Sneaking in that One Last Hike: A Taste of Box Canyon at Anza Borrego State Park

 

Date: January 6, 2023

Place: Anza Borrego State Park, Borrego Springs, California

Coordinates: 33.368826, -116.421378

Length: 2.4 miles

Level: moderate

Most of the second day of my January trip to Anza Borrego State Park was dedicated to finding the wildflower hotspots and enjoying the spectacular winter bloom that followed the monsoon rains of last August. After I drove around the desert most of the day and taking only short walks I decided it was time to do a slightly more serious hike. I parked my car on Coyote Canyon Road about a quarter mile before the third crossing of Indian Creek, put some water in my backpack and started walking. 

 

I started my hike without any solid idea of where I was going to. My original though was to simply go further on Coyote Creek Road until it was time to turn back. I saw no side trails, so that was where I was going. The road was following the path of Indian Creek and it was nice to see and hear the flowing water on my left. 

Coyote Canyon Road and Indian Creek

On my right I enjoyed the view of mild slopes with piles of large boulders. Shrubs, some of them were blooming, peeked between the boulders. 

Closer to me I saw some cholla cacti, a species I didn't identify and behind it a teddybear cholla. If I thought of approaching the boulders, the cholla made an excellent deterrent. 

Cholla, genus Cylindropuntia 

The road itself was sandy and flanked on the right by a wall of shoulder-high packed sand. Shrubs stabilized the sand with their roots and annual plants flourished in between them. It was nice to see some of these little annual wildflowers at eye level. 

Brown-eyed Primrose, Chaenactis claviformis var. peirsonii

The sand verbena that I saw carpets of in other places around Anza Borrego were present here at a much smaller scale - fewer and smaller plants. The verbena along this path seemed more delicate and shy in comparison with the unabashed splendor of the June Wash verbena fields. 

Hairy Sand Verbena, Abronia villosa ssp. villosa

I didn't see any butterflies on that hike but the bees were very active, humming around the wildflowers. Here too, they were completely indifferent to my presence, even at a very close distance.  

Spanish Needle, Parafoxia arida var. arida 

Brittle bushes in full bloom stood out in the desert background like the old burning bush of Sinai. The yellow was so intense that I could have imagined it radiating heat. 

Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa 

The datura I saw in June wash were already done blooming and bearing fruit. Here I got to see some datura flowers. These too, were closing already. 

Desert Thorn Apple, Datura discolor

I arrived at the third crossing of the Indian Creek and waded through the shallow water to the other side. 

Third Crossing

Past the third crossing the road departed from the creek and turned into the mountains. I wanted to stay near the creek where I expected to see more interesting things. My navigator showed a trail leading up Box Canyon and into the desert wilderness. The trail on the map had two leads, one starting on the west side of the creek where I just crossed. A small parking pullout suggested that the trail lead was a real one, and so I went down to the creek and looked for the path leading to the other side. 

Indian Creek

If there ever was a trail lead there, it was now overgrown with vegetation and no longer in use. I wasted a good 15 minutes trying to locate a walkable path through the gorgeous riparian vegetation, but to no avail. Eventually I gave up and climbed out back to the road. On the way up I spotted a fish hook cactus with flower buds. That was the only cactus that I saw getting ready to bloom on this trip. 

Common Fish Hook Cactus, Mammilaria tetrancistra 

Disappointed, I crossed back to the east side of the creek. Looking up the wash that led in the direction of Box Canyon I saw human footprints and decided to go up the wash too. After a short distance I spotted a trail - the actual trail that went up Box Canyon. With renewed enthusiasm I commenced my hike. 

The trail led me up a small hill and through a thicket of mesquite back down to the wash bed of Indian Creek. I was walking on the gravel on the dry, flood zone of the creek. The water flow was hidden from my sight, covered in riparian vegetation. 

Desert Lavender was very common on the dry side of the creek, and it was in full bloom, filling the air with sweet aroma. 

Desert Lavender, Condea emoryi

Here and there were red-blossomed chuparosa shrubs. A hummingbird hovered over the bush but wouldn't yield to the camera. 

Chuparosa, Justicia californica

Eventually the trail left Indian Creek and turned towards the mountains. I had time still, so I followed the trail in the direction of Box Canyon. 

A small barrel cactus nestled between the larger pebbles of the wash. Like the other cacti I saw on the trip, it looked healthy and thick with water. Barrel cacti can grow quite big, but they take many years. 

California Barrel Cactus, Ferrocactus cylidraceus 

I progressed slowly up the wash and the canyon walls started closing in on me, little by little. Ahead of me grew some nice looking smoke trees. These members of the legume family do look from a distance a bit like swirls of smoke. 

