I thought we would explore the washes in the north side of Anza Borrego around Arroyo Salado and 17 Palms Oasis, hike out to 5 Palms Oasis, check out the Pumpkin Patch, then work our way back towards Short Wash, Vista del Malpais (excellent view of the Badlands) and eventually Font's Point. December can have some pretty spectacular sunsets, and Font's Point is great place to view them from.
This will be an easy run, suitable for stock vehicles, but will require 4WD for some areas of very soft sand. Plan for all day, lunch on the trail, and I would expect it to get a bit chilly once the sun sets. Photographers will want to bring a tripod, if it looks like a good sunset we'll set up and get some shots. The last few times I've done these routes we've always wound up airing up in the dark.
MEET SPOT: Arroyo Salado Primitive Camp, Anza Borrego Desert State Park, located between Mile Markers 34 and 35 (0.8 miles east of Mile Marker 34) on the south side of County Road S-22, otherwise known as the Borrego-Salton Seaway. It's closer to Mile Marker 35, on your right as you're traveling east from Borrego Springs, and on your left not long after Mile Marker 35 if you're heading west from Salton City and Hwy 86. You can't see the campground from the road, and the sign is pretty easy to miss. If coming from the west, the entrance is just about 0.1 miles after Ella Wash, look for a little brown State Park campsite marker. We can meet a little past the vault toilets. If the trail you turn off the pavement on to heads straight south, instead of more or less east, you are on Ella Wash. You want to be on Arroyo Salado. The campground is marked on all Park maps that I have seen.
The Massey book shows the following GPS coordinates for the turn off from S-22, but I can not say for sure if they are accurate: N33 16.98 W16 09.09
For those who can easily get to I-10, you may find it easier and faster to take I-10 east to Hwy 86 South in Indio, then follow that down along the west shore of the Salton Sea to Salton City, turning right on the Borrego-Salton Seaway. For those who are coming this way the meet spot is a lot closer for you than going all the way to the State Park Visitor Center.
DATE / TIME: Saturday December 19th, meet at 10:00AM.
If anyone coming from the San Diego area wants to caravan out there let me know in advance and we can arrange a meet spot. I'm east of I-15 off of Scripps Poway Parkway, and plan to leave around 8:00AM.
Reference:
Parts of these trails are covered in Massey's Backcountry Adventures So. Calif. - South Coast #27 (Font's Point) and South Coast #28 (Arroyo Salado).
Communication:
FRS Channel 12, sub-code 24
CB Channel 24
Please post any comments, suggestions or questions, and let us know if you're coming.
Thanks - Frank B.
