legend. Show up on the
first Saturday of April
for the hilarious Peg Leg
Smith Liars Contest.
Further east of
Borrego, a signed 4-mile
dirt road, sometimes
passable without a
4WD (check conditions
at the visitors center),
heads south of CR S22 to
Font’s Point, where the
desert seemingly drops
from beneath your feet.
Views stretch over the
entire Borrego Valley to
the west and the park’s
eroded badlands to the
south.The Drive » From Christmas
Tree Circle in Borrego Springs,
follow Borrego Springs Rd
south onto Yaqui Pass Rd,
which dramatically twists down
a narrow pass into the desert
badlands below, passing hiking
trailheads and campgrounds.
Turn left onto Hwy 78 and drive
16 miles east to Ocotillo Wells. By
the airport, turn right and drive
south on Split Mountain Rd.5 Ocotillo Wells
To escape the roaring
off-highway vehicles
(OHVs) around Ocotillo
Wells, follow Split
Mountain Rd back ontostate park land. About 6
miles south of Hwy 78,
you’ll pass the Elephant
Trees Discovery Trail.
Related to myrrh, these
fragrant trees were
thought not to exist in
the Colorado Desert until
a full-fledged hunt was
launched in 1937. Today
few living trees are left,
although you’ll encounter
plenty of other desert
flora along this 1.5-mile
loop hike. Another 4
miles south along Split
Mountain Rd is the dirt-
road turnoff for primitive
Fish Creek campground.
A 4WD road continues
for another 6 miles
right through Split
Mountain, its 600ft-
high walls created by
earthquakes and erosion.
At the gorge’s southern
end, a steep trail leads
up to delicate wind
caves carved into the
sandstone outcrops.The Drive » Retrace your
drive on Split Mountain Rd to
Hwy 78, turning left and heading
back west past the Yaqui Pass
turnoff for another 7 miles to
Scissors Crossing. Turn left
onto CR S2 south, which passes
ranchlands for the next 6 milesbefore reaching the signed Blair
Valley turnoff on your left.6 Blair Valley
This peaceful desert
valley abounds with
Native American
pictographs and morteros
(hollows in rocks used
for grinding seeds),
which you can see along
hiking trails leading
off the dirt road that
loops around the valley
east of CR S2. A steep
1-mile scramble leads to
Ghost Mountain and the
remains of a Depression-
era homestead occupied
by the family of desert
recluse Marshal South.
On the north side of
the valley at Foot and
Walker Pass, a roadside
historical monument
marks a difficult spot on
the Butterfield Overland
Mail Route. A few miles
further south along CR
S2 at Box Canyon, you
can still see the marks
where wagons had to
hack through the rocks
to widen the Mormon
pioneers’ original trail.The Drive » Keep following
CR S2 south through the
park, winding downhill though
Oriflamme Canyon grassy
valleys that look like oases, and
county-run campgrounds and
parks. About 26 miles after
leaving Box Canyon, look for
the Carrizo Badlands Overlook
pull-off on your left. From there,
it’s just 13 miles south to the I-8,
which heads back to San Diego.TRIP HIGHLIGHTWATCHING WILDFLOWERS
Depending on winter rains, wildflowers bloom
brilliantly, albeit briefly, in Anza-Borrego Desert
State Park starting in late February, making a
striking contrast to the desert’s usually subtle earth
tones. Call the Wildflower Hotline (%760-767-4684)
or check the park website (www.parks.ca.gov) to find
out what’s blooming right now.
SOUTHERN.CALIFORNIA.35
(^) TEMECULA, JULIAN & ANzA-BORREGO