Borrego Springs offers healthy, unique hikes

If hiking is your passion, how about trying some unique and healthy hikes offered in Borrego Springs?

Located about 45 minutes southeast of Temecula in the Anza Borrego Desert, Borrego Springs offers hikes through canyon passageways, nature trails to hidden oases and, for the more daring, spelunking through mud caves.

This time of year is absolutely the best to enjoy the desert; flowers are just beginning to bloom and while hiking you are surrounded by majestic mountains and can enjoy the solitude of the beautiful desert.

I recently planned a couple of hikes with my sister, four of her six children ranging in age from 10 to 15, and my 14-year-old daughter.

None of us were avid hikers but because the weather was perfect we decided to try out the easiest and most popular slot canyon in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park – called, fittingly, “The Slot” – and if time permitted we would do the hike to Palm Canyons.

Upon entering Borrego Springs on S22 you will see a sign directing you to the Anza-Borrego State Park Headquarters.

Stop at the information center and for $1 you can purchase a map that lists all the points of interest. Please note that, unfortunately, the map is not to scale and places that seem close to the road are definitely not.

Most points of interest require driving on dirt roads and many require the use of a four wheel drive vehicle or else you will need to be prepared for a three- to four-mile hike.

This is where asking park employees about locations, weather and the like would definitely be in your best interest.

In the map that you receive from the park headquarters is a section titled “Desert Safety.” Read it.

I went to the extreme, carrying water, food, a first aid kit, matches, chalk (remember Hansel and Gretel? I wanted to make sure I knew my way back), a flashlight and a cell phone.

Be sure to dress in layers with proper shoes and socks, as the temperature can change by the hour. Also, cell phone service is hit or miss.

If you like to hike with your pets, you might want to leave them home, as the desert is filled with little cacti called cholla or jumping cholla.

These twiggy little cacti reproduce by dropping little spine balls that roll around and easily attach to wildlife. These needles, which are like little fish hooks, can become easily infected if not removed.

The drive to The Slot is about 25 minutes from the park headquarters, toward Ocotillo Wells State Recreation Area.

The Slot is a deep passageway that was created by the vast amount of flash flooding that occurs in the desert. Again, this is a reason to consult the park rangers; you most definitely would not want to be there if there is any chance of rain.

There is a parking area overlooking The Slot. Park there unless you have a four wheel drive vehicle. Then you can continue on the road following the rim of the canyon.

If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you can actually drive around the rim and down to the floor of the canyon. Two-wheel drive vehicles can easily roll over, so even if you have a truck, don’t attempt this.

From the parking area there are several ways to scamper down to the beginning of The Slot.

Immediately the view is breathtaking and many locals call this the “Grand Canyon” of the Anza-Borrego Desert.

The hike is relatively easy and there are cubbies and mini passageways to explore. This is a great place to hike, as kids can pretty much do it on their own without getting lost.

In places the walls of the canyon are more than 100 feet tall; the patterns on the walls are interesting and kids love exploring all the nooks and “cave tunnels.”

There are a few places where you actually have to squeeze your way through, and someone like me, who is claustrophobic, was able is do it, probably because the area above you is open.

If you are a larger person, when you get to the really tight area, you can climb over the rock above.

We spent about 90 minutes having a great time exploring the canyon. General consensus was that The Slot was rated a ten out of ten in our book and a place to revisit.

From there we headed back to Anza-Borrego park headquarters to do the hike to Palm Canyon.

Unlike my two previous attempts to visit Palm Canyon, we decided to pay the $6 entrance fee into the park and drive to the parking lot at the base of the canyon.

The two previous attempts were started from the information center, where we were told it was a pleasant, easy hike to the base of Palm Canyon.

What the park employees didn’t tell us was that in the desert things look closer than they appear; thus, that quick hike was in reality another 45-minute walk just to get to the base of Palm Canyon. Needless to say, we never made it to the canyon.

This hike is actually a bit more intense, as it is rocky and at times you need to climb over tree stumps, hop over streams and climb up rocks.

If you are reasonably fit, this hike takes about two hours for the round trip, plus the time you’d like to spend by the palms or stopping to admire the blooming flowers.

This is well worth doing, as the view of the desert is spectacular, especially in the late afternoon. We were fortunate enough to see a herd of bighorn ram grazing in the streambed close to the trail.

Since the heavy rain in 2005 the trail has been in the process of reconstruction and can be a bit confusing, especially later in the day when there are not as many hikers to follow.

Our rating on the hike was a six out of ten.

As far as the other attractions the desert has to offer, there are plenty to choose from.

We were really interested in spelunking at the mud caves until the park ranger informed us that the caves sit on areas of regular seismic activity and are formed by sedimentary material from rainwater. If you happen to be there during a trembler, they will happily mark your spot with a wood marker.