Bill Cunningham - Best Easy Day Hikes Anza-Borrego

Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes Anza-Borrego

Billy Cunningham and Polly Burke

Copyright 2000 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Previously published by Falcon Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0758-5

The authors and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

Ranking the Hikes

The following list ranks the hikes in this book from easiest to hardest. The ranking does not apply to hike options that may be listed for the hike.

Easiest

Hardest

Introduction

Best Easy Day Hikes Anza-Borrego is a condensed version of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park section of Hiking Californias Desert Parks. This compact guidebook highlights the easily accessible hikes that appeal to the broadest cross section of visitors. In particular, these hikes represent a superb sampler of the wonders of Anza-Borrego for those who only have a day or two to explore. This book is also handy for those desiring an easy start to a longer, more difficult outing.

At 600,000 acres, Anza-Borrego is the largest state park in the lower 48 states. Two-thirds of the park is protected as wilderness in 12 units. The park is named for Anza, the Spanish explorer who traversed the region in 1774, and Borrego, the Spanish name for bighorn sheep, in honor of those rare desert denizens that make these mountains and canyons home.

Elevations vary from 15 feet near Travertine Point in the northeast corner of the park to 6,193 feet atop Combs Peak on the west end. The park is a diverse geological wonderland of wide Sonoran Desert valleys, badlands, canyons, mountain ranges, year-round streams, and 25 oases with native California fan palms. Hikers can explore more than 110 miles of trails crisscrossing most sections of the park. Depending on weather, desert wildflowers erupt in spectacular spring bloom sometime between late February and early April.

In addition to desert bighorn sheep, nearly 60 mammal species, 270 kinds of birds, 27 snake species, and 31 lizard species live here, dispelling the myth that the desert is devoid of life. Many of these creatures are nocturnal and avoid humans. The botanical kingdom is equally diverse. An astounding 22 varieties of cacti grow in the park. Members of the ubiquitous cholla family of cacti range from the 3-inch fishhook cactus to barrel cactus that may exceed 8 feet in height.

With average daytime highs exceeding 100 degrees F during summer, it is advisable to hike in Anza-Borrego during the cooler seasons, when the temperature typically ranges between a comfortable 70 to 85 degrees F. Winter may bring rain showers. The heat of summer may bring occasional thunderstorms. Heavy rains in any season may produce flash flooding. Average annual rainfall at park headquarters is just under 7 inches.

Most of the hikes in Best Easy Day Hikes Anza-Borrego are less than 2 miles round trip and have less than 500 feet of elevation change. In general, they are well suited for families with small children. The trailheads for most of the hikes are accessible by paved highways, and of those that are not, only the Wilson Trail (Hike 16) requires a high-clearance vehicle.

We wish you happy trails on your best easy hikes through the richly varied Colorado Desert country of Anza-Borrego!

Bill Cunningham & Polly Burke

How To Use This Guide

Types of Hikes

Loop: A loop hike starts and ends at the same trailhead without repeating all, or at least most, of the route. A portion of the hike may retrace a short stretch of the route. Round-trip mileage is indicated.

Out-and-back: Out-and-back hikes reach a specific destination and return on the same route. Round-trip mileage is indicated.

Shuttle: A shuttle hike begins and ends at different points and requires a car to shuttle between the two trailheads. The mileage given is the distance between the starting point and the ending point of the hike.

Use Trail: A use trail is an obvious footpath that is not maintained by the park or another agency.

Maps and Other Information

The map referred to as Earthwalk Press Anza-Borrego Region Recreation Map is a colorful 1:73,250-scale map of the Anza-Borrego area by Earthwalk Press. It is excellent for overall trip planning and navigating to the trailhead. Other useful maps include a set of eight 15-minute black-and-white topographic maps published by the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association. In general, the more detailed 7.5-minute USGS quads for each hike are not needed, unless you plan to venture beyond the described route. Refer to the maps in this book, particularly for shorter hikes with signed trails.

The park charges a $5-per-vehicle day-use entrance fee. Dogs are $1 extra and cannot be taken on trails. Permits are not required for hiking, open desert camping, and backcountry travel.

The Anza-Borrego visitor center, located just west of Borrego Springs, is open daily from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. from October through May. From June through September, it is open from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M only on weekends and holidays. A signed nature trail adjacent to the visitor center features a representative cross section of desert plants found in the Colorado (Sonoran) Desert.

For further information, contact: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA 92004. The phone number for park headquarters is (760) 767-5311; you can get visitor center program information at (760) 767-4205, and camping reservations by calling 800-444-PARK. The spring wildflower hotline is (760) 767-4684. The park website is www.anzaborrego.statepark.org. This informative website, updated frequently, is a quick source for current park regulations, weather, and trail conditions.

How To Get There

The park is 80 miles east of San Diego at the eastern border of San Diego County. Interstate 8 passes the parks southern boundary on the way to El Centro. California 78 is the major access route to the central region of the park. Because this east-west highway evenly divides the park, the hikes presented in this book are listed as being either north or south of CA 78. San Diego County Road 22 is the highway to Borrego Springs, where the park visitor center is located.