1 min
Overview
With some of the most developed and popular areas of Anza-Borrego State Park located around the town of Borrego Springs, many visitors find themselves driving down the winding, slightly terrifying, but always spectacular Montezuma Valley Road to reach their destination. This road drops over 3,000′ through the San Ysidro Mountains from the community of Ranchita to the main commercial area for Borrego Springs. Along the way, the road provides spectacular views over Borrego Valley and the Santa Rosa Mountains that easily encompasses the Salton Sea. Pinyon Ridge towering over Culp Valley If you are taking this route into town, but you want to break the drive up to stretch your legs and take in a section of the high country terrain along Montezuma Highway, the easy 2.1 mile trail starting and ending at Culp Valley Primitive Camp is a great option for a quick and easy hike. This trail incorporates a brief stretch of the old California Riding and Hiking Trail (CRHT), visits a high desert spring surrounded by thick vegetation, and takes in an excellent view of Borrego Valley, the Santa Rosa Mountains, and Hellhole Canyon. Junction with Pena Springs Trail Starting from the fork in the road just before the campground, take the road to the left and begin a gentle ascent along a ridge. At this point, the trail is dirt road passing through a transition zone between higher elevation chaparral and desert plant communities. You will see a mixture of both communities, which chamise, buckwheat, sugar bush, and manzanita representing the chaparral and cholla cacti and the occasional juniper representing the desert. Note that I took a wrong turn on the CRHT, which branches off to the left on the top of this ridge. Continue straight to begin a descent toward Pena Spring. This spring serves as an important water source for local wildlife, which includes bighorn sheep that roam the San Ysidro Mountain area. Dense riparian vegetation around Pena Spring The spring also reportedly receives its name from a daughter of the Paroli family t
Trail Stats
3.4 km
121 m
1061 m
1008 m
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Photos
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