Step back in time and reimagine life in the early days!
Museum-Tour-Hike-Lunch
Docent tour includes the museum, historic ranch house, remains of adobe stage stop, the grounds, historical events and gold panning.
Our docent-led tour includes the museum, the historic ranch house, the remains of the historic adobe stage stop, the beautiful grounds, and a chance to try your hand at gold panning. The Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum preserves, celebrates, and interprets the history of late 1800s California—spanning from the indigenous Cahuilla people to the exploration and settlement of Southern California and the San Gorgonio Pass. Once just a humble adobe hut, it evolved into a busy stage stop and general store before becoming an expansive ranch house. Today, it also houses the largest public collection of wagons, buggies, and stagecoaches in Southern California, making it a must-see for locals and tourists alike.
Logistics & Meeting Details
- Departure Meeting Time: 8:00 AM
- Departure Location: PetSmart parking lot (Ramon Rd / Lawrence Crossley Rd, next to the Walmart Gas Station in Palm Springs). Map Click here.
- On-Site Meeting Time: 8:35 AM at the Gilman Ranch parking lot if driving directly.
- Carpooling: Carpooling from PetSmart is highly encouraged, though availability depends on participating drivers. You are responsible for arranging your own transportation or rideshare. Please arrive a few minutes early for the briefing and carpool matching. When selecting a carpool group, please match with others who share your same plans regarding the optional Sizzler lunch.
- Travel Distance: Approximately 24 miles from the PetSmart meeting location to Gilman Ranch. Please be kind to your rideshare driver and share travel expenses.
Registration & Policies
- Eligibility: Open to Great Outdoors members and guests.
- Requirements: Each person must register separately and acknowledge and accept the organization's terms and conditions.
- Cost: $10
- Refund Policy: No refunds will be issued.
- Optional Hike: Banning Pass Overlook, article in CV Independent
Following the museum tour, join us for an optional trek to the top of the hill overlooking the Banning Pass or explore the gold panning option.
- Distance: 1.8 miles (out-and-back)
- Elevation Gain: 400 feet
- Estimated Time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Moderate (features a steady climb, but offers benches and great panoramic views)
- What to Bring: Sturdy hiking footwear with good tread is required. Bring adequate drinking water (especially if hiking), sun protection, and layered clothing.
Optional Lunch
- Location: Sizzler (1750 W Ramsey St, Banning, CA) Map click here.
- Timing: Immediately following the hike/museum activities (approx. a 5-minute drive from the museum).
Historical Context
Surrounded by cottonwoods and watered by three natural springs, the Gilman Ranch site has attracted people throughout history. The superb canyon location—with its exceptional food and water supply—offered a prime habitation site for the local Cahuilla Indians. Later, under Spanish rule, the site became part of the San Gorgonio Rancho, the farthest outlying cattle ranch of Mission San Gabriel.
In 1868, entrepreneur Newton Noble lived in the adobe, converted it into a stage stop, and opened the first post office in the San Gorgonio Pass. Noble’s property sat right along the Bradshaw Trail, a heavily traveled freight and stage route connecting Los Angeles to Arizona during the 1860s and 1870s. This trail originated from a network of traditional indigenous pathways that miner and freight driver William D. Bradshaw learned directly from Cahuilla and Maricopa guides. The route later became a vital communication corridor for federal troops expanding control over Arizona and New Mexico.
The ranch is also famously tied to the historic Willie Boy manhunt. Willie Boy, a Paiute Indian, wished to marry a young woman named Carlotta against her father’s wishes. While Carlotta's family was camped at Gilman Ranch working the seasonal fruit harvest, Willie Boy fatally shot her father and escaped with her, sparking one of the last great western manhunts.
Health & Safety
Please carry Emergency Contact Information (ICE). If you have any medical concerns or allergies that may affect your ability to safely complete the tour or the hike, please discuss them privately with the trip leader prior to departure.
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