Smoke Tree, Psorothamnus spinosus 

I caught a glimpse of a small pink flower a few feet away and went over to check it out. It was a Biglow's monkeyflower - the only monkeyflower I saw on that entire trip, and the only individual of that species that I saw there, too. That sighting alone made me very happy. 

Biglow's Monkeyflower, Diplacus biglovii var. biglovii

When I got near the smoke tree I detected movement in its branches. There was a little bird that that wouldn't sit still. I didn't have the strong zoom lens with me though. 

Bird on a Smoke Tree, Psorothamnus spinosus 

Every few steps I encountered an Arizona lupine plant. Most of them were just beginning to bloom. None of them was large. 

Arizona Lupine, Lupinus arizonicus

I made my way between large boulders. Most of the way was easy enough but occasionally I needed to step over or around large rocks. So far I didn't need the use of my hands to bypass the rocky obstacles. 

Up the wash between the large boulders I saw a few yellow-blooming bushes that looked familiar to me from previous desert trips. These were bladderpod bushes, also of the legume family. The bladderpods had many open flowers still, but also had much fruit already. 

Bladderpod Bush, Peritoma arborea var. arborea 

I also saw interesting rocks there, some of them looked very much out of place. I assumed they had rolled down here from higher up the mountain, carried by flash floods. 

My time was running out but the closing canyon walls tempted me to keep going a bit further. I didn't want to drive back after sunset but I didn't want to turn and head back quite yet. 

Box Canyon

I walked a bit further up the canyon until I reached a small dry waterfall. This was an obstacle that would necessitate using my hands to climb it, that's for sure. There were two possible ways to climb that wall but after checking it out a bit I decided to let it go. This was a good enough spot to turn around and head back down. 

On my way down I heard the low buzzing sound of hummingbird wings. Without much expectation I raised my camera and clicked a few photos of the hyperactive little bird. I was very much surprised when I enlarged the photos at home and found that one of the over thirty photos I took of the hummingbird actually came out all right. 

Costa's Hummingbird, female

One of the things I love about the desert is that the geological jewels are not covered in vegetation and too much alluvial soil. I got to see many interesting and very pretty rocks on this short hike. I chose to post this weird erosion pattern on the rock in the photo below. 

The shadows were getting longer and I quickened my pace down the wash. Whenever I was in the shade and away from direct sunlight I felt cold. 

Soon I was out of the canyon walls and their shade but now I was racing the sunset itself. The sun was already touching the edge of the mountains on the west.

I paused briefly to admire a nice looking beavertail cactus. The beavertail is my favorite California cactus and I love to see them when they bloom. Now it was way too early for them. 

Beavertail Cactus, Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris

  

I quickened my pace but the sun dropped below the horizon before I finished my hike. I reached the dry side of Indian Creek again, and headed in the direction of the little trail leading back to Coyote Canyon Road. 

 

 

The sun was gone but the daylight was still good enough to enjoy the lovely winter colors of the riparian vegetation by the Indian Creek flow. 

 

 

 I pushed my way back through the mesquite thicket, earned a few scratches and reconnected with the Coyote Canyon Road. The light was fading and I got chilly and wanted to reach my car quickly. 

 

 I made it back to my car with enough daylight still to photograph one last sand verbena. In fact, I had enough light to drive down the road back to Borrego Springs. This time I remembered to starts my navigator recorder and got the map that I posted on my previous blog post. 

Hairy Sand Verbena, Abronia villosa ssp. villosa

 

I decided to start my way north that evening rather than stay another night in Anza Borrego and  face another 9 hours drive tomorrow. I also didn't want to drive through Los Angeles again. In a quick decision I pointed my car southeast to the pass leading to Salton Sea. I would drive through Palm Springs all the way t Barstow and camp there at the Owl Canyon campground, leaving only six hours of drive tomorrow, and no LA traffic. On my way out of Borrego Springs I stopped on the side and admired the full moon that had just cleared the horizon.  

Moonrise over Borrego Springs

 My trip to Anza Borrego was a very short one. I was four days away from home, and two of these days I spent driving. That wildflower display though, was more than enough reward for the grueling drive. I hope that next time I'd have more time to explore that mysterious and beautiful desert. 

Many thanks to members of the California Native Plants Society for their help in identifying plants! 

 

 

 

 

On A Winter Flower Hunt Around Anza Borrego

Sand Verbena field near Henderson Road

 

 

 

Date: January 6, 2023

Place: Anza Borrego State Park, Borrego Springs, California

Coordinates of each spot are given separately, below.

