Anza-Borrego's Palm Canyon Trail...

Wanting to get a little gravel in our travel or as I recently said, some dirt in my skirt we headed to Borrego in our camper for some quality desert time.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Five hundred miles of dirt roads, twelve wilderness areas, and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the California desert. The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish name borrego or bighorn sheep.
The creation of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park began in the 1930s with the protection of this palm-filled canyon so off we went to explore it.
The Palm Canyon Trail is a three-mile round trip walk featuring a native palm oasis. Armed with the Nature Trail Guide, and its 15 informational stopping points, we set off.
This Park’s rugged landscape formed largely by the forces of erosion attacking the uplifted mountains. The higher the mountains rise, the more vigorously they are attacked by rain, snow, ice, and wind, as they yield to the constant pull of gravity. To hike in this canyon was to see the unique topography up close.
It was a path of diverse flora and fauna. What a fabulous place to explore.


I love this Teddy Bear Cholla.
The beavertail cacti were visually interesting.

As we scrambled around the boulders, we discovered signs of Borrego's earlier residents. Women ground seeds in the same place for centuries to create these holes or moteros. The Cahuilla Indians chose Palm Canyon for a village site because of the flowing stream and the fact that the canyon walls brought shade from the late afternoon sun and shelter from the desert winds.



Anza-Borrego’s most famous hike leads to Borrego Palm Canyon, a watery haven fed by underground springs and shaded by California fan palms, the only palm that is native to California. After 1½ miles, we came upon lush willows with the rocky landscape giving way to images of the soaring palms. A severe rainstorm and flash flood (2004) wiped out many of the oldest palms in this grove, but Palm Canyon is still the largest of the palm groves in Anza-Borrego. The most recent destruction did not come from Mother Nature however. In January 2020, this amazing grove (scroll back to the photo introducing the Canyon) was set on fire by a juvenile. It almost makes me cry just writing that. That said, these trees are rebounding and my hope is to return in another year and see them as grand as they once were. One can hope.



One of the most beautiful finds of the day was this perfect shell. Could it be from the time when this area was part of the Sea of Cortez? However it arrived in the desert, it was a pretty spectacular discovery! Oh how I love the desert.

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1 comments:

Jenny said...

Beautiful hummingbird! The desert looks like an awesome place to find peace, revere in nature, and have lots of space to wander at this time!

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