If you’re hiking the canyons of Palm Springs

The Agua Caliente tribe manages Palm, Andreas and Murray canyons as one unit known as Indian Canyons, Tahquitz Canyon as another. All are part of Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, jointly run by the tribe, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

Palm Canyon, home to hundreds of native California fan palm trees, has a parking lot and a trading post at its trailhead. It’s 15 miles long, and the most popular hiking route is the milelong Palm Canyon Trail, which runs along the canyon floor among the palms. If you combine that trail with the Victor Trail, you descend, then rise from the canyon floor to a ridge as you double back to the Palm Canyon store and parking lot. That hike is 2.7 miles and classified by rangers as moderate.

Andreas Canyon’s main attraction is Andreas Creek, which runs year-round between rock walls, watering many California fan palms, sycamores, cottonwoods, willows and about 150 other plant species. The Andreas Canyon Trail goes about half a mile up the canyon, crosses the creek, then returns to the canyon parking area. In all, it’s an easy 1.2 miles. The canyon was closed in the wake of winter storms; check in advance before setting off to hike there.

Murray Canyon is just south of Andreas Canyon and shares the same parking area. It gets less foot traffic than the other canyons but includes hiking and equestrian trails and the Seven Sisters waterfall. Like the others, it is a habitat for the endangered Peninsular desert bighorn sheep. The Murray Canyon Trail is 4.7 miles and rated moderate.

Indian Canyons visitors pay $12 per adult, $7 per student or senior, $6 per child ages 6 to 12. Tollgate location: 38520 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. More info: (760) 323-6018; indiancanyons.com.

Tahquitz Canyon visitors pay $15 per person, $7 per child ages 6 to 12. The 1.8-mile round-trip hike includes 350 feet in elevation gain, much of it on stone steps 12 to 15 inches high that can be strenuous for some. Little shade, no water fountains, no restrooms. The trail is open daily (7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) Oct. 1 through July 4. Between July 5 and Sept. 30, the canyon is open only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. More info: (760) 323-6018; tahquitzcanyon.com.