Anza-Borrego Desert: North Fork Arroyo Salado Loop

Rating *****
length 8.1 mile (the loop) - 3 hour, 10 minutes (Return trip). Easy.
Elevation 710 - 250 feet
Access On the Borrego - Salton Sea Way (S22), at mile 37, go east, past the next bridge, about mile 37.2. Park roadside.

An excellent loop to experience the Anza Borrego Badlands.

From the roadside parking, the road crosses a deep wash (North Fork Arroyo Salado).
Next to the bridge, there is a drainage (south) leading into the North Fork Arroyo Salado.
Once in the main wash, hike downstream.
You eventually cross the park boundary, marked with highway legal vehicle signs and so on all across the wash.
Take the next bigger fork to the right, going north/west. But it will be tricky without a GPS to find the right one.

Follow this wash north/west.
Eventually the wash ends in rocky flat.
Follow the rim of the deep wash on your right, down below you may see the Truckhaven trail (road 2) descending into the wash.
After a while turn right, down a small drainage heading South/East.

Once in the main wash, turn left (North), soon you meet the Truckhaven trail (road 2) descending into the wash from the opposite side.
Keep on going following the wash.

At the next fork (fork right 2) turn right into a smaller canyon.
At the next fork (fork right 3) turn right again.
This is close the the main road, hike out of the canyon at point "Out" in a small rocky drainage.

You should now be at mile 37 along the highway.
Hike cross country to the car (right / East).

Best hiked in November or February (Asters).

I've seen topo maps calling the wash Arroyo Salada.

Older footage
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Hiking the Borrego Springs Area (Anza-Borrego Desert SP, Cuyamaca Rancho SP, Imperial Sand Dunes (Algodones Dunes), Jacumba, Laguna Mountain, Warner Springs) California, Hike with gps, gpx and kml (Google Earth).

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