Borrego Springs: Montero Palms to Goat Canyon (Trestle)

Rating	*****
length	6.5 mile - 5 hour 40 minutes (Return trip). Difficult.
Height	1980 - 3300 feet
Access	A higher clearence car is preferred, but the road may be quite good, from time to time.
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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Hiking to the Trestle a boulder climbing hike.

This is how to get to the start of the hike, to the Trestle, starting at the Mortero Palms Parking.

The road was quite decent in February 2010, a high clearance 4x4 car is recommended. But you probably can do without the 4x4.
But I wouldn't be surprised if someone made it in a regular car.
The road is mostly sand with an occasional rock.

No real 4x4 obstacles on this road if you encounter some close to starting point of the hike, you probably turned in a parallel road.

Once you crossed the railroad, turn right and immediately turn left away from the railroad.
Starting at the Montero Palms Canyon parking.

As you hike up you can see the gigantic boulders.
The best way up is keeping to the right on a steeper boulder free slope.

Once at the palms you need to go up over the boulders on the right, way above the canyon is the easiest way to make this hike.

Once past the palms the trail gets easier and is almost easy on a sometimes marked trail.

At point photo 10 down we start preparing for the decent into Goat Canyon.
The first part of the hike was challenging, this part is even more...

The canyon narrows. At point Photo 11 falls, it's getting interesting as some dry waterfalls pop up.

At point Ended there is a sheer drop, that way more than enough to stop us.
A nice place to see part of the Trestle and head back.

Hiking time 3 hours in 2 hours 40 minutes return.

Don't be fooled by the shortness of this hike.
Take your hiking sticks along.

My wifes comment: A hike for lunatics. But she made it all the way.

I would rate this hike a notch above difficult.

With special thanks to http://www.anzaborrego.net For pointing out this hike.








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 Montero Palms to Goat Canyon (Trestle) Borrego Springs Area (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) California, Hike with gps, gpx and kml (Google Earth).