Carrizo Badlands
Free desert daytrip finds fossils over a Million Years Old; Caves; Hiking; and Scenic Desert Vistas. Best time to visit : September to May.

This desert landscape has become one of the world’s best paleontology hot spots, filled with fossils left from previous eras. It also provides visitors a prime example of a shifting landscape. (Warning – The shifting landscape requires special precaution from visitors. Respect the power of nature in this remote terrain, including eroding cliffs, flash floods, and earthquakes.)

Prehistoric Fossil Beds
Dating back to Colorado River floodplains from over 5 million years ago when this area was a lush grassland and home to to mastodons, sabre-tooth tigers, camels, and zebras.

Driving Tour
The diverse desert landscape can easily be enjoyed with a leisurely drive on county highway S-2.

Hiking Trails
Lots of open trails to explore the diverse desert landscape. Warning : Don't attempt hiking in the summer when temperatures are very hot.

Mud Caves - Arroyo Tapiado
Popular adventure activity is to explore the desert mudcaves. There is no established park or tours where you can explore caves. Arroyo Tapiado has some of the most extensive mud cave formations found anywhere in the world. Dwight Carey did his thesis in the 1970s on this area. He explored and named many of it's features. There are at least 23 mud caves that have been mapped out. More details can be found at ArroyoTapiado.com
Map to Mud Caves
Mud Caves Preview

Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Largest state park in California covers a large swath of territory between the Cleveland Forest and the Salton Sea.

Borrego Springs
Borrego Springs is certainly one of the most scenic desert resort areas of California. The desert valleys are bordered by 9,000 foot mountain peaks. Some have said that Borrego Springs is what Palm Springs was 50 years ago - peaceful, quiet, relaxing. There are no stoplights in Borrego.

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recr Area - East Borrego
42,000 acres of desert terrain, from below sea level to 400 foot elevations. It is a motorcycle, four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle, and dune buggy use area. The wash-and-ridge terrain includes a butte with dunes and a sand bowl, a blow-sand dune, springs and a camp on a former homestead site.