Distance: 5.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1883' (at the falls)
Elevation Gain: 1140'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.9
Round trip time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $10 State Parks Fee
Difficulty: Easy
Leisa and I camped at Palm Canyon in Anza-Borrego State Park for the weekend. Our first hike was to Maidenhair Falls. The trailhead is off S22 just outside Borrego Springs and had signs requesting a $10 day hike fee. There was a restroom there and well maintained parking area, but the fee was a surprise. I'd done several hikes from there in the past and didn't remember a fee.
The trail started from the lot and was smooth. A couple of joke graves were set up on the side of the trail to remind people to take enough water. The first couple of miles were easy going with minimal gain. All the native desert plants and cacti were on display. Shortly, we reached a palm grove and palms dotted the canyon the rest of the way. In the last half mile, the trail braided, boulders got larger, and some light scrambling was required to continue. Both of us picked up some scratches from rough rocks and pokey plants. We reached the waterfall and were disappointed with the lack of flow. There was barely a trickle from the falls and a stagnant pool of dark water sat at the base. I heard a loud buzzing around the water that at first sounded like flies, but was instead a swarm of bees. Because of the bees, we didn't linger or take a break, just turned around and started back down. There were quite a few tarantula hawks along the trail. Cool insects that pack a serious sting. It was easier going down and we made it back to the truck quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment