Good Times in Anza-Borrego's Badlands

Hiking the Palm Wash Slot Canyons in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

11.02.2017

Anza-Borrego’s badlands look forbidding, but anyone with a sense of adventure can dive in and explore V-shaped canyons, 100-foot-deep slots, and a vast maze of sandstone rock formations laced with the calcite veins that drew miners here in the 1940s.

At the heart of all this badness is Palm Wash, which can be explored via any or all of its three main routes: the South Fork, Middle Fork Main Branch, and Main Branch South Fork. The safest route for you and your vehicle is the South Fork. At the highway turnoff for Calcite Mine Road, park on the side of the road and follow the tracks down to the wash. Instead of continuing on Calcite Mine Road, turn left and follow the wash upstream. After about a half-mile, the canyon quickly narrows and a huge sandstone bridge spans the vertical walls, marking the entrance to the slot. Some parts of the route require a bit of climbing over rocks, but nothing extreme. The path is easy to follow and dead-ends after a few hundred yards at a 30-foot dryfall.

Ready for more? Once you return to the trailhead, you can access both branches of Palm Wash’s Middle Fork from Calcite Mine Road—a rough 4WD road that winds through the canyon and reaches Calcite Mine after about 1.8 miles. Or you can spend a full day exploring the countless branches of slots off all three major forks.

TIPS: This canyon can quickly turn into a maze, so it’s important to remember landmarks while hiking through. The landscape is dry and barren, so be sure to bring lots of water.

Palm Wash is located just inside the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park boundary. The Palm Wash (Calcite Mine) Slot Canyon Trailhead is just off the side of the S-22 about 10 miles west of Salton City. Park at the trailhead on either side of the road. No dogs except on Calcite Mine Rd.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

  3. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  4. Hike Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

    Purisima Charisma

    Hundred-foot redwoods, a shaded canyon, and views overlooking Half Moon Bay. This 10-mile loop hike in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is a roller-coaster of uphill and downhill along with easygoing stretches through some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful landscape.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. A woman on a hiking trail with huge open space and yellow flowers around her at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

    Going Wildwood

    Consider this your invitation to get a little untamed. In just one walk through Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, you can chase the sound of a cascading waterfall, duck into a shadowy cave, and soak in big hillside vistas. The mostly flat 4.25-mile loop makes wild feel wonderfully accessible.

    View
  3. Two people fly fishing on the Truckee River with guides from Reno Fly Shop

    Zen and the Art of Fly Fishing

    Learning to fly fish is one of the most fun and beautiful ways to connect with nature, family, friends, and yourself. It’s also a great way to truly experience the magic of a place. Make that place Reno Tahoe, where a fly fishing adventure with Reno Fly Shop is like being planted in a plein air painting of dreamy outdoors.

    View
  4. A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

    This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

    Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike. Afterwards, explore the creative hub of Dickerson Road.

    View