TRAIL MAINTENANCE: MOSTLY UNMAINTAINED EXCEPT BUSY AREAS LIKE THE SLOT

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OBSTACLES: HIGH CLEARANCE ROCK SECTIONS AND NARROW SECTIONS IN SANDSTONE CANYON

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NAVIGATION: EASY TO GET OFF TRAIL IN WASHES, OTHERWISE NOT DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE

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CROWDS: VERY FEW PEOPLE ON WEEKDAYS, BUT CAN GET BUSY ON WEEKENDS

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KEY COORDINATES:

• STARTING POINT- CANYON SIN NOMBRE: 32.829980, -116.170331

• NOTEWORTHY POINTS- 

  • SANDSTONE CANYON: 32.97895, -116.21472

  • FONTS POINT: 33.25697, -116.23335

• ENDING POINT- ROCKHOUSE ROAD: 32.294224, -116.290210

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OUR TAKE: SANDSTONE CANYON WAS BY FAR THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP FOR US. IT WAS NOT ONLY THE MOST CHALLENGING OF THE TRAILS (WHICH MATTHEW LIKES), BUT ALSO THE MOST VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE (WHICH IS KARINA'S THING). IF YOU CAN PICK ONE TRAIL TO DO IN ANZA BORREGO, SANDSTONE CANYON SHOULD BE IT.

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NOW, FOR THE DOWNERS. BEES! THAT'S RIGHT, BEES, AND LOTS OF THEM. AS SOON AS THE SUN CAME OUT IN THE MORNING, THEY BEGAN SWARMING US. ANYTIME WE STOPPED FOR MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES, THEY SEEMED TO FIND US. AND THEY DIDN'T GO AWAY UNTIL THE SUN WENT DOWN. WE SET UP SOME CIDER AND KOMBUCHA CANS AS DECOYS TO TRY TO DRAW THEM AWAY FROM US, WHICH DEFINITELY HELPED, BUT EVEN STILL IT FELT LIKE AN ENDLESS ARMY OF BEES DESCENDING UPON US. ANOTHER THING TO BE MINDFUL OF IS THE WEATHER. WHEN WE VISITED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, IT WAS STILL VERY HOT. IN A RIG WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING, THAT CAN BE BRUTAL. WE QUICKLY DISCOVERED THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SWEAT IN PLACES WE DIDN'T KNOW A PERSON COULD SWEAT. WE KNEW IT WOULD BE HOT GOING INTO THE TRIP, SO WE CAN'T REALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. BUT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER IT WHEN PLANNING YOUR TRIP. THE TEMPERATURES IN ANZA BORREGO ARE MOST PLEASANT FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL. BUT WITH BETTER WEATHER ALSO COMES MORE CROWDS, SO PICK YOUR POISON.