25 Points in your Explorer Guide if you take any of these interesting drives!
Scenic Drive: Montezuma Grade
It is less than 15 miles from Borrego Springs to the small community of Ranchita following Highway S-22. But you gain 3400 feet in elevation and pass through several different climate zones along the way. The drive is actually most spectacular heading west, from Ranchita down to Borrego Springs. The scenery is spectacular, with massive rock formations, rugged canyons, and a view of the Salton Sea. The road is good, but keep your eyes on the road; there are many twists and turns along this route.
Scenic Drive: Fonts Point
Fonts Point offers an incredible vista across the Borrego Badlands, an area of layered sediments from ancient streams deposited during the last 600,000 years and much older deposits, as old as four million years, from the ancestral Colorado River. Four-wheel drive is strongly recommended for the four miles of off-highway driving that leads to Fonts Point. The route is not steep, but there are sections of soft sand.
Scenic Drive: Erosion Road
If you are interested in geology, stop by the ABDNHA Nature Center at 652 Palm Canyon Drive, one block west of Christmas Circle, to pick up your free copy of this self-guiding brochure, as well as the brochure to the Narrows Earth Trail. The Erosion road brochure will lead you on a self-guided auto tour along the Borrego-Salton Seaway, one of the most fascinating landscapes in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
Scenic Drive: Mine Wash Native American Village Site
The turnoff into Mine Wash is on the south side of Highway 78 about 3 miles east of the Tamarisk Grove Campground. Many morteros are scatted among the large boulders. Four-wheel drive is not generally required for the 1.6-mile route to the village site, but high clearance is advised.
Scenic Drive: Agua Caliente & Vallecito County Parks
These San Diego county parks are about a 45 minute drive from Borrego Springs, along Highway S-2. Agua Caliente, with natural hot springs, has two beautiful outdoor swimming pools, an indoor hot pool, the Moonlight Canyon hiking trail, and lots of room for kids to play. It’s a great place for families. Vallecito is a restored stage stop on the Butterfield Stage Line just a few miles from Agua Caliente. Both parks have nice picnic areas and campgrounds.
