Anza-borrego Desert State Park Slot Canyon
The slot canyon in Anza Borrego is one of those hikes that you never realized you had right in California. The slot is a beautiful natural formation nestled in the heart of Anza Borrego State Park, about an hour and a half east of San Diego. The park has no fees to enter and hundreds of miles to explore and off-road through. It even has unique areas such as the palm tree oasis of Hellhole Canyon, abandoned mines, and of course, the slot canyon itself. Here is all the information if you want to check it out.
The Slot (Anza Borrego Desert State Park) Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The turnoff for the Slot is a dirt road called Buttes Pass, located on Highway 78, 17 miles east of Scissors Crossing, 10 miles east of Yaqui Well Road, 1.5 miles east of Borrego springs Road and 21 miles west of Highway 86.
- Its called THE SLOT for the most obvious reason- it can be as narrow as putting a coin in slot machine but definitely worth the hype. At present, its easy to find the trail head in google maps. “slot canyon trail” Navigating inside the slot is easy to moderate.
- Anza-Borrego is most well-known for its spring wildflowers, but we discovered enough natural wonders (like slot canyons, some almost alien-looking landscapes, and a few natural palm oases) to have us looking forward to coming back in any season. Here’s our guide to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Details
Getting There
Make no mistake, you will have to work to find this place. While it is technically on the map, it is still challenging to find, as it is located about two miles down a dirt road that is very easy to miss. My suggestion would be to check in with the visitor’s center before trying to head out to the canyon. The map below will get you close, but it is really easy to miss if you do not know where the road will be. Here is a map that the visitors center provides.
The road to the slot was dirt and a little rough, but we were able to go 3 /4ths of the way with a Ford Focus, so most cars should be able to get at least as close as we did. From where we parked, it was about 200 yards to the start of the hike. There are no signs to direct you where to go, just know when you get to the area in the below picture you want to head down into the canyon for the start of the slot.
Right where the above car is, is where you can make your way down. Also, make sure that you mark your entrance as it can be hard to tell exactly where you entered when you come back out. We made a small pile of rocks that let us know this was our exit.
The Slot
After walking about 100 yards, you will see the entrance to the start of the slot canyon. As you proceed, the canyon starts to get taller and taller around you, while the path gets more and more narrow. You can see the entrance below.
The next mile or so is a fantastic experience. You simply weave your way through the canyon as it gets to about 100 feet on either side of you. The canyon gets so narrow in some places that you actually have to go sideways. I was carrying a hydration pack, which I took off and left halfway through the hike to pick back up on the way out, as it was scraping and making walking through the narrow canyon difficult.
About three-fourths of the way, you will reach the natural rock bridge. It is a great place to stop and take in the size of the canyon you are in.
After you pass the bridge, the slot canyon opens and dumps you out on a dirt road. From here, you can walk all the way out and loop back around, or you can simply head back into the canyon. We elected to do the latter and headed back in only to see a nice tarantula greeting us at the entrance.
Check out my video to get a glimpse as to what walking through the canyon is like and make sure you put this on your list of places to check out. It is a unique experience that is easy enough for the whole family or can be combined with other hikes in the park if you are going with an active group of hikers.
For more great things to do in Anza Borrego check out this great site.
The Slot Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, known simply as “The Slot,” is an easy out-and-back hike, that winds through a deep and extremely narrow siltstone canyon (just wide enough at points for a single person to pass). Squeezing through the slot is definitely an adventure and a fun way to experience the maze-like quality of Anza Borrego’s desert canyons.
As you approach the trailhead (GPS: 33.182039,-116.214071), it’s worth keeping a close eye on kids, because the canyon drops off steeply in places along the approach trail. The trail starts at the top of the parking lot, in the direction you would go if the road had continued up the hill, and begins with a steep descent into the canyon. Once you’re at the bottom, head left onto the trail.
The mile-long trail drops about 100 feet in elevation as you pass through the canyon. The trail gets so narrow in places, that you may need to take off any backpacks to squeeze through. Kids (and the young at heart) will love exploring the canyon, as there is a surprising geological twist around each corner.
After less than a mile, the slot canyon will open up and you’ll come to a truck trail. You can follow this trail for a bit and then take a left on a trail that will bring you back along the rim of the canyon to the trailhead (which adds about a mile to the hike). Alternatively, we recommend you return back through the slot trail, as it’s more interesting.
Getting There
To get there from Christmas Tree Circle in Borrego Springs, head south on Borrego Springs Road for 12 miles to Highway 78. Turn left on 78, and go 1.4 miles and make a left on Buttes Pass Road. Drive 1.8 miles to the parking lot for the hike. Follow the signs to the slot trailhead at the northeast corner of the parking lot.
Camping In Anza Borrego Desert
Getting to the slot canyon trailhead doesn’t require a four-wheel-drive vehicle, unless it has rained recently, in which case, check-in at the visitor’s center about road conditions. The slot is about a 20-minute drive southeast of Borrego Springs, and a little tricky to find. The gravel road to the trailhead is easy to miss, and the tiny road sign doesn’t help matters. Even though we set the mileage tracker on our Jeep, we blew right by it the first time and had to circle back.