Length: all around one mile, most without any specific trail. 

Level: all easy

This post isn't about one singe hike but about a few short walks in the desert bloom hotspots of Anza Borrego State Park. 

Bow Willow Campground 32.842751, -116.225887

I had two days only in Anza Borrego State Park, and my objective was to see the wildflowers of this rare winter bloom. The first day I hiked up June Wash, enjoying a desert floral display like no other. That night I stayed at Bow Willow campground which is tucked away in the mountain foothills south of June Wash. There were only two other campers at the campground and they were quiet. In the evening the wind picked up and half the night it whipped so hard that my tent kept flattening on me and bouncing backup. I had to tuck my duffel next to the tent side to prevent it from hitting my head when it bent in the wind. 

I slept reasonably ok despite the wind and the full moon that shone brightly most of the night. The wind died down eventually and when I woke up the air was still. I remembered that before the last light faded last night I thought I saw something red near off to the side and I went looking for it. It turned out to be a chuparosa bush in full bloom. A very nice plant and an excellent start of my day. 

Chuparosa, Justicia californica

I had breakfast and broke camp. On my way down the dirt road back out of the campground I saw something unexpected and had to stop. What I saw was an ocotillo bush that had a couple of inflorescences. This wasn't the ocotillo bloom season and all that I've seen so far were were not blooming. This was a crazy year however, and here was an ocotillo that did put forth a few flowers. 

Ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens 

Sometimes what I see from afar can be misleading s I made sure to take a fully zoomed photo of the flowers. In springtime, when these extraordinary plants are in full bloom, they are quite a sight, that by itself is worth the long trip to the desert. 

Ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens 

When I turned to et back into my car I saw another bush in bloom - the creosote. The creosote is probably the most common bush species in the desert of southern California, including Anza Borrego. I saw it everywhere there. But this one was the first on this trip that I saw blooming.  

Creosote Bush, Larrea tridentata

Stag Cove 33.134625, -116.366779

I drove all the way back to the Anza Borrego State Park visitor center, and then drove south again to a place called Stag Cove because I was told that a certain plant was blooming there. That particular plant is one that's camouflaged and hard to see. It's kind of the holy grail for flower lovers like me and I was ready to spend some time looking for it there. 

Stag Cove Trailhead

I didn't find this plant. Either it wasn't blooming or I simply didn't look at the right paces. I did spend a nice hour walking up and around the creek and enjoying the desert views. 

My hike at Stag Cove as captured by my GPS

The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was that this area wasn't a blooming hotspot. There were however, quite a few wildflowers blooming there, and many more were in the process of budding out. Almost immediately I found a few groundcherries in bloom. This plant I saw blooming also next to my tent in the campground but here were many more of these tomatillo-like shrubs.

Thickleaf Groundcherry, Physalis crassifolia

I started slowly up a the little dry creek, paying close attention to the soil beneath the larger bushes, in search of that specific plant I wanted to see.

What I did see was wildflowers I was already familiar with from my June Wash hike yesterday. Not that I was disappointed, I was glad to see them again.

Emory Rock Daisy, Perityle emoryii

This prickly member of the blazing star genus was also nicely represented in Stag Cove, although most plants were just beginning to bloom.

Hairy Stickleaf, Mentzelia hirsutissima

There were more chuparosa bushes blooming there too, but none of them was in full bloom as the one I saw at the Bow Willow campground.

Chuparosa, Justicia californica

In its lower part the wash was flat walking on the soft sand was nice and easy. Behind the first curve I found two 4WD cars parked and realized that I wasn't alone in the area. I didn't see the people though.

Stag Cove

A few poppy plants were blooming a bit further up the wash. These were not the California poppy that is so common in the coastal regions of the state but the smaller and yellower gold poppy. This flower too, I was seeing for the first time. 

Gold Poppy, Eschscholzia parishii

All around me I've seen pre-bloom mustard plants that were pulled out and left to dry and die. The mustard is an aggressive invader there and I assumed it was an effort to reduce its impact on the local ecology. I found a few of the plants that were still in the ground. I didn't pull them out, though. I wasn't sure if my interpretation of the situation was correct. 

Mustard

The wash narrowed and now I was going upslope, occasionally having to walk over rocks and through bushes. When some of these bushes turned out to be teddybear cholla cacti I decided it was time to turn around. I wanted to go to the bloom hotspots near Borrego Springs and go up coyote Canyon Road today still. Also, there was no sign of the plant I was looking for. It was time to head back down. 

