free

Leaders: Tom Keffer and Lee Christie, ABDNHA Volunteers
HIKE IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
We will visit not one, not two, not three, but five different palm groves, some of them with up to a hundred trees! 4.5-mile RT, 550’ vertical, mostly soft sand, but there are some moderate sections with a bit of bouldering. Be prepared to pay a $10 parking fee. Travel time is 1 1⁄4 hours each way. Meet at ABDNHA by 7:50 a.m. Bring lunch/snacks, water. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve. Limit: 10.

Leader: Rachel Rench, ABDNHA Volunteer

Meet at the ABDNHA parking lot at 8 a.m. to arrange our car shuttle. We'll drive up to mile 11.2 on Hwy S22 and leave a set of cars at the Big Spring parking area. We'll take the rest of the cars down to Hellhole Canyon and start our hike up to Culp Valley Camp. There will be a $10 parking fee for any vehicle parked at Hellhole Canyon if participants don't have a State Park pass. From here, we hike up the California Riding & Hiking Trail to the Culp Valley Campground Trail, over a small pass, and descend into Dry Canyon, where we'll pick up a faint social trail. The group will follow Rachel up a hill out of Dry Canyon and eventually pick up a trail that will take us back to the parking area on S22. This hike is approximately 6 miles with 2500 ft of elevation gain, and some steep sections to navigate. Long pants, long sleeves, and hiking poles are strongly recommended. Max. 12 people. Call to reserve.

Leaders: Carmelita Logerwell and Terri Straub
Hike: 5.0 miles, 1000' gain. A very rocky and interesting canyon. Plenty of rocks and dry waterfalls to go up, over, and around. Many synclines and anticlines, hence the canyon's name. High clearance vehicles recommended. Meet at ABDNHA by 7:50 a.m. Bring snacks/lunch, water, good hiking shoes, and a good attitude. (Hike statistics subject to change based on group, weather, or other factors.)

Leader: Tom Keffer, ABDNHA Volunteer

This year, we will be hiking the Moonlight Canyon loop. Halfway around, we’ll take a three-mile round-trip side trail (four to six-foot waterfalls, uneven footing, steep sections) to a terrific view of the Inner Pasture. Five miles round-trip, 900’ vertical. Park fee $5. Travel time is one hour each way. Meet in the ABDNHA parking lot by 7:50 am. Wear sturdy boots (not tennis shoes). Bring lunch/snacks and water. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve. Limit: 10.

Leader: Robin Halford, ABDNHA Volunteer
HIKE IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Note the meeting location. The Mecca grotto collapsed several years ago, so this hike leads to the beginning of the now impassable slot. Expect sandy washes, views of the Salton Sea from the high point of the ridge, as well as a visit to the palm grove on Hidden Spring on the way back. The total hike distance (round trip) is 5.7 miles. No bouldering, but there are some uneven, steep sections on the ridge. Sturdy shoes recommended. Bring snack/lunch, electrolytes, water, and poles. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve. Limit 10. Driving instructions to the meeting location: Drive North on Hwy 86 and go right (east) on 66th Ave. Go over the bypass bridge and turn right (east) at the light. Drive 9.9 miles and park just past the jeep road on the right side of Box Canyon Road. We will meet here. The road is usually OK for 2WD with high clearance.

Hike Leaders: Tom Keffer and Lee Christie

A 3-mile hike with 400' of elevation gain up a local canyon with a "T" at the end, offering two bitter ends for the price of one. Let's call it "T-Canyon". It's located in the Desert Gardens area out Coyote Canyon. Access is via a sandy road that is usually no problem for most 2WD. Bring lunch/snacks and water. Limit 10. Meet at 7:50 a.m. at ABDNHA.

Leaders: Sanjiv Nanda and Alan Parks
HIKE IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
This loop hike packs a complete badlands experience in just three miles. Appetizer, main course, and dessert! Fabulous, colorful vistas, soft, rounded, billowy mud hills, and steep malpais cliffs; cross-country route-finding and meandering walks in badlands washes in which you may lose all sense of direction. If you love the feeling of being lost in the badlands, this hike will keep you smiling. The hike is rated moderate but involves walking through mud hills and loose dirt, as well as short uphill and downhill scrambles. Meet at the entrance to Palo Verde Wash (S22 mile marker 32.9, 13.7 miles east of Christmas Circle) from where we will carpool in 4WD/AWD vehicles three miles to the start of the hike. No charge. Max: 22. Call to reserve: 760-767-3098.

Leaders: Sanjiv Nanda and Alan Parks
HIKE IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Have you stood at the top of Font’s Point and thought it would be fun to be down in one of the colorful washes at the base? Join us for this moderate 8-mile loop hike in the Badlands washes below Font’s Point. We will include a trip to Font’s Foot, the very base of Font’s Point, and wave back at the incredulous visitors looking down at us. We will then scramble up to the Bowl and return via the west fork of Rainbow Wash. If time permits, we will explore a narrow slot canyon that requires twisting your body to get through. Meet at the bottom of Texas Dip (8.7 miles south of Christmas Circle on Borrego Springs Road) at the entrance to San Felipe Wash. Park on the east side of the road, from where we will carpool in 4WD/AWD vehicles several miles to the start of the hike in Rainbow Wash. Bring water, a snack, and lunch. No charge. Max: 22. Call or stop by to reserve: 760-767-3098.