We've done this route a few times now in December - it's generally a really nice time of year to be out that way. In past years the weather has always been mild.
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. We'll be driving slow, and getting out of the trucks a lot to check out the scenery, but none of the hikes will be strenuous or long. December can have some pretty spectacular sunsets, and Font's Point is great place to view and photograph 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 at Font's Point 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. We will not be going past the State Park Visitor Center, as it is a long way out of the way. Edit 12/15: it turns out I was wrong about the Visitor Center being out of the way. The shortest route from Hwy 79 to the meet spot is in fact via S-22 and down the Montezuma Grade. That's 9.5 miles shorter than staying on S-2 to Scissors Crossing. Still, we will not be stopping or meeting at the Visitor Center. [end edit]
DATE / TIME: Saturday December 18th, 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
CAMPING: I don't know yet if I'll be camping, but I think a few people have said they might. If you stay with me for the entire route, I plan to leave Font's Point after sunset. You can camp in Font's Wash pretty much anywhere along the 4 mile stretch back to the highway, or head down S-22 a few miles to Arroyo Salado Primitive Camp, or find someplace anywhere else in the Park.
Please post any comments, suggestions or questions, and let us know if you're coming.
Thanks - Frank B.