Stag Cove Wash

I decided to return on higher ground so I climbed the side of the wash and found myself on a gentle slope full of creosote bushes, Teddybear Cilla cacti, and Ocotillo, none f which were in bloom. There was also a great view of the pretty mountains on the north. 

I meandered between the bushes in the general direction of where I parked, giving close attention to the ground still, hoping that I might see the plant pf my desire there. I didn't see it, but pretty teddybear cholla are very pretty to look at too. Some of them were bearing the leftovers of last season's bloom. 

Teddybear Cholla, Cylindropuntia biglovii 

It was there that I got ti see other cacti that were not cholla or beavertail. There were several fishhook cactus on my path, all of them looked very healthy and happy after swelling from the monsoon rains. 

Common Fish Hook Cactus, Mammillaria tetrancistra 

A young California barrel cactus covered in red thorns was growing below a creosote bush. Cacti take a long time to grow. Maybe I'll get to see this one again next time I visit Anza Borrego Park. 

California Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus 

There were many agave plants all around there also, but only a few of them were blooming. Those that bloomed however, looked absolutely magnificent. 

Desert Agave, Agave deserti var. deserti

I didn't find the plant that I was looking fore, but I enjoyed walking around Stag Cove and I got to see the gold poppy in bloom. 

On my way back to my car I saw that a few more cars were parked next to mine and some people walking up the wash. I wondered if they were looking for the same thing I was, and if they knew something I didn't. I didn't ask them though. I figured I gave my search enough time and drove back to Borrego Springs. As I was going over the pass down to the valley I noticed a snow-capped mountain range peeking between the mountains north of Borrego Springs. This mountain, I lated verified, was San Jacinto. I still have a San Jacinto backpacking trip plan on my bucket list. 

San Jacinto

Pegleg Road 33.280200, -116.299029  and Henderson Canyon Road 33.302014, -116.327668

 

When I was a child I loved looking at the nature publications of LIFE. One of the photos there was burned powerfully into my consciousness - the photo of a magnificent desert bloom. I remembered that the photo was taken in California, and that it had carpets of pink, yellow, and white flowers on soft sand dunes. The text claimed that this bloom was a rare phenomenon, as unpredictable as the rains in the desert. I don't remember the location in which that photo was taken, but the dunes east of Borrego Springs adjacent to Pegleg Rd sure fit the image I had kept in my memory all those years. 

Hairy Sand Verbena, Abronia villosa var. villosa

The colors adorning the dunes signaled the right place for me to stop by the rad side and go for a little walk. I didn't have any clear path, I simply walked around the dunes, taking care not to step on anything. 

Almost immediately I found yet another 'lifer', a member of the aster family, - a laxflower. Its leaves were covered in soft, white plumage, protection against radiation and dehydration. 

Laxflower, Baileya pauciradiata 

A white flowering desert pincushion was the next wildflower I saw. This species I saw yesterday as well in the dunes at June Wash. 

Desert Pincushion, Chaenactis stevioides 

The most dominant white bloom there however, was the dune evening primrose. That was without a doubt, one of the flowers that I remembered from that old LIFE photo. The primrose, together with the sand verbena and the desert sunflower. These were the celebrity flowers. 

Dune Evening Primrose, Oenothera deltoides ssp. deltoides

There were only a few desert sunflowers at the first place where I stopped, and they were fairly small and mostly past the peak of their bloom. I found one that was still at its prime and admired it for some time. 

Hairy Desert Sunflower, Geraea canescens 

On my way back to the car I paused to appreciate the one most reliably visible wildlife on my trip - the black harvester ants. 

Black Harvester Ant

I drove a bit more northwest and stopped again north of Henderson Canyon Rd, where I saw a carpet of sand verbena, and a few other cars parking by the roadside. The header photo is from that spot. 

The main difference between this spot and the previous one was that here wasn't a dunes area, but a flood plain of alluvial soil. The dried up, curled clay tiles bore evidence of the monsoons back in August, when this entire area was flooded. Here also, was where I saw the big field of the desert sunflowers, all large and lush shrubs, at their peak bloom. Really pretty.  

Hairy Desert Sunflower, Geraea canescens

There were active ants there too, but there were also very active honey bees. Pollen-heavy, the bees hovered around the flowers, humming gently on their fight, ignoring me completely like happy feral bees. 

