84 PHOTOGRAPH BY MARC URBANO ~ APRIL 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIVER
LESSER-KNOWN GREATSMONTEZUMA
VALLEY ROAD
Don’t miss the Yeti. Actually, that would
be a little tough. The 11-foot-tall statue
stands beside the Montezuma Valley
Market in the tiny outpost of Ranchita,
California, about 140 miles southeast
of Los Angeles. It’s just past that big
white beast where Montezuma Valley
Road (S22) enters Anza-Borrego Desert
State Park and becomes one of San Diego
County’s greatest drives.
From the road’s origin in the rolling
San Felipe Hills, this wide 18-mile-long
two-lane runs east through greenery,
then climbs into a rockscape at 4200
feet before dumping you into the valley
town of Borrego Springs. Things get good
after the summit. It’s a 12-mile run down
the backside, a 5 percent grade that
starts with a fast double-left and contin-
ues to a series of third- and fourth-gear
corners and short straights.
The kinks tighten a few miles down,
and it’s mostly third gear the rest
of the way through a long stretch of
smooth-flowing bends with excellent
sightlines, newish pavement, and plenty
of grip. Occasional guardrails supply
some security from the sheer cliffs,
but watch out for lumbering beasts on
the road. Those slow-moving lifted
Jeeps and Raptors are likely on their
way to the trails. —Scott OldhamCaliforniaBorrego Springs