Tarabal Trail

1.9 miles to Indian Kitchens. Continues on to Sage Flat and Alder Canyon.
Interesting country but a difficult trail to follow in some spots and fairly steep returning.

The Tarabal Trail is one of the most historic trails in the Lost Valley area. It was part of a trade route used by neighboring Cupeño and Cahuilla Indians for centuries. By the early 1900s it was also being used by Anglo prospectors and trappers. The original Indian trail continues down to the desert by way of Sage Flat and Alder Canyon.

The upper part of the trail was reopened in 1968 by a group of Lost Valley Scouts and Scouters. They continued on down the canyon into Sheep Canyon – a rugged, rocky route which eventaully leads to the desert floor. The route was named the Tarabal Trail about that time. The Lost Valley Hiker’s Guide from around 1970 explains:

“In 1790 the Indian Tarabal, an outcast from one of the desert tribes, led Anza and his men through the canyon from the desert. This story goes on to say that Anza proceeded by Lost Valley and then out of the valley towards the sea.”

Another version of the story handed down from the 1970s claims that Tarabal brought a mother and her newborn child up the trail and through Lost Valley on their way to the sea.

Only one part of these stories is actually true . . . Sebastian Tarabal was indeed Anza’s Indian guide.

In the 1770s, Col. Juan Bautista de Anza, a Spanish frontier soldier, wanted to prove that it was possible to reach California by going across the desert from Arizona. Sebastian Tarabal was a Baja California Indian who had been brought north to help found the missions here. In 1773, fed up with mission life, he and several others fled from Mission San Gabriel and set off across the desert.

It was a terrible trip. They were lost much of the time, and the other Indians died. Finally Tarabal stumbled into one of the Indian villages along the Colorado River. From there, he was taken to Tubac, where Anza was just preparing to leave on his exploration trip. Learning that an Indian had just come over the route he hoped to explore, Anza went to see Tarabal. One can only imagine what Tarabal thought when Anza told him that he would now have to guide Anza back across the desert to California.

As it turned out, Tarabal was not much of a guide, since he had been lost and near death much of the way across the desert. When he did reach a landmark he recognized, it was always a cause for rejoicing. Anza finally left the desert by way of Coyote Canyon, passing just a few miles east of Lost Valley, but Tarabal never used the trail that now bears his name.

In the early 20th Century, the Tarabal Trail was the site of Lost Valley’s most extensive mining operation. In 1929, W.F. Wheeler, a San Bernardino prospector, filed five mica claims in the hills northeast of the valley, which he called the Carlsbad Group. He also filed a mill site claim at Indian Kitchens. The mica was of good quality, and could be found in large “books” (as they are known). During the next year or so, Wheeler and a couple of miners opened up several long cuts and a 25-foot shaft. Wheeler planned to haul the mica out in gunny sacks on the backs of burros, but he soon found out it cost more money to haul it out than the mica would bring when sold, so he abandoned the whole project.

Signs of their efforts can be seen at various places along the Tarabal Trail, but the actual cuts are located in the low hills between the trail and the Lost Valley Road. After years of searching, they were finally re-located in 2004.

Mica Mine Hike, 2004

Mica Mine Hike, 2004

The trailhead is located along the Cat Road, a third of a mile above the old Grace Archery Range. The trail leaves the road to the right (east) as the road makes a sharp turn to the left. It climbs a small hill which offers a good view of the surrounding area before dropping down into the top of the canyon. As you continue down, the Santa Rosa Mountains are often in view.

At about 1.9 miles, you reach the Indian Kitchens area – what the old timers called Grapevine Spring. A few grape vines still survive, and there are Indian bedrock mortars, which give the area its modern name.

Just below Indian Kitchens is Metate Falls. A pleasant trickle of water can often be found here, dropping some ten feet into the rocks. The little meadow here is an excellent spot for an overnight camp.

At the top of the falls, on the east side, there is an obvious scattering of mica flakes that is apparently a reminder of W.F. Wheeler’s mining efforts of 1929-30. When he abandoned his claims, he left bags full of mica all along the trail that just slowly rotted away; this may have been one of them.

Below Metate Falls the canyon grows deeper and the trail gets fainter. At 3.0 miles, the canyon turns east (right) while the trail continues ahead up the ridge towards Sage Flat. It is possible to follow Sheep Canyon all the way down to the desert floor, but it is a difficult descent, for very experienced hikers only. The old Indian trail used the Sage Flat/Alder Canyon route because it is shorter, not as steep, and offers more water along the way.

Sage Flat is an open, sandy area of about five or ten acres with plenty of the white sage plants that give it its name. It can serve as an overnight camp.

Two obvious canyons are visible on the far side of the Flat. The canyon on the left is a fork of a fork of Alder Canyon. The old Indian trail actually went down the ridge here between this canyon and Salvador Canyon, but modern hikers can only follow the canyon. As you continue down, there are trees again; not the oaks and pines of above, but desert trees – cottonwoods and even a few alders. As the canyon bears to the left (northwest), it grows rockier, forcing some scrambling.

At 5.4 miles, at the junction with the South Fork of Alder Canyon, turn down canyon (right). This is the roughest part of the trip. The South Fork is choked trees and saplings, the undergrowth is a tangle of duff and branches, and cat’s claw lines both banks of the creek. There is nothing to do but push your way through, avoiding the thorny cat’s claw. Further down, a few old cattle trails begin to cut their way through the brush, making travel a little easier. Wild cattle still roamed the canyon as late as 1987.

After nearly 8 miles and 2,500 feet of descent, you finally reach the old road up the South Fork of Alder Canyon. The road leads down into Coyote Canyon, where a pick up can be arranged via four-wheel-drive vehicle. Otherwise it’s a long climb back to camp.

The old Indian trail continued across Coyote Canyon and up to the Rockhouse Valley. From there, it connected with other trails that lead into the Coachella Valley and beyond.

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