Desert Needles, Palafoxia arida var. arida 

Coyote Canyon Road   33.326149, -116.367113

I continued driving northwest towards Coyote Canyon Road, which is a dirt road going up into the mountains following in part the path of Indian Creek, and leading to campgrounds and numerous trailheads. One of the bloom hotspots that the docent at the visitor center had marked on the map for me was at the beginning of that road, and my original pan was to park there and walk up on foot fr as long as I felt like. When I got there however, I found that that bloom spot was already past its peak. The wildflowers I saw there were no different than those that I've seen by Henderson Canyon Rd. I decided therefore, to continue driving on Coyote Canyon Rd and see what I can find on the way. I drove about 5 miles up that road, stopping here and there where I saw fitting to take a closer look. I remembered to turn on my tracker app only on my way back.

My drive back Coyote Canyon Rd, as captured by my GPS 

I should probably start by saying that this road is for 4WD cars. The lower part of the road is really sandy, and the upper part is really rocky. There are numerous washes that come descend from the mountains into Indian Creek. On one of these washes I spotted a bloom I had not yet seen on this trip, so I parked at a nearby pullout and did a little walk up and down that wash to see what I could find. The flower that enticed me to stop was the distant phacelia. Not a lifer, but a very lovely example of that species. There were several of them growing in that area. I should probably mention that the phacelia in the photo below is growing inside a different bush and the visible greenery aren't the leaves of that phacelia.

Distant Phacelia, Phacelia distans 

Near the phacelia bloomed the yellow whispering bells. I saw these before in other places but it was great to see these delicate flowers there as well. 

Yellow Whispering Bells, Emmenanthe penduliflora var. penduliflora

Further up the wash I saw some more of the gold poppies and I stopped to admire them. Anza Borrego has also California poppies, but none of them were blooming yet. 

Gold Poppy, Eschscholzia parishii

I saw there also the already familiar desert lavender and enjoyed rubbing its leaves and sniffing my fingers. I don't know if it makes a good infusion but I saw desert lavender essential oil for sale online. It sure smells good. 

Desert Lavender, Condea emoryi 

There were brown-eyed primroses, also familiar to me from my June Wash hike yesterday and also from past spring trips to other California deserts, not in carpets, but in good numbers.

Brown-eyed Primrose, Chylsmia clavformos ssp. peirsonii 

I was excited to find blooming indigo bushes in that wash. On yesterday's hike at June Wash the indigo bushes were already done blooming and bearing fruit.

Schott's Indigo Bush, Psrothamnus schottii 

I went back down the wash. Not completey having given up on finding that plant I looked for in Stag Cove, I kept looking down below the larger bushes. There I found the Fremont's pincushion, another humble wildflower that can be easily missed among all that magnificent desert bloom.

Fremont's Pincushion, Chaenactis fremontii

The Arizona lupine was also well represented at that side washI was walking in. All the lupines were at the beginning of their bloom season. They would be going on for a while.

Arizona Lupine, Lupinus arizonicus 

Just before returning to my car I spotted another phacelia, of a species I've never seen before. It was pretty small and I nearly missed it.

Little Flowered Heliotrope Phacelia, Phacelia crenulata var. minutiflora 

I went on with my drive, occasionally squezzing to the edge of the single lane road to allow other cars to pass me as they sped on foreward. I was glad that the sand was still damp from yesterday's rain, not rising in clouds of dust behind the speeding vehicles. I drove slowly, taking in the views and searching the roadside for wildflowers.

The Coyote Canyon Road crosses Indian Creek three times. Te first crossing is still in the sandy area, and the flow there was wide and shallow. After crossing I stopped the car and got out to take a look. I walked into the middle of the stream and to check it out.

First Crossing

Before getting back into my car I spotted a desert chicory. I didn't recall if I ever seen it on other trips, but it was my first time seeing it on this one.

Desert Chicory, Rafinesquia neomexicana 

The road was becoming less sandy and strewn with more and more rocks and potholes. I had to slow down even more, and a thought kept tickling the back of my mind that my spare tire wasn't really made for this kind of road so I'd better not get a flat. 

The second crossing was rocky and considerably deeper than the first. I crossed slowly and carefully, avoiding the big ledge right at the edge of the water. This time I stopped in the middle of the stream and took the photo through the rolled down car window.

Second Crossing

I kept on a bit further until I reached a gate (which was open) and before it a small parking place and a large sign post with information about the area. I decided that I've driven enough and that it was now time for a litle longer hike. I sat down on a nearby rock and had a quick lunch, enjoying the sunshine and the sound of the water flowing Indian Creek. Then I got my backpack with some water, locked the car and started up the road on foot, looking for the Box Canyon trailhead that according to the map was beyond the third crossing. That hike I'll describe in my next blog post.

Many thanks to members of the California Native Plants Society for their help in identifying plants!