Topic: Buttes Pass, Borrego Mtn Wash, The Slot - Anza Borrego 1/2/10

[FrankB]

Heather and I went out to Anza Borrego today with Brian#2 and his wife Melissa. We started out heading north on Buttes Pass from Hwy 78, our first stop was Hawk Canyon.





From Hawk Canyon turned back to Buttes Pass, then continued north to San Felipe Wash, then west for a bit. We found a trail that is not marked on the Park maps, it came to an end near a large cave that looked like the entrance to a mine. We'll need to go back and explore that one a bit more.



Continuing in San Felipe Wash we then turned back south into Borrego Mountain Wash, which starts out wide and sandy and eventually gets narrow and rocky.









At one point the trail splits, with the left fork dead-ending at The Slot, and the right fork ending at the bottom of the one-way (the other way) drop-off. First we checked out the drop-off, then headed up the left fork until it was too narrow to drive any further, where we stopped for lunch.





After lunch we hiked The Slot.



We probably should have done it before lunch. It got a bit tight in spots.

[FrankB]

The Slot is really a lot of fun to walk through, and it really does get pretty narrow in spots. There's not a lot of light in there, even though it was mid-day.









You can get to The Slot from either of two ends. The easy way is to take Buttes Pass from Hwy 78, and stay left at the fork after about 1.2 miles (there is a sign that says Borrego Mountain Wash). That will lead you along a ridge line to a parking area, and you can walk from there down hill to where we were parked. I'm pretty sure that route is doable in 2WD. We came in from the the lower end, via Borrego Mountain Wash from San Felipe Wash. Most of that is sandy wash, there are some bumpy spots in Borrego Mtn Wash, and one rock section where you'll be glad you have 4Lo for the control.

http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/So-Cal-Explorations-Day/Buttes-Pass-Slot/ for more pictures.

[Oz]

[Ghost65]

Fantastic pictures Frank!  

[Brian (#2)]

Thanks again Frank, we had a great time.

[XterracerX]

Fred likes this A LOT!

...sorry for the over-enthusiastic thumbs up. It's OZ's fault.