Recreation / San Diego : Discovering the Desert’s Secretive Beauty : Adventures Await Those Who Explore the Anza-Borrego

At a casual glance, the Anza-Borrego Desert can look cruel and desolate. But the desert, where disguise can be a matter of survival, is reluctant to reveal its treasures freely.

Just as its beauty can be hidden, so can the opportunities for adventure.

“People don’t understand this,” said Hal Brody, an avid desert backpacker. “The desert is a great place for rockhounds, bird watchers, exploring and rock climbing. If people really found out how mild it is, how nice it is, I’m sure there would be more people out there.”

Brody discovered the desert by accident. He grew up camping and hiking in the woods and gave little thought to the desert. But that was all changed when he took a basic mountaineering class six years ago at the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club.

Now, Brody teaches one of the mountaineering classes and of the four trips he takes with his students, the first three are to the desert.

“The desert is generally a lot more gentle on you (than the mountains),” Brody said. “Except on the feet, because you walk on rocks. You almost can’t get lost because you can see so far and there’s usually no unforeseen weather problems like in the mountains.”

Brody and his party were camping recently at Sheep Canyon in the northern part of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. In the summer, the days are long, which allows for an extra four hours of hiking. There are 14 hours of daylight, as opposed to 10 in the winter.

To an explorer like Brody, that extra time can be precious.

The group decided to hike nearby Cougar Canyon as they had done in the past. But this time, thanks to the summer light, the group “went farther than we ever had before.”

The group reached a pool of water lined on three sides by sheer rock walls. At the top of the side they were facing, a waterfall cascaded nearly 40 feet into the pond. Around them lay the desert.

“It’s the exploration--what’s around the next bend in that canyon,” Brody said. “You find things. You find caves, you find waterfalls, you come around the corner and see a bighorn sheep--that’s the spirit of the explorer.

“A lot of times you don’t find anything. But that one out of 10 times you do find something--that makes it all worthwhile.”

Although there are more daylight hours, only the very hardy attempt to participate in any desert recreational activities in the summer months. The cooler season starts Oct. 1 and runs through May, but January and February are the more temperate months. Average high temperatures in March have been in the low 80s the past two years. In January, the lows can get down to the low- to mid-40s.

The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest in the continental United States, covering 600,000 acres. And recreational opportunities are not limited to backpacking and hiking. There are hundreds of miles of primitive roads for four-wheel drive vehicles. For those interested in off-road riding, there is the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area just off State Highway 78.

But the primary activity in the desert is hiking and backpacking. The only limitation is that no one can pull more than one car length off the road or disturb vegetation. “It’s wide open,” Brody said. “You can go wherever you can climb.”

For overnight backpacking, it is advised to check in at the park headquarters on Palm Canyon Drive, off Highway S22. The latest weather reports are available at the headquarters.

The park offers numerous day trips. The most popular, according to park officials, is the Palm Canyon nature trail, an easy 1.75-mile trip that should take approximately two hours to complete. Palm Canyon is also the site of the park’s largest campground, with 117 established sites.

Palm Canyon features an oasis, complete with palm trees and a year-round stream that empties into a large pool. It is also the most popular camping area for those who want to stay close to the amenities.

For those who want to backpack, Coyote Canyon, located north of Sheep Canyon, is a popular area because it is the most likely spot for a visitor to spot bighorn sheep. In the southern part of the park, along Highway S2, the Bow Willow area offers many interesting trips.

Nonetheless, the Anza-Borrego is still relatively ignored by outdoors enthusiasts. For people like Brody, this presents a problem. He said he wants to promote the park as a recreational area, but he doesn’t want to lose the serenity.

“You can get the solitude people are looking for,” Brody said. “The mountains have designated campgrounds and are so overused. In the desert you can spend a whole weekend out there and not see anybody.”

You can see plenty of wildlife.

More than 200 species of birds populate the Anza-Borrego Desert, along with rabbits, kit foxes, mule deer, raccoons and mountain lions. And don’t forget the reptiles--iguanas, lizards and snakes (including sidewinders and red diamond rattlers). But during the colder months, the rattlesnakes are in hibernation and pose little threat.

“There’s a tremendous amount of wildlife,” Brody said. “People don’t realize that at all. They think of the desert as being desolate.

“Not too many people find it interesting at all. Most people go to the mountains. And I still go there on occasion. But it never touches me as deeply as the desert.” CAMPGROUNDS

Elevation Established Tap (Feet) Campsites Water BORREGO PALM CANYON CAMPGROUND 775 117 X TAMARISK GROVE CAMPGROUND 1400 25 X BOW WILLOW CAMPGROUND 950 10 X SHEEP CANYON PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 1500 4 -- ARROYO SALADO PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 880 0 -- CULP VALLEY PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 3400 0 -- YAQUI WELL PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 1400 0 -- YAQUI PASS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 1730 0 -- LITTLE PASS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 2500 0 -- FISH CREEK PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 280 0 -- MTN. PALM SPRINGS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 760 0 -- DOS CABEZAS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA 2000 0 -- BLAIR VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPS 2500 5 -- HORSE CAMP 775 10 X

Nearest Nearest Distance Toilets: Accessible Service Grocery from Shade Flush (F) by Family Station Store Park Hq. Ramada Pit (P) Car (Miles) (Miles) (Miles) BORREGO PALM CANYON CAMPGROUND X F X 2 2 0 TAMARISK GROVE CAMPGROUND X F X 7 12 13 BOW WILLOW CAMPGROUND X P X 10 10 55 SHEEP CANYON PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P -- 13 13 14 ARROYO SALADO PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 16 16 19 CULP VALLEY PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 10 10 10 YAQUI WELL PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 6 11 13 YAQUI PASS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 3 8 13 LITTLE PASS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 11 26 28 FISH CREEK PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 12 11 30 MTN. PALM SPRINGS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P X 9 9 54 DOS CABEZAS PRIMITIVE CAMP AREA -- P -- 10 10 65 BLAIR VALLEY ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPS -- P X 11 30 32 HORSE CAMP -- P X 6 6 7