Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Anza Borrego Desert → Calcite Mine & Slot Canyons

Location: Anza Borrego Desert, California

Distance: 4.2 miles (to the Calcite Mine and back); the main slot canyon off the Calcite Mine trail adds about 1 mile roundtrip, and additional exploration down the South Fork of Palm Wash adds an estimated 2.5 miles round trip.

Elevation Gain/Loss: 800 ft/800 ft

Red Tape/Notes: no permit required

What’s Nearby?: Borrego Palm Canyon, Hellhole Canyon, Lower Coyote Canyon, Cougar Canyon, Villager Peak, Rabbit Peak, Salton City

This is one of the first hikes we did in Anza Borrego, and we liked it so much we’ve done it a couple of times. The mine area isn’t the classic sort of mine with a tunnel leading underground – these are trench mines, where optical grade calcite crystals were mined during WWII for use in gunsights. So that’s kind of cool. Basically, the trench mines just look like deep chasms or pits in the landscape. You can still find calcite crystals if you’re interested in that sort of thing. But the real highlight for us in the is area is the slot canyons. There’s a nice one on the way to the mine site, and another area filled with them to the west, further down the South Fork of Palm Wash.

Tom shot this video showing a nice overview of the area using his drone.

To get to the Calcite Mines, hike down the jeep road (you’ll find the jeep round about 0.1 miles to the east of the parking area, where it intersects with the S22) to where the road crosses the South Fork of Palm Wash. Continue following the jeep road northwest (don’t go left or right into Palm Wash), where it starts to climb. After about 1.5 miles, the road dips and crosses a ravine – remember this point because you’ll want to come back here. Another half a mile further on, you’ll reach the mine site. Explore the area as much as you’d like, then head back to the aforementioned ravine.

At the north (upper) end of the ravine is the entrance to a very nice slot canyon. The slot has lovely sculpted, wavy walls and opens up in wide sandy areas that are nice for snack breaks. Follow it all the way to the end (about half a mile), where if you want to, you can climb out and you’ll end up just northwest of the mine area (you can also choose to do this as your approach to the mine site). On the way back, a nice canyon parallels the jeep road, just make sure you exit the canyon before it angles off to the east, or you’ll add some unplanned mileage to your route.

If you’re interested in more slot canyons, when you get back to the intersection with the South Fork of Palm Wash, head west (to the right if you’re on your way back from the Calcite Mine) and continue down the wash. This area is frequently used for off-road adventures, so beware of speeding dune buggies and jeeps. I haven’t actually measured the distance for this portion of the hike, so I’m guessing it’s maybe a mile down the road until you’ll reach a cool rock arch, after which the terrain becomes really cool with lots of little side canyons splitting off. Most of them don’t go very deep, but they’re fun to explore all the same. When you’ve had your fill, turn around and go back the way you came.

I want to go! How do I get there?: From Borrego Springs, head 13 miles northeast towards the Salton Sea on the S22 (the Borrego-Salton Seaway). There’s a turnout/parking area at mile 38 on the left – if you pass the jeep road you’ve gone too far.

Trailhead address: Borrego Salton Seaway & Calcite Road, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, CA 92004
Trailhead coordinates: 33.2811, -116.0964 (33° 16′ 52″N 116° 05′ 47″W)

Click here for the Google Maps link

Also…if you happen to be passing through Ranchita on the way back, say hi to Bigfoot.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Anza Borrego Desert → Calcite Mine & Slot Canyons