Wind Caves - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

The drive to and from the Wind Caves was just as scenic as hiking to the caves themselves. This was our last hike in the Borrego Springs area, a place in the desert in southern California that is neither touristy or populated.

Wind Caves, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

By 11:00, we were finally ready to take a ride.  I had wanted to visit the Wind Caves in one of the many areas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park we hadn't yet visited.

We drove toward the small town of Ocotillo Wells on Hwy 78.  Off-road vehicle enthusiasts are quite familiar with the Ocotillo Wells  State Vehicular Recreation Area.  

We drove eight miles out Split Mountain Road to Fish Creek Wash.  It was then another four miles through the rocky, sandy wash to the Wind Caves trailhead.

 

 

It's pretty much a rocky, uphill trail where you can stop on the flat spots to rest and take in the views.   

 

 

There were quite a few folks that had made the slow drive into this area of badlands today.

As we continued our climb and our altitude increased, the views broadened.

 

 

 

Eventually, we reached the spot where everyone takes a photo of the Wind Caves.

 

 

With a large family not far behind us, we rushed in to experience the "caves" by ourselves for a few minutes.

 

 

The Wind Caves are a wonderful playground, and we wanted to play a little before all the kids got there.

 

 

The wind-eroded rocks were full of holes, small caves, and arches.

 

 

 

I had read there were more caves over the ridge, so I walked up a steep incline to check it out.  There were some caves down below, ....

 

 

but I didn't think it was worth it to climb down to them and then return.

It was a bit too steep for Linda to climb all the way up, but she was part of my great view.

 

 

Although Linda didn't hike all the way up, I think she still went up farther than she wanted and was very careful coming back down.

 

 

A family playing together in the rocks.

 

 

It was a fairly brief stay and we soon returned to the Jeep.  The Wind Caves are interesting, but after spending lots of time at Arches National Park, it was hard to be impressed with the comparatively minor erosion-induced features.

But the views were nice and the drive back through the high walls of the canyon was pretty cool.

 

 

Yes, those are people in the lower left center in the photo below.

 

 

 

The four-mile drive through the wash and canyon is best done with a high-clearance vehicle, although a few cars made it back there okay.  I wouldn't drive the Corvette, but 4WD isn't necessarily required.

The drive and the views from the trail were worth the trip as much as the caves themselves.