This Saturday I would like to get out and see a portion of the California Riding & Hiking Trail that traverses through Anza Borrego.
Date: 4-16-2011
Distance: 8 miles
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
This trail follows the ridge between Hellhole and Dry canyons offering spectacular views of the Borrego Desert. Take Culp Valley Primitive Camp turnoff from County S-22 and watch for right fork to the campground. The upper trail head is near campground at 3,400-foot elevation and descends through transitional flora, to the desert floor exhibiting plants that grow below 1,000 feet. Trail exits at the Visitor Center parking lot for hikers and 0.5 miles from the Center on S-22 for horsemen, where there is parking and turnaround space for horse trailers.
This delightful, one-way (preferably downhill) route has a long and varied history. Originally a well-beaten Native American trail, it was used for many decades by cattlemen moving herds from the Mesa Grande area near Lake Henshaw to winter and spring grazing grounds at the mouths of Hellhole and Borrego Palm canyons. After World War II, the trail became a branch of the California Riding & Hiking Trail (CRHT). Today, while the statewide CRHT has largely fallen into disrepair, this particular desert segment continues to be frequently used (if not maintained much).
If anyone else is interested, that would be great since you need two vehicles to leave at both ends of this route. One at the Culp Valley Primitive Camp and another at the bottom of the grade to shuttle folks back up.
If there's any interest, I'll post up more details.
