Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Distance: 1.6 Mile Out and Back or 2.2 Mile Loop
Difficulty: Easy Time: 1 hour
Elevation Gain: Less than 50 feet
Season: Year Round (Summer can be miserably and dangerously hot)
Foot Traffic: Moderate
Overview
This fabulous, 1.5 mile hike, leads to a beautiful, at times narrow, slot canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. While Anza-Borrego may not get the attention that the ever increasing in popularity Joshua Tree National Park does, it has seen quite an uptick in visitation in recent years. However, an early start here almost surely guarantees some solitude in the canyon.
A quick jaunt leads hikers almost immediately into the exciting “Slot” section of this hike. Here, visitors can navigate the ins and outs of the severely narrow canyon as it slices through tall, crumbly sandstone cliffs. Some sections here require some very minor scrambling but overall the trail is doable for hikers of almost all abilities. This is an incredibly fun area to explore and although it can be done as a loop, I personally like to do it as an out and back, turning around and re-exploring the best sections of the slot canyon.
“The Slot” hike begins down a dirt road, about a 30 minute drive from the visitors center and Borrego Springs area, in the direction that most visitors will be coming from. The best bet for this trail is to avoid the unbearably hot summer months and to begin early in the morning to avoid the heat and crowds. Although, it can and does get insanely hot here, the inner part of the canyon does provide some relief from the sun and heat.
Trail Description and Scout’s Story
The last few weeks have been quite eventful. Our daughter, Scout, just turned three years old and also celebrated one year of her cancer being in remission the day after her birthday. We celebrated these events by taking Scout back to our home of Hawaii, for her first ever visit. Having arrived back home, we are getting back into the thick of work and our daily lives while wishing we were living and raising Scout back in Hawaii. Who knows, maybe one day.
In the mean time, I felt a need to get back out into nature. With the summer fast approaching, I decided we should make the 3 hour drive to Anza Borrego for our last desert visit until after the summer months. I was excited and had a few things planned including the short hike to “The Slot”. We had planned on hiking to “The Slot” on our last visit to Anza Borrego about two years prior but we visited in the sweltering, late July heat. We bypassed visiting “The Slot” or doing much else and just stayed around the pool at our little resort. Almost three weeks after that visit, Scout, at the age of 15 months old, would be diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We haven’t been back since and I was excited to return, this time with Scout being healthy and her cancer in remission.
Starting the Trail to “The Slot”
After camping at the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground, we woke up early and dismantled our tent and gathered up our gear. Scout had been asking to hike and on this morning she would get her wish. It took us about 30 minutes to get from the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground and down the road to the parking area for “The Slot”. Parking is pretty limited here but it was still early and only a few other cars were present. The cool thing was that we only saw two other couples throughout our entire hike. It was an incredibly peaceful and relaxing stroll through the slot.
The trail starts from a signed post just above the parking area. The trail briefly ascends along the only incline of the entire trail. This 1 minute section is your workout for the morning. The trail flattens and comes to another signed junction for “The Slot”. We took the trail to the left and descended over a bit of loose dirt, towards the canyon. After about 30 seconds, we reached the canyon. Going left here will bring hikers to the main section of “The Slot” within about 1 minute. Of course, I turned right and went the wrong way. There was some cool little sections immediately after I made the wrong right turn. As Scout followed the canyon then widened significantly and it quickly became evident that we needed to turn around.
Entering “The Slot”
After backtracking, we quickly reached the original junction and continued left. We reached the start of “The Slot” in no time and the fun had begun. Scout led the way as the trail through the canyon narrowed but the walls still remained somewhat wide.
Then, the walls began closing in and we had reached the narrowest sections of “The Slot”. This area is incredibly fun and is pretty doable for people of all abilities, although there is a tiny bit of maneuvering required in spots. These sections of “The Slot” may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the slots of Arizona or Utah but they are however, incredibly enjoyable and still very pretty.
This section was an absolute blast and the shade of the Canyon made us forget about how hot it was outside.
Scout typically led the way, until the canyon widened and “The Slot” section had ended.
Scout now informed us that she was tired and wanted to be carried. We didn’t bring her carrier, so her mom and I just took turns carrying her for a bit.
Reaching the End of “The Slot”
Once the slot ends, the canyon widens and hikers can continue forward, looping the trail back to the parking lot. We thought “The Slot” was a ton of fun and elected to skip the loop portion of the hike and just retrace our steps back through “The Slot”. Altogether, I clocked the out and back trip at a little over 1.5 miles. We enjoyed the hike back and ran into our first group of hikers of the day in one of the narrower sections of the trail. They backtracked a bit to let us through and the smiles on their faces, as well as ours told me everything I needed to know about this short trail. What a fun journey and what a great morning out in nature, with tons of time still left in the day to explore more. The slot in Anza Borrego is such a unique spot for California and I am glad that I finally got to share this trail with my wife and our daughter, Scout.
May 24, 2024
Getting to The Slot
The Slot – Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Notes, Questions and Thoughts
Is this a fee area?
- Yes. There is a $10 day use fee for this trail. The day use fee is good for all other trails and hikes inside of Anza-Borrego State Park for that day.
Are dogs allowed on “The Slot” trail?
- No, dogs are not allowed on the trail
Are there restrooms at the trailhead/parking area?
- Yes. A vault toilet is located at the front of the parking lot
Please recreate responsibly. Respect hikers and all visitors and wildlife. Help make everyone’s experience better by keeping the nature experience as authentic as possible. Leave no trace and pack out everything that you pack in. Please remember that we are visitors and stewards of these special places. Help keep these places as wild as possible while not diminishing the outdoor experience of others.
