Visitors evacuated from Indian Canyons after mountain lion spotted

Update: Indian Canyons reopens Tuesday following mountain lion sighting

Tribal rangers evacuated visitors from the Indian Canyons on Monday as a precaution after a mountain lion sighting, authorities said in a news release Monday afternoon.

Hikers on the way to the area said it was a busy day on the trails. One hiker said she was turned away.

“We just pulled up to the gate, we had our money out to pay. The lady got a phone call and said ‘Oh. We’re not letting anymore cars in,'” Heathyr Easton said.

Turning hikers away was just the beginning at Indian Canyons after a mountain lion was spotted nearby. Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians tribe officials said they closed down the area as a precaution.

“In the 20 years I’ve been hiking out here I haven’t seen one. But I haven’t seen big horn sheep up here either but there’s lots of films of them up here,” Arlle Warren said.

Mountain lion sightings are common in the area but one hiker says it’s not enough to deter him from hiking the trails nearby.

“They’re more scared of us than we should be of them but you need caution with them. You have to respect this is their habitat,” Warren said.

Hikers we spoke with didn’t see the mountain lion in Indian Canyons but one did find tracks of one on another trail all the way in Pioneertown. She said it’s a reminder that hikers need to to be cautious when walking into the wild.

“They say mountain lions are attracted to kids because they are a smaller and an easier prey. So you definitely want to keep your kids closer to you,” Easton said.

The Indian Canyons are currently closed until further notice. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians owns and operates the Indian Canyons, the Tribe’s ancestral home, which is made up of Palm, Murray and Andreas canyons.

The Tribe was in contact with the state Fish and Wildlife Department regarding the mountain lion sighting, according to the release.