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ince the weather has been cold and there has been snow on the mountains, Josh and I decided to head out to the desert a few weeks back and check out the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We have not spent much time in most of the deserts in Southern California and thought it was the perfect time to check out some desert hikes. We got up early, made the drive in and stopped at the park office where some amazing gents pointed us in the direction of two must do hikes in Anza-Borrego, The Slot and Hellhole Canyon. We decided that we had never hiked anything like the slot before so we would check that out first, after a short drive, some slight off roading and a little wondering around we found the slot and started an amazing hike.
This hike was great, very different from anything else here is Southern California that we have hiked before. Its unique features, high walls and narrow passages created a very interesting experience. There are some places where it was so narrow that you need to move through the slot sideways to get through. After winding your way through the narrow canyon you eventually get to the end and the canyon opens up to the desert. Whats great about this hike is that it’s not super hard to find (but grab a map!) and its not that long, but it’s very interesting and totally worth the trip.
The Slot:
Less than 3 miles round trip (option to come back through the slot or follow the road out and around), little change in elevation.
Getting there: South from Borrego Springs on S-3, staying left onto Borrego Springs Road at the fork at mile 7. Turn left onto 78 toward Octotillo Springs. At mile 87, there will be a turn-off on the north side of the road (unmarked Buttes Pass Road). Head down this dirt road, keeping left at the fork. There will be a small dirt parking area near The Slot when the dirt road makes a sharp left. Low clearance vehicles may have to stop a quarter mile from the trail head. The entrance to the Slot will be north west from the dirt lot heading down into the canyon.
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[...] is all spread out to many different sites. We set out on two hikes while we were there, one was the Slot that Zac wrote about, and the other was Hellhole Canyon that you can see [...]