Anza Borrego - South Fork Palm Wash

I've explored Palm Wash and the Calcite Mine in this general area of the desert last spring. This time I set out on a solo hike up the South Fork Palm Wash. I left a detailed directions and description of my route with Linda and I did not divert from my route. I did not see a soul all day out there. After winding my way up the wash and through some of the most incredible slots, I took in some true solitude, silence and beautiful view of the desert as I ate lunch and rested on my desert mountain perch.

Slot Canyon Panoramas

Here are some Panorama shots of the slot canyons that Robbie and I explored in the Anza Borrego Desert. Robbie took these pics and emailed them to me.

Anza Borrego Desert

After several scorching days of hot weather, a slight cool down prompted a trip back down to the Anza Borrego desert. The first half of the day was rough. We drove all the way down into the southern Anza Borrego desert 25 miles from one small store that we seen and about 6 1/2 miles out into the desert on a dirt road. Our battery died at the trailhead to the mudcaves. Luckily a group of four whell drives came along and gave us a jump. We got lucky and made it 40 some miles to Borrego Springs and found a battery for the truck. We decided to go to the Calcite mine area. I was recently here but instead of hiking the dirt roads this time we hiked the washes and slot canyons all the way up to the min and the climbed a small peaklet above the mine area. Really fun hike. The first pic below is of Lake Henshaw on our way out to the desert.

Anza Borrego Calcite Mine and Slot Canyons

On our way out to the Anza Borrego Desert a road was closed so we were detoured up the south grade road to Palomar mountain where just the day before it had received a dusting of snow from a storm that moved quickly in and out. Then we drove down the east grade road to get back in route through the rolling grasslands, through oak woodlands, through the Pinyon - Juniper transition zone and the finally dropping down into the vast Anza Borrego desert, then winding across the desert to the southern spurs of the Santa Rosa Mountains. This was my first time hiking in this type of terrain. It was incredible. We explored the washes and slot canyons and then hiked up into the mountains a little further and explored the old Calcite crystal mines. We got down into some of the trench mines and seen the huge veins of crystal in the rock. We got to see two desert iguanas along the way. Its amazing to see them run super fast along the desert floor. Great day of contrasting landscapes and total peace and serenity while perched up in those badlands eating lunch and looking out over the desert and the Salton Sea basin.