# Tahquitz Falls

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{{Use American English|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox waterfall
| name = Tahquitz Falls
| photo = Tahquitz Falls 1.jpg
| photo_caption = Tahquitz Falls, facing west
| location = [Tahquitz Canyon](/source/Tahquitz_Canyon)
| type = Staircase
| elevation      = {{convert|890|ft|abbr=on}}
| height = {{convert|60|ft|abbr=on}}
| drop = 
| number_drops = 
| average_flow = 
| coords = {{coord|33.8036|-116.5617|type:landmark_region:US-OR|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Tahquitz Falls''' is a [waterfall](/source/waterfall) on [Tahquitz Creek](/source/Tahquitz_Creek) in the west skirt of the city [Palm Springs](/source/Palm_Springs%2C_California), in the U.S. state of [California](/source/California). The waterfall is located in lower [Tahquitz Canyon](/source/Tahquitz_Canyon), a short distance upstream from the visitor center. The name of the canyon and its waterfall is from the spirit [Tahquitz](/source/Tahquitz_(spirit)), a Cahuilla native of the Agua Caliente folklore.<ref name=TheSDUT>{{cite news|title=Palm Springs hiking, from sand to snow|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/travel/sdut-palm-springs-hiking-from-sand-to-snow-2013feb22-htmlstory.html|last=Lister|first=Priscilla |date=22 Feb 2013|work=[The San Diego Union-Tribune](/source/The_San_Diego_Union-Tribune)|accessdate=29 August 2017}}</ref>

The river flows over a slab of [granite](/source/granite) atop the falls, after which it plunges about {{convert|60|ft|m}}<ref name=NWwaterfalls>{{cite web |url= http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Tahquitz-Falls-6924|title=Tahquitz Falls Riverside County, California|last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=Northwest Waterfall Survey |publisher= |accessdate=29 August 2017|quote=}}</ref> 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](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places).

{{wide image|Tahquitz Falls pano.jpg|700 px|Tahquitz Falls in late fall 2020}}

==Access==
The falls are easily reached by proceeding upstream along the Tahquitz Canyon Trail. The trail gains approximately {{convert|350|ft|m}} in altitude and runs past the waterfall forming a loop that returns to the waterfall and to the Visitor Center.<ref name=TheSDUT /> The canyon and its trail are owned and managed by the Agua Calientes Band of Cahuilla Indians.<ref>{{cite news|title=From hippie hangout to Indian natural preserve, Tahquitz Canyon outside Palm Springs remains a popular place to visit|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2004/dec/23/hippie-hangout-indian-natural-preserve-tahquitz-ca/#|last=Schad|first=Jerry|date=23 Dec 2004|work=[San Diego Reader](/source/San_Diego_Reader)|accessdate=29 August 2017}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The Tahquitz Falls were used as a scene in [Frank Capra](/source/Frank_Capra)'s 1937 film [''Lost Horizon''](/source/Lost_Horizon_(1937_film)).<ref>{{AFI film|6322|Lost Horizon}}</ref>

The Tahquitz Falls was also used as one of the prominent locations in the [Jim Morrison](/source/Jim_Morrison)'s privately-funded 1969 film ''[HWY: An American Pastoral](/source/HWY%3A_An_American_Pastoral).''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Morrison's HWY: An American Pastoral |url=http://mildequator.com/filmhistory/hwy.html |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=mildequator.com}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [Tahquitz (spirit)](/source/Tahquitz_(spirit)), the [Cahuilla](/source/Cahuilla) spirit the falls were named for.
* [List of waterfalls](/source/List_of_waterfalls)
* [List of waterfalls in California](/source/List_of_waterfalls_in_California)

== References ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Waterfalls of California
Category:Geography of Riverside County, California
Category:Geography of the Colorado Desert
Category:Palm Springs, California
Category:Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
Category:Coachella Valley
Category:Plunge waterfalls
Category:San Jacinto Mountains

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tahquitz Falls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahquitz_Falls) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahquitz_Falls?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.