Borrego Springs: Layer cake wash

Rating	*****
length	7.1 mile - 2 hour 45 minutes (Return trip). Easy.
Height	1150 - 1450 feet
Access	You need a 4x4 with some ground clearence. To get here follow the route to the Mud Palisades, but park at "Layer Cake", just before the Sandstone Canyon Drive to the Mud Palisades. Driving time is about 1 hour. (one way)
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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An impressive sand canyon wash.

There are no vehicles allowed in this wash.

To get here follow the route to the Mud Palisades, but park at "Layer Cake", just before the Sandstone Canyon.
Driving time is about 1 hour.

Drive to the Mud Palisades

The wash is unmarked, but is recognizable by the almost red exit that is very narrow and impressive, see the last picture.
This is not how the whole wash looks like, the rest is easy.

About 200 Yards further up the Fish Creek Canyon "road" you find a wider, much accessible entrance of the wash.
Keep the entrance/exit for last, because it's easier coming down.

Hike north and follow the main wash up.
The wash is mostly sandy, part sandstone.
Depending how many hikers where there before you, after rain, the wash is firm or soft.
In our case the wash was firm and easy to hike in.
Keep following the widest wash.
A small narrow rapid/fall "fall" is easy to pass.

The canyon and all forks end a bit further on.

Going back we took a look at point "overlook" and tried to get into the canyon below.
That wasn't such a problem, but the canyon was blocked.








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 Layer cake wash Borrego Springs Area (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) California, Hike with gps, gpx and kml (Google Earth).