January 22, 2023, Anza Borrego Desert, CA
Although most didn’t appreciate the wet start of 2023, you wouldn’t hear a bit of complaining from the desert life. Below are a few photos from the trip pre-run, as well as a detailed summary of the journey. We hope to see everyone for the 1st club trip of the new year!
The first leg of our journey has us heading to Ranchita on S22, arriving at Grapevine Canyon Trail. Here we’ll pause for the group to air down.
Once offroad, we will head south on Grapevine Canyon; beginning our journey at ~3900 ft. ASL and descending to the desert floor at ~1000 ft. ASL. During the descent, we will be going through many temporal zones, which present changing landscapes and something to see around every corner.
After arriving at the desert floor, we will drive towards Yaqui Pass Primitive Campground. This area is full of Barrel and other types of cow cacti beginning to bloom, in addition to a wide variety of amazing flowers.
We will return to the pavement at the intersection of S3 and Highway 78, heading East until we jump back on the dirt at Old Borrego Valley Road, just past the Narrows Earth Trails – Fun fact: In the pioneer days Old Borrego Valley Road was the main route into Borrego Springs.
When we reach the end of Old Borrego Valley Road, we will be turning and heading to San Felipe Wash – Fun fact: San Felipe Wash is the largest wash in the park and drains into the Salton Sea.
We will follow the wash till we get to Shell Reef Expressway, following it to Devil’s Slide. We’ll have time to play around on the sand and climb to the top of Devil’s Slide Mountain for an amazing view of the desert.
At this point, we will have been on the trail for around 4.5 hours, including a lunch break. This will bring us to the end of our day trip. However, the adventure is not quite over. On the way back via Shell Reef Expressway there will be an option to stop at the Ranger station where they have a nice museum with free maps and restrooms.
**If you were hoping for an overnight trip, this is a good opportunity to stay over. There will likely be other members also interested in camping. This will not be organized by the club.**
🏔**LRCSD Trail Leader is a volunteer position. We have leaders with a ride range of trail experience – you do NOT need to have competed in a Camel Trophy or be able to navigate narrow trails blindfolded. Interested in becoming a trail leader? Or maybe you’d like to hear more about what would entail, please Email The Board or inquire at the next club meeting!
