Anza-Borrego Desert: Volcanic Hills Loop

Rating *****
Length 7.5 mile (return) - 3 Hour, 30 minutes (loop). Moderate.
Elevation 970 - 1680 feet
Access All cars.

One of the places in/close to the park where volcanic lava is easy accessible.

Start hiking south in a small wash, at the foot of a hill.

After a minute head west, eventually following a wide sandy wash, with off-road tracks.
Cars can't make it that much further, as boulders blocks the road and more to come, unfortunately motorcycles can.
The off-road tracks can loosen up the wash, making it that much harder to hike. The wash alternates between wide and sandy and narrow and rocky.

As we are getting closer to the Mortero Canyon Road, we head for the saddle.
This turns an easy hike into a moderate hike as we go down rather slippery into the canyon below.

Rocks and boulders, try to find the sand, sometimes completely out of the wash.
We now enter Volcanic territory again, so smaller rocks an more color.
Make sure not to veer off course, heading North/East, do not follow the wash all the way down, as you will end up at the checkpoint far away from the car.

Watch for the rail road, far far way, halfway in the hike.

How to get here:

Right from the asphalt at mile 55.5.

Disclaimer: Read this first before you start your hike. Contact: info/at/borregohiking/./com (leave out the /)
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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