Central Anza-Borrego: North Fork, Fish Creek Wash

Rubble After A Canyon Wall Fell,
North Fork , Fish Creek Wash

The North Fork of Fish Creek Wash gets closer to the Vallecito Mountains than the main wash. It provides links to three washes noted for seashore evidence. These washes lead to tributary washes which can be explored on foot and canyons which can be hiked into the mountains. As pathways near the mountains, plantlife becomes more prevalent. Among these washes are:

Oyster Shell Wash — Named for the shells once found there. You should be able to note comparisons between the terrain here and the terrain in parts of Split Mountain Gorge.

Lycium Wash — Named for the Box Elder (scientific name Lycium), a species of which grows here. Stone Wash, a Lycium Wash tributary, is the western terminus of a 7-mile landslide that once sent rocks and debris on a broad path from the Fish Creek Mountains.

Mollusk Wash — Like Oyster Shell Wash, named for the shells once found there.

On a sunny day, the hills around the North Fork sparkle with pieces of glass-like selenite, a crystalized form of gypsum.