Palm Canyon Trail and Slot Canyon

After viewing some amazing metal sculptures in Galleta Meadows on Sunday, our Borrego Springs adventure continued last Monday as we hiked the Palm Canyon Trail in the Anza-Borrego State Park.  On paper, it looked like a pretty easy walk.  But as the morning progressed, it became more challenging, mostly due to the heat factor.  It was 90+ when we exited the mostly shadeless trail around 11 am.

Let’s start at the beginning, though.  When we found the trailhead, there was a guide/volunteer/official-looking person who immediately asked us whether we had brought water with us.  She went on to say that the day before, three people had been transported off the trail by Medivac.  That was a very sobering thought for us, considering that we hadn’t even begun the hike yet.

We assured her that we definitely had some water.  She pointed out that a rule of thumb while hiking is that the hiker needs to return to the starting point as soon as half of the hiker’s water has been consumed.

half of water consumed = halfway point of hike

That seemed logical to us and we were ever mindful of it, especially as we started perspiring more and more.

As we hiked, we came upon some beautiful rock formations and interesting vegetation.  It was a steady, gradual uphill climb.  But I have to be honest.  Neither of us made it to the very end – an oasis of palm trees and streaming water.  Tom was able to see it from a fairly close distance, but I had decided to stop before that and just rest while he went on ahead.

Going back to the trailhead was easier than hiking in.  By the time we reached our car, we had exhausted all of the water we had brought with us in our backpack.  We walked close to three miles, round-trip.

Tom and I went back to the hotel and rested for a few hours.  Deciding it would be much cooler around 4:30 pm, we left the hotel at that time and drove out of Borrego Springs to Slot Canyon.

According to my research, a slot canyon is a natural phenomenon produced by water rushing through rock.  A tiny crack in the rock may start the process, but because of flash floods and erosion over time, the crack  develops into a canyon.  The U.S. Southwest has several slot canyons.

The map from the Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor Center gives very specific, helpful directions for locating Slot Canyon.  Without the Visitor Center directions, though, I don’t think we would have located it since there are no highway signs indicating the way.  The entrance to the parking lot is a good twenty minutes southeast of Borrego Springs off of Highway 78.

As it turned out, the hike to and from the canyon was only a half-mile in each direction.  For me, some of the footing was a little tricky at times on the way down or back up, but Tom was always there to help.

Here are some of our pictures of the splendor of the canyon.

All in all, we encountered only four people on their way out of the slot.  No one was ahead of us or behind us, going in.  By the time we left at 6pm, our truck was the only one left in the parking lot.

Although there are several slot canyons in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, this was our first time actually seeing and experiencing the peacefulness and breathtaking beauty of one.  Now that we have visited Anza Borrego’s Slot Canyon, we’re motivated to find other slot canyons that are equally beautiful and unique.