Tahquitz Falls is a waterfall on Tahquitz Creek in the west skirt of the city Palm Springs, in the U.S. state of California. The waterfall is located in lower Tahquitz Canyon, a short distance upstream from the visitor center. The name of the canyon and its waterfall is from the spirit Tahquitz, a Cahuilla native of the Agua Caliente folklore.[1]

Tahquitz Falls
Tahquitz Falls, facing west
Map
LocationTahquitz Canyon
Coordinates33°48′13″N 116°33′42″W / 33.8036°N 116.5617°W / 33.8036; -116.5617
TypeStaircase
Elevation890 ft (270 m)
Total height60 ft (18 m)

The river flows over a slab of granite atop the falls, after which it plunges about 60 feet (18 m)[2] into a pool. The fall is split once by a protrusion on the face of the canyon wall. The Tahquitz Falls is in the boundaries included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Tahquitz Falls in late fall 2020

Access

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The falls are easily reached by proceeding upstream along the Tahquitz Canyon Trail. The trail gains approximately 350 feet (110 m) in altitude and runs past the waterfall forming a loop that returns to the waterfall and to the Visitor Center.[1] The canyon and its trail are owned and managed by the Agua Calientes Band of Cahuilla Indians.[3]

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The Tahquitz Falls were used as a scene in Frank Capra's 1937 film Lost Horizon.[4]

The Tahquitz Falls was also used as one of the prominent locations in the Jim Morrison's privately-funded 1969 film HWY: An American Pastoral.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lister, Priscilla (22 Feb 2013). "Palm Springs hiking, from sand to snow". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Tahquitz Falls Riverside County, California". Northwest Waterfall Survey. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  3. ^ Schad, Jerry (23 Dec 2004). "From hippie hangout to Indian natural preserve, Tahquitz Canyon outside Palm Springs remains a popular place to visit". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. ^ Lost Horizon at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  5. ^ "Jim Morrison's HWY: An American Pastoral". mildequator.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.