re wondering how this ladder ( or any of the other ones ) got there , the name of a local hiking group was write in code on a couple of them . photoflash floods are common in the canyon , and the ladders seemed to be on a regular basis maintained by these hiking groups . All but two of the run we came across were basic atomic number 13 ladder in good condition , and were simply leaned against the walls for stableness . ( The left over ladders out were wooden , but still in great shape . )
After descending the first ladder , we came around a bend and into the most picturesque passageway — and yes , another ravel . From the sounds of it , Gemma surely enjoy buck a ride up !
We continued on the trail and clambered up a few more ladder , most of them reaching 6 feet high or so . I loved the views from both the bottom and the top of the run ; they really gave an challenging perspective of the wry waterfalls that shape the canon . In some places , the one-armed bandit was barely berm astray , with loom wall of ruby aqueous strata flank the track .
The lead finally got wider and broad as it climbed out of the canyon and onto a rounded ridge with a great rock ‘n’ roll cairn . Once we topped out , we could see the maze of trails snaking through Big Painted Canyon below us — still so much to explore in these hill ! To the southward were sweeping views of the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea in the far distance , and to the north , rock-and-roll arrows pointed up a track in the commission of some wireless tower .
From here , it ’s possible to bend back and hike out through the slot canyon again , but we opt to complete the iteration for a variety of scene . After bring a suspension for tiffin on top of the hill , we followed the arrows over a butte and descended the track down a bumpy slope . It dropped us powerful into the blanket flaxen wash of Big Painted Canyon , where we find more pointer , direct hikers who were doing the eyelet in reverse gear ( starting in Big Painted Canyon and cease out of Ladder Canyon ) .
Once we entered the wash , I was so beaming we decide to do the loop . The canyon deepened the farther we decease , exposing a wonderland of metamorphic stone formations in all shades of pink , purple , and green — an creative person ’s palette very conducive to a name like Painted Canyon . I even rule quartz depositary along the lead .
About a mile or so into our walk , we espy a side canyon to our left with another ladder lead up , the tallest ladder we ’d escort so far ( about 30 feet ) . We did n’t have time to check it out before shadow , but from what I ’ve interpret , it was the scratch of another hike instal with run and it give me one more ground to return to Mecca Hills . The area is just prevalent with canyon to search !
As we draw near the terminal of our loop , two final ladder ( one right after another ) depress us down a ironic falls to the independent canon below .
The arresting , sheer sandstone walls looked more familiar as we followed the same lead we came in from . With the sun setting over the desert , the rock took on a rich , reddish , almost purple radiance .
All told , the hike was about 6 miles roundtrip and with our leisurely footstep and luncheon break ( not to mention our precious cargo ) , it take about 4 60 minutes to discharge . I counted eight ravel on our loop , but since there were a yoke different way of life and scuffle through the one-armed bandit canyon , not all of them were absolutely needed for transit .
Big Painted Canyon currently rank among my preferent hikes in the region as it had a piddling bit of everything : badlands , slot canyons , ladders , viewpoints , and desert vegetation ( which I ’m certain is even lovelier in spring ) . It ’s a truly peculiar station . possibly we ’ll try out the roped trail next time !
