TR:Anza Borrego Desert should be next on your list

Mello Mike wrote:
Great pics, Nolan. Yes, we'll be out there in a few weeks to check it out.

Mike

Looks like its going to be a great weekend for president's day :) Perfect weather and no crowds, I know where I'm headed this weekend...


Friday

Sunny, with a high near 77.


Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 54.


Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 76.


Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.


Sunday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.


Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.


Washington's Birthday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.


Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Boy did I missed this TR, looking great out with the kids and it's a wonderful place to wander around in.

Great pics, Nolan. Yes, we'll be out there in a few weeks to check it out.

Mike

anutami wrote:

eDUBz wrote:
Very cool trip, I would love to take my kids there. We have a 19' toy hauler with a Dmax 4x4. Is this doable?

Are you talking about going up Pinyon Wash with it? If you are there are quite a lot of protruding boulders and it is doable but with extreme caution. You would need higher clearance on your trailer. I think you would be able to get to the intersection of pinyon wash road and Nolina wash but that would be it. Then you could drive to the end of pinyon wash with your truck and hike into Harper Flat. There is a pretty sweet campsite at this intersection. There is enough room to turn around but quite a bit of soft sand. The wash kind of changes each year/week/month depending on the rains so I would recommend scouting it out with your truck first...you can unhitch right off the road where pinyon wash starts as there is plenty of room. Once you get back there with your trailer stay awhile, you won't really see anyone else around except for the occasional jeep.

Wasn't thinking of taking the TH up the wash but just bringing my TH and setup camp somewhere easy accessible then unHitch like you mentioned and cruise around with the kids. Where would you recommend to setup camp? Thanks for the info looks so fun.

I'm not an off-roader, but Anzo-Borrego remains my favorite park of all time. Even though we now live in the AZ desert, I still try to get to Anzo-Borrego once a year. It is truly a magical place. Great pictures!

eDUBz wrote:
Very cool trip, I would love to take my kids there. We have a 19' toy hauler with a Dmax 4x4. Is this doable?

Are you talking about going up Pinyon Wash with it? If you are there are quite a lot of protruding boulders and it is doable but with extreme caution. You would need higher clearance on your trailer. I think you would be able to get to the intersection of pinyon wash road and Nolina wash but that would be it. Then you could drive to the end of pinyon wash with your truck and hike into Harper Flat. There is a pretty sweet campsite at this intersection. There is enough room to turn around but quite a bit of soft sand. The wash kind of changes each year/week/month depending on the rains so I would recommend scouting it out with your truck first...you can unhitch right off the road where pinyon wash starts as there is plenty of room. Once you get back there with your trailer stay awhile, you won't really see anyone else around except for the occasional jeep.

Yeah, great times in the Anza Borrego S.P. Thanks for the ride. When we lived near L.A., we called it simply "Anza", and we were lured there over and over again, except in summer. First jeep trip over the then open Anza Trail for us was in 1965 in a 1949 Willys Ute Wagon. Yep, a half century ago. We went up and down the "drop off's" as they were called bumbling along with absolutely no technique. But 'Anza' has a way of teaching you what you must eventually know. Because of some small migratory bird nesting there, you will never get to see the willow tunnels, as the Anza Trail is now closed to vehicles. However, the park is huge and diverse, and if you plan on seeing it (coming from afar) plan on spending more time than you think. It's very akin to seeing Yellowstone, which looks not that big on an atlas of the U.S. but looms large when you actually get there. I'm thinking you should do this soon as I fear a overwash of people from the January/February Quarzite crowd discovering a better alternative.
This is one of the best places I know of that you can use your 4WD TC to the fullest. Remote/Huge/Varied/lots of sand. At Dos Cabezas, Anza, 2002 during a full on January winter storm: That tarp was sent flying during the night. I found it 200 feet downwind the next day.

It is just a great and special place in our lives and will be on my mind till my dying day.

Very cool trip, I would love to take my kids there. We have a 19' toy hauler with a Dmax 4x4. Is this doable?

Pinyon Wash has always been one of my favorite spots in that part of the Park!