Please review our hiker info page to familiarize yourself with hiker safety rules and our hike ratings so that you can select hikes that meet your level of fitness. Unless specified otherwise in the activity descriptions below, hikes have a 15 person limit, and they begin in the ABDNHA parking lot.
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. Leader: Robin Halford, ABDNHA Volunteer Aggregate Canyon is one of the most fascinating slot canyons in the Mecca Wilderness. The long hike up the wash is interesting and then the slot canyon goes for quite a distance. This hike would be rated easy, except that the […]
FIELD TRIP IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. Leader: John Peterson, Hydrologist and Geologist Starting approximately 12,000 years ago, the Colorado River periodically changed its course, flowing north into the Salton Sink and creating a massive prehistoric lake. For thousands of years, this lake filled and dried up repeatedly, becoming an important source […]
HIKE IS CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER - RESCHEDULED FOR NOV 22 Leader: Kathy Bussey, ABDNHA Volunteer Surround yourself with the natural beauty of Santa Rosa Mountains, Clark Dry Lake, and the Borrego Badlands on this easy 2.5-mile round trip hike. We will drive up Inspiration Wash, then hike up an unnamed wash to the man-made […]
TOUR IS CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER Leader: Dave Walters, ABDNHA Volunteer We meet at ABDNHA parking lot at 9:00am. We will caravan to the Banner Store at 36342 HWY 78, then enter the trail there. We travel along and across the Chariot Creek and will take a break above Oriflamme Canyon. We proceed on the […]
HIKE IS FULL. Leaders: Carmelita Logerwell & Terri Straub, ABDNHA Volunteers Hike 4 miles, 500’ gain. You'll be amazed at the size and beauty of the oasis around this spring! We'll drive up Coyote Canyon and park at 2nd Crossing. Then we'll hike past 3rd Crossing and follow the old bypass road to the spring […]
HIKE IS CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN
Leader: Geologist Don Barrie, ABDNHA Volunteer
This hike leads through Fossil Canyon in the Coyote Mountain Wilderness area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. It takes its name from the fossilized corals, shells, and other marine life found there, telling a tale that is millions of years old, when this part of the desert was under water.
Note: Meet on S2 and Shell Canyon Road near Ocotillo!
Meet at the intersection of S2 (Imperial Highway) and Shell Canyon Road, just north of the town of Ocotillo. Bring lunch and water. 4WD required. Register at the Nature Center or 760-767-3098.
PROGRAM IS CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN Speaker: Dr. Randolph Baron, Astronomer, ABDNHA Volunteer Lecture followed by stargazing. Our solar system is part of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the Milky Way Galaxy has neighbors. Would you like to meet them? Then join us! In the ABDNHA Library for a lecture followed by viewing the Milky […]
FIELD TRIP IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. Leader: John Peterson, Hydrologist and Geologist Visit this interesting old mine site, active in the 1940s, located north of the entrance to Fish Creek and north of the gypsum mine. The deposit was mined for strontium in WWII, which was used in flares during the […]
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Leaders: Tom Keffer & Lee Christie, ABDNHA Volunteers
“Little Grand Canyon” is an impressive, although small, slot canyon in Coyote Canyon, near Desert Gardens. We will make two trips this year. This one is the easier one with a view down into the canyon. Access is via a sandy road that is usually no problem for most 2WD. 3 mi RT, 400’ vertical, good tread with some small rubble. Meet at ABDNHA by 7:50 a.m. Bring lunch/snacks, water. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve. Limit 10.
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. Leader: Robin Halford, ABDNHA Volunteer This hike goes into the red colored mud hills of the Skeleton Canyon Fault, part of the larger San Andreas Fault Complex, with a wonderful slot canyon before the stopping point. Expect uneven ground and some bouldering. The total hike distance […]
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Leaders: Tom Keffer & Lee Christie
Hike with a focus on birding. We will walk on the PCT along pleasant Canada Verde Creek, then through open grasslands, until we reach Eagle Rock. Along the way we'll look for raptors, Wild Turkey, Oak Titmouse, Bluebirds, and Acorn Woodpeckers. 6.6-mile RT, 700' vertical, easy tread. Meet at ABDNHA by 7:50 a.m. Bring lunch/snacks, binoculars, water. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve. Limit 10.
4WD TRIP IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. Leader: Jim Torian, ABDNHA Volunteer Join us for the "Cold Moon" rising as viewed from Font's Point. This is the last full moon of 2025. The sun's low angle should offer striking views of the Borrego Badlands, Ocotillo Wells, and the Salton Sea. Meet at […]
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Leader: Geologist Don Barrie
Join Don on a hike to explore the geology of Canyon Sin Nombre, located in a major fault zone, and shaped by ancient faulting, sedimentary rock, and ongoing erosion. Meet along S2, at the intersection of S2 and Canyon Sin Nombre Road. Bring lunch and water. 4WD required. Register at the ABDNHA Nature Center or call 760-767-3098.
Note: Meet at the intersection of S2 and Canyon Sin Nombre Road.
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Trip leader: Tom Keffer
Gorgeous sandstone cliffs, killer views out the Borrego Valley, all in a close-to-home package. We will be entering from Hawk Valley, then climbing up a hidden slot to the ridge above, then on to West Butte. 3.5 miles RT, 500' of climbing, steep sections with scary drop offs, some step-ups. Access road is suitable for most 2WD. Meet at ABDNHA by 7:50 a.m. Bring lunch/snacks, water. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve. Limit: 10.
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Leaders: Tom Keffer & Lee Christie
Hike with a focus on birding. A pleasant, easy walk through a little-visited preserve. There are many migrants that frequent the preserve, especially in the riparian woodlands along San Felipe Creek. We will look for Roadrunner, Cooper's Hawk, Oak Titmouse, Bluebirds, and Acorn Woodpeckers. 4 miles RT, 250' vertical, easy tread. You must buy a $5.66 personal pass for this walk! See https://tinyurl.com/hkrkshtu, and select "Continue as Guest," then "Lands Pass." Area of use is "San Felipe Valley Wildlife Area." Meet at ABDNHA by 7:50 a.m. Bring lunch/snacks, binoculars, water. Call 760-767-3098 to reserve.
HIKE IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist.
Leader: Kathy Bussey, ABDNHA Volunteer
Just 5 minutes from ABDNHA is a little-visited wash that gives you that far-afield experience. Easy, flat terrain. Convenient street-side parking. See the tallest of ocotillos, mysterious holes drilled in sandstone walls, and the mysterious Kiwanis item! Learn a bit of local history. Under 2 miles RT. Meet at ABDNHA parking lot. Wear hiking shoes, hat, bring water. Register at the ABDNHA Nature Center, 760-767-3098.