Borrego Palm Canyon is similar to several other east-west ravines at the edge of the mountains in the northwest of Anza Borrego Desert State Park but it is by far the most visited, since it is close to the visitor center and has an easy trail running through; this follows a dry wash for 1.5 miles gaining just 350 feet in elevation, past many and varied desert plants to a large group of California fan palm trees.
The Trail: The path begins at the main 117 site campground, reached at the end of a spur road from the visitor center and which has a pleasant setting amongst bushes at the mouth of the canyon. It soon divides, and the two branches follow either side of the streamway, crossing several tributaries that join from both directions. The land is quite open, covered by large and small boulders between which grow flowering bushes, and in spring the valley presents a spectacle of yellow (brittlebush), red (chuparosa) and blue (indigo bush). Also abundant are the spiky, red tipped ocotillo, large barrel cacti, several species of yellow-blossomed opuntia, clusters of mammillaria cacti and a variety of smaller wildflowers.
The Oasis: The palms are reached after about 45 minutes walking, and are grouped around springs in the floor of the valley which at this point is quite narrow and sheltered. Climbing up the sides of the canyon is quite easy and allows a quite different view of the palms. Apart from during rainy seasons, the water does not flow far before seeping below ground, but it does provide the year-round source necessary for the trees to flourish, and the cool, moist, shady area beneath the fronds offers a great contrast to the prevailing conditions of the exposed, sunny hike to reach the oasis. This is the end of the official hike but the canyon can be explored for several more miles; upstream it divides and the north branch extends right outside the park, into the adjacent Los Coyotes Indian Reservation.
Other hikes along palm tree canyons can be found in
Palm Springs,
Joshua Tree National Park and
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
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