Anza-Borrego Desert: Palm Wash South Fork

Rating *****
length 3.8 mile - 2 hour, 15 minutes (Loop). Easy/Moderate.
Elevation 525 - 1040 feet
Access At Hwy S-22 Borrego Springs <-> Salton Sea Mile 38.

A loop hike along a bridge, through a narrow slot canyon, and back through a much larger slot canyon.

Alternate 1 hike description:
4 miles (return, 2.6 mile AWD park) - 2 hours 15 minutes (return), 1 hour 40 minutes (AWD park) One bridge, slots, and lots of canyons.
Hike down the calcite mine road.
In the wash hike (or drive, AWD only) left into the wash.
The canyon narrows into some nice slot canyons.
Looks a bit like the Utah canyons, except for the coloring.

Explore every fork and don't forget the smaller ones.

You can make this hike easy or challenging, depending on where you go.
Knock yourself out.

How to get here:
At Hwy S-22 Borrego Springs <-> Salton Sea Mile 38.
Any car: Park close to the road.
AWD: Drive down the dirt road and turn left. Drive as far as you are allowed to go.
The wash road is on the canyon floor and is very easy to drive.
Warning: Driving down is generally easy, except after serious rain.

Load the hike in: GPX or KML (Google Earth file) Tip: use the right mouse key and select save.

Click on the button "Photo markers" to show pictures, or in the right upper corner to show full screen.



Missing the film above or to watch full screen, use this link. (Mar/23/2012)
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(Mar/23/2012)Bridge (Mar/23/2012)
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White stemmed milkweed, Asclepias albicans (Mar/23/2012) (Mar/23/2012)
Heart leaf suncup, Chylismia cardiophylla cardiophylla (Mar/23/2012) (Mar/23/2012)
Slot canyon (Mar/23/2012) (Mar/23/2012)
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(Mar/23/2012)Cheesebush, Ambrosia salsola salsola (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
Desert sand verbena, Abronia villosa var. villosa (Feb/17/2016) 🌎Orcutt's woody aster, Xylorhiza orcuttii (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
Orcutt's woody aster, Xylorhiza orcuttii (Feb/17/2016) 🌎Fork first (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
Fork first, tunnel (Feb/17/2016) 🌎Fork first (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
Fork first (Feb/17/2016) 🌎Fork first (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
The bridge (Feb/17/2016) 🌎 (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
(Feb/17/2016) 🌎Desert tobacco, Nicotiana obtusifolia (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
White stemmed milkweed, Asclepias albicans (Feb/17/2016) 🌎White stemmed milkweed, Asclepias albicans (Feb/17/2016) 🌎
Orcutt's woody aster, Xylorhiza orcuttii (Feb/17/2016) 🌎Nicotiana obtusifolia , Desert tobacco (Mar/14/2025)
Chylismia cardiophylla cardiophylla , Heart leaf suncup (Mar/14/2025) 🌎Eriogonum inflatum , Desert trumpet (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Chylismia cardiophylla cardiophylla , Heart leaf suncup (Mar/14/2025) 🌎Chylismia cardiophylla cardiophylla , Heart leaf suncup (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Ambrosia salsola salsola , Cheesebush (Mar/14/2025) 🌎Nicotiana obtusifolia , Desert tobacco (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Palafoxia arida arida , Spanish needles (Mar/14/2025) 🌎Chylismia cardiophylla cardiophylla , Heart leaf suncup (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Psathyrotes ramosissima , Turtleback (Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Psathyrotes ramosissima , Turtleback (Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Chylismia cardiophylla cardiophylla , Heart leaf suncup (Mar/14/2025) 🌎Larrea tridentata , Creosote bush (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Large slot canyon (Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎 (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
(Mar/14/2025) 🌎Krameria bicolor , White rhatany (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Nicotiana obtusifolia , Desert tobacco (Mar/14/2025) 🌎Tiquilia palmeri , Palmer's crinklemat (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Psorothamnus schottii , Indigo bush (Mar/14/2025) 🌎
Date: 2016/2/17
Date: 2025/3/14

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Hiking the Borrego Springs Area (Anza-Borrego Desert SP, Cuyamaca Rancho SP, Imperial Sand Dunes (Algodones Dunes), Jacumba, Laguna Mountain, Warner Springs) California, Hike with gps, gpx and kml (Google Earth).
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