2009-04-18: Anza-Borrego & Ocotillo Wells

[BorregoWrangler]

Well, it's sure gettin' warm out there! I had the pleasure of spending a few days out in the desert with friends and exploring some new areas. I also found out how to break a leaf spring but more on that later. Saturday I cruised on up Rockhouse Canyon since it was one of the few trails out there that I had yet to see. It starts out as a graded dirt road that leads to a rock quarry. After crossing dry Clark Lake it becomes a sandy trail that gets rockier the farther you go. It ends after 12 miles with a turnaround at a wilderness boundry. Back in the day, Jeeps would traverse farther into the canyon to a 20 foot dry waterfall and winch up and over it.





My campsite got crowded quick.


Passing the quarry on the way to Rockhouse Canyon.


Dry Clark Lake.


Wait... is this Anza Borrego or Mojave Preserve?






Clark Lake in the distance.


Ocotillos are blooming.


Getting rougher.








End of the trail. You can hike from here to a spring and rock house ruins.




Heading on back to Ocotillo Wells.




Stopped at the gas domes.








So I ended up hitting a ledge a little too fast and snapped a rear leaf spring.


But some duct tape, wire and zipties had me back in shape and able to hit the road!

[cruiserlarry]

Great pics, John - looks like a fun time (well, except for the leaf spring ).

Your "shadow" picture is awsome....would make a great poster, IMO....

[BlueFJ]

Looks like a good time. The last time I was at Clark Dry Lake, we only went a little way up the canyon as it was getting close to cocktail time! BTW, how far is the hike to the spring and ruins?

[gon2srf]

Nice pics John. Did that wire, zip ties and duct tape hold till you got home?

[OLLIE]

I have always wanted to do Rockhouse. Been eyeballing it since I first went out to Anza Borrego. The hike to the first set of ruins is about a 6+ mile round trip. There are a better set of ruins further back that is about an 8+ mile round trip. I have always thought the making a weekend out of it would be best. Drive in on a Friday night. Campout Friday night and wake up early on Saturday. Hike back to both sets of ruins then come back out to camp Saturday night. Drive home when you wake up Sunday. Another option would be to camp at the ruins then hike out on Sunday.

[brentbba]

I have always wanted to do Rockhouse. Been eyeballing it since I first went out to Anza Borrego. The hike to the first set of ruins is about a 6+ mile round trip. There are a better set of ruins further back that is about an 8+ mile round trip. I have always thought the making a weekend out of it would be best. Drive in on a Friday night. Campout Friday night and wake up early on Saturday. Hike back to both sets of ruins then come back out to camp Saturday night. Drive home when you wake up Sunday. Another option would be to camp at the ruins then hike out on Sunday.

Sign me up when you plan on that one! Sounds like fun. 8+ miles round trip isn't bad...unless it's the middle of the summer! Even this past weekend would have required a great deal of water!!

We were very close to you this weekend!

[sdnative]

Interested as well, although I wouldn't want to do it until it cools down a bit.

[BorregoWrangler]

I have always wanted to do Rockhouse. Been eyeballing it since I first went out to Anza Borrego. The hike to the first set of ruins is about a 6+ mile round trip. There are a better set of ruins further back that is about an 8+ mile round trip. I have always thought the making a weekend out of it would be best. Drive in on a Friday night. Campout Friday night and wake up early on Saturday. Hike back to both sets of ruins then come back out to camp Saturday night. Drive home when you wake up Sunday. Another option would be to camp at the ruins then hike out on Sunday.

You bet, Ollie! This would make a great trip come winter. Hidden Spring is about a mile up further from where I stopped but it was getting too warm out to make the trip.

[BorregoWrangler]

Here's a short clip of me near the back end of Rockhouse Canyon, showing just how washed out the trail was. That rock is really bigger than it looks!

http://vimeo.com/4271726