Anza-Borrego Desert: Oyster Shell Wash Lycium Wash Loop

Rating *****
length 4.9 mile - 2 hour (Return trip). Easy/Moderate.
Elevation 450 - 800 feet
Access Following the Fish Creek Wash. This road may be tricky because of the sand. You can sink in quite easily. An AWD is preferred

A nice canyon wash hike.
Look for the Elephant knees hike for a gps track of the road, leading here.

At Ocotillo wells, take the Split Mountain rd south.
Just before the mine take the wash to the right towards Fish Creek Camp.
The road will be slightly different each year and a 4x4 is highly recommended.
Keep on the tracks, the sand can be pretty loose in some places.
So watch out where you park.

Just past the wind caves turn right, following the Fish Creek Wash.
We parked along the "road" as the rocks became too large for our taste.
And it's only a short walk to the entrance of the Oyster Shell Wash.
A nice wash, narrow, wide, narrow. One dry waterfall you have to pass to the right, but nothing too difficult.
This is also the last vehicle point, not that you will encounter many.

Follow the wash all the way to the end. It will take some climbing skills to get any further. We retraced a bit and just after the narrow part, go uphill, easy, to the "top" of the canyon. This is mostly sand and gravel.

On top you get an impressive view of the surrounding area.
Here you can follow the path along the rim, or go down as we did on the other side.
The other side is a more sand/mud canyon.
Follow this canyon to the left (south) towards the car.

Hiking time 2 hours, but you can add as much as you like.

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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