Carrizo Canyon Ecological Reserve sits on the west side of Highway 74, about eight miles south of Palm Desert. Hikers were shut out of it for the first nine months of 2026. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists the reserve as closed January 1 through September 30. That leaves October, November and December. The state bought the land to protect a historic water supply for Peninsular bighorn sheep, and the Fish and Game Commission designated it a reserve in 1978. It has no facilities, and it is used mostly for hiking and wildlife viewing.
That 92-day window is one of several seasonal rules on the slopes above South Palm Desert. Each rule has its own dates. Taken alone, each one looks like a small exception on an otherwise year-round trail system. Taken together, the only months when every posted seasonal closure has lapsed are the ones we are in now.
Four Closures, One Overlap
The closures come from different agencies and documents. The Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, last amended in August 2016, sets the trail rules for much of the non-federal land in the hills. State ecological reserves like Carrizo follow state decisions. The Bureau of Land Management's Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument page says trail rules vary and tells visitors to check with the agency that manages each trail.
Here they are on one calendar:
| Route | Posted seasonal closure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Carrizo Canyon Ecological Reserve | January 1 to September 30 | CDFW reserve page |
| Dead Indian Canyon trail to the oasis | January 1 to September 30 | CVMSHCP, 2016 amendment |
| Art Smith Trail, west of the Hopalong Cassidy intersection | June 15 to September 30, hot season | CVMSHCP, 2016 amendment |
| Bump and Grind, upper section past the gate | February 1 to April 30 | Friends of the Desert Mountains trail page |
Go through the year month by month. In January the two canyons close. From February through April the upper Bump and Grind closes too. In May and the first half of June only the canyons are closed. From mid-June through September the canyons stay closed and the western stretch of the Art Smith Trail closes for the heat. On October 1 every one of those dates has passed, and nothing on the list closes again until New Year's Day.
One caveat on the Bump and Grind dates. The habitat plan describes closing the upper Mirage Trail, the official name for Bump and Grind, as a bighorn recovery measure. The parts of the plan we reviewed don't spell out a February to April calendar, though. The February 1 to April 30 window comes from the Friends of the Desert Mountains trail guide, which credits it to the plan. It is a nonprofit summary last updated in 2024, not a current agency notice.
Why the Canyons Get the Shortest Season
The rules differ in length because they protect different things. The Art Smith closure follows the heat. It runs June 15 through September 30 on the stretch west of Hopalong Cassidy. The Bump and Grind closure is a three-month bighorn recovery measure on the upper trail.
The canyons are closed far longer, nine months out of twelve, because they hold water. Carrizo was bought specifically to protect a water source for Peninsular bighorn sheep. The habitat plan gives the Dead Indian Canyon trail to the oasis the same January through September closure. Dead Indian Canyon is the name the agencies and the Friends organization still use for this trail, and we found no official renaming.
Friends of the Desert Mountains bills Carrizo as "a great outdoor experience close to downtown Palm Desert," an easy hike with a chance to see endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep. Because of that closeness, the short season is easy to miss for anyone who walks the city trails year-round and never sees a gate.
The Anniversary Weekend Falls Inside the Window
This October the canyon season lines up with a milestone for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. The Friends of the Desert Mountains events calendar describes the morning of Friday, October 23 as the last day of the Monument's 25th anniversary year. The next day opens its 26th. The docent-led hikes listed for the next few weeks fall almost entirely in the canyons that are only open now:
- Wednesday, October 14. A docent-led Carrizo Canyon hike, described as an easy outing covering the canyon's geology and its bighorn sheep.
- Friday, October 23. Anniversary hikes in both Carrizo Canyon and Dead Indian Canyon, plus a morning of guided hikes, lectures and a time-capsule dedication. Space is limited and RSVP is required. The listed contact is the Monument Visitor Center at (760) 862-9984.
- Saturday, October 24. A 26th-anniversary hike on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, led by the Monument Manager.
- Friday, November 6. Another docent-led Dead Indian Canyon hike, described as "only open from October through December."
The October and November calendar we reviewed had no December programs posted yet. That leaves the final weeks of the canyon season open for anyone who wants to go on their own.
Closer to Home, Starting From Painters Path
Not every trail on that calendar starts at a remote pullout. BLM's Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage trail guide lists these trailheads:
- Art Smith Trail: parking just past the Monument Visitor Center on Highway 74
- Randall Henderson Trail: at the Monument Visitor Center
- Bump and Grind and the Mike Schuler Trail: access on Painters Path
- Hopalong Cassidy Trail: on Painters Path, behind Desert Crossing
Through October, November and December, the full Art Smith Trail is outside its heat closure, and the upper Bump and Grind is outside its February closure. That puts the routes from these trailheads at their least restricted point of the year.
The city's own parks give the trails a south-side starting point. Palm Desert's parks page puts Cahuilla Hills Park at 72700 Tierra Del Oro and Cap Homme / Ralph Adams Park at 72-500 Thrush Road. City trails are open dawn to dusk, and Homme-Adams Park closes at dusk. Those two parks may be linked at some point. The Palm Desert Post reported in August that the Parks and Recreation Committee's 2026-2027 work plan puts trail connectivity first. A design firm is working on a connector and trailhead improvements between Homme-Adams and Cahuilla Hills along an existing path. The project still needs a water-district easement and a place in the regional trail plan, so no new trail has been approved yet.
Down the hill, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens at 47900 Portola Avenue is on its fall and winter schedule. It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October 1 through May 31, with last admission at 4 p.m. and free parking. On Saturday, October 31, its Howl-O-Ween runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with trick-or-treat stations, keeper connections, face painting and limited-edition animal trading cards. It's included with membership or paid admission.
When the Map Starts Closing Again
The schedule reverses quickly. On January 1, Carrizo Canyon and the Dead Indian Canyon trail to the oasis both close for nine months. On February 1, according to the Friends trail guide, the upper Bump and Grind closes until the end of April. Peak season, with its cooler weather and out-of-town guests, comes after the two bighorn canyons have closed.
The calendar dates are fixed rules. Conditions on the ground are not. We did not find any 2026 agency notice confirming the status of each trail today, and BLM sends hikers to the managing agency for current rules. The Monument Visitor Center at (760) 862-9984 is the number Friends of the Desert Mountains lists for its October programs. Carrizo Canyon's posted season ends December 31.
If you're new to the hillside above South Palm Desert, or you have guests visiting before the canyons close on January 1, Team Armstrong is happy to share which trailheads and routes are closest to where you're staying. Contact Us anytime.
