So this weekend I'm heading out to Borrego for the first time and I'm taking my my 2wd X. And I'm wondering what are some good (but challenging!) trails I can take her on. I've been roadin in my x before and never been stuck. But I definitely want to test it to it's limits though, and I have all the proper equipment in case I get stuck. Any info would be appreciated!

I can talk all day about Borrego ... so here goes:

Fonts Point gets sandy so you have to keep your momentum up but its fun to a awesome outlook... you can cross over on to short wash coming back down fonts and come down thimble ... but DO NOT STOP on the cross over the sand builds up and the burms on the side for a few corners are deep but you can stay in the ruts and be ok.

Also there is Coyote Canyon which I highly recommend... you can run 2wd all the way to the 2nd water crossing at the gate you drop down and get to the 3rd water crossing which I would not attempt without 4wd but you can park there and walk across and check out the rock hill and see if anyone else is going up it.... Beware on the way out at the gate though, depending on how rutted it is It might be difficult to get back out in 2wd just check it out before you go through that gate...

There there is Rock House - you could probably do the first part of this trail and then turn around when the rocks start to block the trail... The rocks get a little severe and the last time we did my friend did do some damage to his nerf bar when he came off a rock...

Insperation Wash is pretty awesome but the sand is really deep in some areas that require you to go slow because it is cambered and tight turns... Maybe if you air down you could make it but I wouldn't attempt unless you have another rig that could pull you out if you get stuck...

Seriously, if you want to play it safe and have some fun, do Coyote Canyon cars can do the first little bit but then there are some rocks and water crossing where they can't go... but I have done them in 2wd!

If you want to head over to Ocotillo Wells you can hit up Split Mtn too and that one I have done the first part in a car back in the day.. if you follow it back to Sand Stone Canyon and there are some rock steps and some sandy areas but I have done this trail in 2wd and its beautiful the rock formations are amazing and you can take a small hike to the wind caves as well...

I sometimes will start in Ocotillo and off road my way back to Borrego and do tons of trails non stop in a day... If you have questions I might have some answers... I'm usually out there every weekend these last two weeks are the first time I have not made it out there..

You will not regret going out there... its beautiful and the flowers might be blooming more then they were 2 weeks ago... make sure to bring a camera!!!

thats alot of info, THANKS SO MUCH! :) Im definitely gonna hit up Coyote Canyon, it sounds pretty awesome. And im totally bringing my camera to get some good photos & video when im there. But im probably gonna stay off the sandy trails mostly, at least until I get some tires with canoe paddles on them! ;)

how long are you going to be there??

Coyote will probably only take an hr going out and coming back if you go and stop at the 3rd water crossing... are you camping at all?

I'm only gonna be out there for the day, since I dont have enough time this weekend. So I probably gonna head up really early and then head back really late. But sometime in the future Ill go up there for a couple of days and just car camp. Are there any places in or near Ocotillo Wells that I can car camp?

I know you've already been out there - I replied in your picture post too. Another area that is good for 2WD is Buttes Pass Road. You can take it all the way over the pass to San Felipe Wash. Much of that is okay in 2WD as well, but there is some soft sand to watch out for. Also, you can drive to the parking area for The Slot, and then hike down through that.

On the other side of 78 is Old Kane Springs Road. Just a bit up Harper Canyon from Old Kane Springs Rd is a place called the Cactus Garden. It gets soft and then rocky further up, but right off of OKSR it's probably okay, and there are more cactus of all types than you can ever imagine.

All of Blair Valley loop (maybe 13 miles depending on which way you go) is doable in 2WD, and very scenic.

I've driven out to 17 Palms Oasis in 2WD, but it can get soft in spots. I know of people in SCCX who have done all of Fish Creek and Sandstone Canyon, including Loop Wash (with some nasty bumps) and even Calcite Mine. Not alone though, and it depends on how much of a beating you're willing to take keeping your momentum up.

Hey, what do you guys use for finding trails down here? I've had some success with dirtopia.com and even added a few tidbits myself, but maybe there's something better out there? Y'all seem to know a lot about the area, and i've only been around a few years and sometimes have trouble finding good trails.

PS I've done Oriflamme Canyon, run a few miles around the mud caves, and done both the north and south forks of High Point and/or Palomar Divide up in Palomar SP.

I use dirtopia alot to find trails along that area. I also suggest picking up a copy of the book "Wells Guide to So Cal Backroads & 4WD Trails". It has alot of good info on trails in and around that area. Also, Frank knows Borrego and the surrounding area REALLY WELL, and he usually leads trips down there on weekends. (Maybe not until next fall since its getting too hot out there now) But trips are usually posted up on SCCX. I also suggest getting a good trail/topo map of the area, so you can find your way around if you get lost. Also, if you have an iphone, theres an app that has a really detailed map of borrego, and it gives you the ability to track yourself on the map even when you have no signal (because it uses the gps chip in your phone which will always get signal as long as you have a clear view of the sky.)

Here is what we have listed in the Xcursions Guidelines post on SCCX. I strongly recommend at least one paper map for where ever it is you happen to be. A lot of people like to rely only on GPS or internet maps (bing maps etc), but I can show you a few spots where both Garmin and most others have the trails marked wrong enough that if it were late in the day you could wind up having to spend a night you didn't plan on in the middle of the desert. Also, a little GPS unit can't show you the big picture, and that is often times very important.

Most of these guidebooks have trail descriptions that rely on your odometer, and they are fairly accurate, given a little bit of common sense on the part of the reader. Also remember that that trails change, and these books are not updated all that often.

From SCCX Xcursion Guidelines:

USEFUL GUIDEBOOKS & MAPS

There are lots of good guidebooks and maps out there to describe the various trails in Southern California. Here are a few that many of us use.

The Anza Borrego Desert Region by Lowell & Diana Lindsay. This one has an excellent map of the region included in the back of the book.

California Desert Byways by Tony Huegel

California Coastal Byways by Tony Huegel

Guide to Southern California Backroads & 4WD Trails by Charles A. Wells

Backcountry Adventures Southern California by Peter Massey & Jeanne Wilson

Southern California SUV Trails, Vol I, The Western Mojave Desert by Roger & Loris Mitchell

Southern California SUV Trails, Vol II, The Eastern Mojave Desert by Roger & Loris Mitchell

The AAA (Auto Club of So Cal) maps are very good, are free to members, and everyone should probably be a member anyway.

The DeLorme Road & Recreation Atlas is very useful, as is the Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas. I personally prefer the Benchmark, both are good. The DeLorme is available, I believe, for all states, the Benchmarks are primarily for Western states.

The Tom Harrison San Diego Backcountry Map is an excellent resource.

Many of these publications and maps are also available for other regions of the country as well.


/ Hope this helps.

Really helpful guys, thanks. Hopefully I can free up days to join in on some of the weekend runs you do out there.