desert

Desert Hiking in Whitewater Preserve: Pacific Crest Trail to Red Dome

March 20, 2012
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Whitewater Preserve provides scenic desert hiking along a little piece of the Pacific Crest Trail near Palm Springs, along a year-round river. This 4.5 mile hike is a great introduction to the area!

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Hiking to Wilson Peak via Pinyon Ridge in Anza Borrego

May 22, 2011
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A scenic 9 mile hike through great wildflowers (in season) to a ridge that overlooks the Anza Borrego Desert State Park valley floor below.

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Pictograph Trail to Smuggler’s Canyon — a Cool and Easy Anza Borrego Hike

May 11, 2011
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The trail to Pictographs and Smuggler’s Canyon is one of the shorter hikes in Anza Borrego State Park, but if you tie it together with the Morteros and/or Yaqui Well Nature Trail, it is well worth the side trip. Interesting prehistoric Indian Pictographs and a great viewpoint over Smuggler’s Canyon and one of Anza Borrego’s scenic valleys.

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Palm Canyon Trail in Anza Borrego State Park — So Good We’ve Done it Twice!

May 2, 2011
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The lower part of Palm Canyon Trail is the most popular hike in Anza Borrego State Park, and features a path that goes from dry desert terrain to a lush, palm and fern oasis, with waterfalls and pools running right past it. Beyond the “tourist turnaround” at the 1.5 mile point, is a much more strenuous, but much more scenic and less crowded hike up the creek to more palms and falls.

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Devil’s Chair in Devil’s Punchbowl, Straddling the San Andreas Fault!

April 19, 2011
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A great 7.74 mile dog-friendly hike into a geological wonderland called Devil’s Punchbowl out to the Devil’s Chair, right on top of the San Andreas Fault. Located where the Mojave Desert meets the Angeles National Forest, the rock formations and landscape are amazing, and if you pick up the visitor’s guide at the visitor’s center or research it in advance, quite educational!

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Yaqui Well Nature Trail in Anza Borrego Desert State Park

April 18, 2011
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A short, easy, scenic 1.6 mile loop hike through a desert nature trail to a historic watering hole in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Easily accessible from Highway 78, this is a quick little hike you can hit on your way in or out of the park.

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Camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park

April 14, 2011
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Anza Borrego State Park is a great place for spring camping in Southern California. If you love the desert, and you plan to go before it gets too hot, Palm Canyon has nice campsites, newish flush toilets and showers, and is conveniently located next to the Visitor’s Center and the most popular hike in the park.

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