Borrego Springs: Bighorn Canyon - Blue Spring - Nolina Canyon Loop

Rating	*****
length	10 mile (the loop) - 5 hour (Return trip). Easy (1: same way return)/moderate (2: the loop).
Height	1440 - 3000 feet
Access	On HWY 78 close to MP 81, turn in the dirt road signposted Pinyon Wash. You need some ground clearence.
Other Trails	C
Data	To download these files, right-click the link and choose 'save as' |--| .GPX (GPS file) |-----| .KML (Google Earth file)

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A hike in a stunning canyon to a spring. You can make a loop, by hiking to the Nolina canyon.

Option 1: To the spring and return:

On HWY 78 close to MP 81, turn in the dirt road signposted Pinyon Wash.
This is a nice dirt road, but you need a bit of clearance.
Follow the road up to the first fork.
Take the right fork and park.

Start hiking west, for about 200 yards, until you come in the sandy wash out of the Bighorn Canyon.

The Bighorn Canyon is hard to spot, because it's in the wrong angle.
Hiking up the canyon (no cars allowed), you will see the canyon entrance to the left.
The hike up to the canyon entrance and in the canyon is mostly firm sand.
Probably due to the fact that it's not reachable by car and less hiked.

Follow the main wash, but it's sometimes hard to tell if you follow the right one.
Follow the foot and hoove prints.
First you will spot the water tanks, at this point there is a drinking box.

You can see the pipes running up into the canyon. The pipes end in a small dry waterfall.
This ends the easy part of the hike.
Further on there are some more falls, but when you can cross this one to the left, you can cross the others as well.
In spring the soil may be moist and insects will drink the water.
In February 2011, there was no water, but the ground was moist enough for the bees.
Further up the wash there is an even higher fall and it looks pretty steep further on.

Turn back the way you came. But you must turn right at the next wash and take a short look into this spectacular canyon.
Wind and rain formed holes in these mountains.

This is also the way to go, when you decide to loop into the next Nolina canyon.

Hiking time: 4 Hour, 30 Minutes (return the same way.)

Option 2: A loop to the Nolina Canyon and back to the car:

Coming back from the spring, turn right into the next canyon.
This is the canyon with the spectacular hole rocks.

There seem to be two ways to get across. One is to the left and another one to the right.
We choose the right one.
Follow the wash uphill.
At the mountain to the left, pass it on the right hand side and keep close to it.
You have to pass a bit further away to keep clear of some prickly stuff.
But turn back (left) and keep going uphill along the mountain in a wash.
Climbing uphill a bit to the right, not slippery at all, as we move up on a rocky surface.
Cross over the ridge to the left and surprisingly, nothing serious is happening on the other side.
There are plenty of ways to come down.
Hike downhill to the small sandy wash below.

Follow this wash downhill until is forks again and again into the Nolina Canyon.
At the end of the canyon you find a parking.
This is the dirt road towards the car.
But try to go more in a straight line toward the car, into the wash. Following the road more or less.

Hiking time: 5 Hour for the complete loop.








Disclamer: Read this first before you start your hike.
Contact: usa/at/e/f/m/e/r/.eu (leave out the /)
All hikes recorded on pocket loox (pocket PC) using gpsTuner(.com)
Hiking Bighorn Canyon - Blue Spring - Nolina Canyon Loop Borrego Springs Area (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) California, Hike with gps, gpx and kml (Google Earth).