I've never spent any time out in Anza Borrego and I figured with the super bloom of flowers that's expected over the next couple of weeks, it's time I give it a shot. The wife, the boy and I are planning a little jaunt out there on Saturday the 18th, with a short overnight camping stay and a trip home in the late morning on Sunday. Just so I knew what to expect, I took a trip out to the visitor's center last Friday from my home - the route takes me along Highway 79 into Warner Springs before cutting off onto San Felipe Road then to Montezuma Valley Road, through Ranchita and down into Borrego Springs. It was a beautiful drive (everything is so green right now!) and I know the fam will love it.
But, once we get there, I don't really know what to do. I tried to talk with some of the volunteers at the visitor center, but the place was PACKED (even at noon on a Friday) and everyone was asking about flowers. They pretty much had the "well there aren't many flowers yet, but we're expecting a ton over the next few weeks" answer down to a script. I finally got some time with a gentlemen who "wasn't much into off-roading" per his own admission, and tried to tell me where the great hikes were. I stressed to him that I would have a 4 year old boy with me, and anything more than a nature loop was probably too excessive for him, but he still pointed me to the best 4 and 5 mile slot-canyon hikes that the Calcite Mine area has to offer.
So, I'm sort of stuck here. I know that everyone in the park is really uptight about being off of established roadways. But back country camping is still permitted. If I'm camping at my vehicle (using my awning and attached room), does that mean I'm pretty much limited to the side of a road somewhere? Or are there open washes and what not that I can pull into and camp, where I'm off the road but still not "cross country traveling," by the park's definition? On a side note - I'm also familiar with the park's fire restrictions, and have a plan in place already.
We're planning to get on the road early Saturday morning and be in the Borrego Springs area by about 8:00 am. We'll probably spend a little time checking out the town, the visitor's center and the art sculptures all over the place. From there, my agenda is a question mark. I was originally thinking I'd head out toward the Borrego Badlands - maybe up Calcite Mine Road and check that out. But after watching a few videos on YouTube, I have a couple of concerns. The first is that the trail might be a bit too hard for me to tackle by myself with the wife and boy with me, and the second is that it could be relatively crowded out there on a Saturday in March when everyone is coming to town to see wildflowers. According to the $2 map I purchased at the visitor's center, there appears to be plenty of other dirt roads in the area south of S22 that are probably fun to explore, but what does everyone else think? And if I can't camp somewhere in the open back there, then I need to consider ending my route(s) near a primative campground and cross my fingers that there's room to set up when I stroll in at 4:00 or 5:00 pm on a Saturday in spring time. Does it make sense to continue further east into the OHV area and camp there? That's also an area I've never been and have no familiarity with locations.
I've ordered the Tom Harrison map of the area and plan to study it extensively when it arrives in 2 days (thank you Amazon Prime), but I'm open to anyone's suggestions in the interim. We're looking for a day worth of fun stuff to see and explore. We'd like to be off the beaten path, but aren't looking for red or black diamond trails with the whole family involved. There has to be somewhere we can set up and primitive camp for the night, and my plan was to exit on Sunday via the Salton Sea back up into the Coachella Valley and come back into the Inland Empire on the 10 (although I'm up for alternative routes home, if anyone wants to give me a better place to spend my time instead of the area I'm thinking).
Suggestions anyone?
I'd also like to open the invite up for anyone who wants to tag along. Especially if you're familiar with the AB area
It'll be a family friendly, very laid back trip. The only requirement is that you bring whatever you need to sustain yourself for a day of exploring and a night of camping. That, and no drama.
