Horseback riding in Palm Springs? Smoke Tree Stables in Coachella Valley

Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown and Pete on a horseback riding vacation with Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs
Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown and Pete on a horseback riding vacation with Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs

Lush, manicured green lawns fade away as the horse trailer rumbles behind the pick up truck we ride in. Cold air blasts our faces as we take in the desert view from inside our air-conditioned vehicle. The landscape of Coachella Valley in Palm Springs is dry and desolate, yet there is an oasis in the distance. Are those palm trees that I’m seeing?

Bent Palm, Andreas Canyon

Our Smoke Tree Stables wrangler, Corky, unloads three Quarter horses from the trailer. After cinch checks we mount up and ride through Bent Palm, an ideal picnic spot in Andreas Canyon, part of Indian Canyons in Palm Springs, California.

As a Northern California native, this is my first trip to Palm Springs and I am pleasantly surprised of the desert beauty.  We ride by a group of park employees who rest in the shade of the giant palms. On this day, they are clearing Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indian reservation owned land of non native, invasive grasses between breaks from the desert heat. Now I see why our saddle bags were each loaded with four water bottles. It is important to stay hydrated in this sweltering heat.

Our wrangler, Corky of Smoke Tree Stables takes us on a horseback riding holiday through Indian Canyons in Palm Springs.
Our wrangler, Corky of Smoke Tree Stables takes us on a horseback riding holiday through Indian Canyons in Palm Springs.

We leave the picnic grounds and palm trees behind us and ride an hour up into the Indian Canyons. The horses carefully pick their way along the shale rock path as our guide points out the different types of cactus and obligingly stops for pictures along the trail.

Other than a group of equestrians from Smoke Tree Stables,  no man or animal crosses our path. We are alone with our thoughts. The city of Palm Springs beckons in the distance and a road snakes along the valley floor.

Equestrians on a trail ride through Indian Canyons with Smoke Tree Stables
Equestrians on a trail ride through Indian Canyons with Smoke Tree Stables

Indian Canyons horseback riding vacation

I imagine how the Native Americans must have felt when they came across this natural palm oasis in Andreas Canyon, with its clear running water and shaded refuge.  It’s quite amazing seeing the vibrant green colors against the back drop of the San Jacinto mountain range.

The next time you find yourself in Palm Springs, leave the golf course behind and go on a horseback riding vacation with Smoke Tree Stables.  What a trip.

If You Go:

Smoke Tree Stables

(760) 327-1372

2500 Toledo Avenue, Palm Springs, CA 92264

More information about Palm Springs is available here; www.visitpalmsprings.com

Come horseback riding at Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs
Come horseback riding at Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs

Related Posts:

Smoke Tree Stables Horseback Riding Vacation

Things to See and Do in Palm Springs, California

Photos, YouTube video and article by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip. I was a guest of Smoke Tree Stables and Palm Springs Tourism Bureau.

5 thoughts on “Horseback riding in Palm Springs? Smoke Tree Stables in Coachella Valley”

  1. Years ago, I used to travel with my husband who was a TV engineer working on golf tournaments. We went to Palm Springs several years. The Indian Canyons are my favorite place, so I always returned to them each time. I especially liked to hike from Andreas to Murray Canyon. One of my regrets, though, is never getting around to visiting Smoketree Stables and riding through the canyons.

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