ANZA-BORREGO WIND CAVES

We only had our Subaru for two weeks before I planned our adventure to explore some off-road adventures in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Adventure awaits with over 500 miles of 4WD sandy roads and washes in the Anza-Borrego desert. I had read about the wind caves and knew our son would love exploring the nooks and crannies that await. In this portion of our guide to Anza-Borrego with kids, we cover all the details you need to take your crew on this memorable trip to explore the wind caves!

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WHAT SHOULD WE DO IN ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK?

STOP BY THE ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK VISITOR CENTER
EXPLORE THE TOWN OF BORREGO SPRINGS
MARVEL AT THE LARGE ANIMAL SCULPTURES OF GALLETA MEADOWS
ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF DESERT WILDFLOWERS
EXPLORE THE GEOLOGY OF THE AREA ON THE TRIANGLE TOUR DRIVE
YOU ARE HERE (PART 6) – OFF-ROAD TO THE THE WIND CAVES
HIKE BORREGO PALM CANYON
HIKE SLOT CANYON

PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE TO THE ANZA-BORREGO WIND CAVES

The Anza-Borrego Wind Caves make for an incredible adventure with kids. It reminded me of driving through Radiator Springs to the planet of Batuu, also known as Disney’s Cars and Star Wars Lands. We had a great time, but I do want to stress you NEED TO BE PREPARED for this adventure. 4WD or AWD is a must, as is a high-clearance vehicle due to the rocks scattered on the sandy road. ALWAYS check in on the road and weather conditions at the State Park Visitor Center before heading out on an off-road adventure.

DRIVING TO THE ANZA-BORREGO WIND CAVES

As I mentioned above, you should always check in with the State Park Visitor Center about road conditions and weather before heading out. Volunteers at the Visitor Center will have the most updated information and give you a map of the park.

Follow directions for the Triangle Tour down Borrego Springs Road towards the Texas Dip. At Highway 78, head east towards Slot Canyon. Continue driving east on Highway 78 until you reach the town of Ocotillo Wells. There is only one paved road in Ocotillo Wells off Highway 78, Split Mountain. Head south on Split Mountain Road, about 8 miles, until the paved road turns to dirt. You will see Fish Creek Wash on your right- this is your road! The trail is 4-miles down the sandy wash.

OFF-ROAD SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

The Anza-Borrego Wind Caves made for a great family adventure. We took less than 3 hours for the off-road and hiking adventure, starting at Fish Creek Wash. It takes about an hour from the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center to get to the wash. To relax and not be worried about time, I would plan five hours if you are coming from and returning to Borrego Springs.

Our son had a great time, and we did too. As I mentioned, it was nerve-wracking getting out there because it was our first off-roading adventure in Anza-Borrego. However, this was an excellent pick for our first off-road adventure as there were many people out on the wash to offer assistance if we had a problem.

However, I cannot stress the importance of the following enough:

Check with the State Park Visitor Center about CURRENT road and weather conditions
Pack plenty of water
Have snacks with you
Remember you will have no cell service
Make sure someone knows you are heading out there
Screenshot directions, this post, etc. for your reference
If planning a less traveled wash, have a shovel, flares, tools and blankets with you.
If you are stuck or broken down, pop your hood and wait. Others will notice you by your vehicle more than if you wander into the desert alone.
Know sunset times before you head out to plan accordingly.

FISH CREEK WASH

At first, I was hesitant to begin driving down the wash. However, several cars were coming in and out, so I knew we were in the right place. We started reasonably slow as it was our first off-roading adventure in our new car. After a short distance, about 1.4 miles, we reached the Fish Creek primitive campground. This area has vault toilets that you can use if needed.

After the campground, the canyon begins to narrow. Jeeps and trucks exiting the narrow canyon area were tearing out of the wash super fast! It was a little overwhelming at first. There was some aggressive 4WD action at this point of the drive wash. We noticed campers creating a stack of rocks in the center of the wash to slow drivers through the narrowing canyon. The mountain walls begin to rise above you. You feel like you are driving through Radiator Springs. It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I don’t have many pictures of this portion of the drive. I focused on watching my husband drive and hoping we did not get stuck in the sand or hit a massive rock!

PARK & HIKE THE WIND CAVES TRAIL

The Wind Caves trail comes up on the left side when the canyon walls of the wash open up. There is ample parking on the right side of this open area. The second picture below looks back on the parking area and gives you an idea of how open the road gets. There are some rocky areas of the drive leading up to this area, so take your time and go slow. We saw a Jeep get stuck on a boulder in front of the parking area.

The Wind Caves trail is labeled with a sign as you start to hike up the hill. The trail out is 1-mile and heads up four steep, rocky hills. Make sure you bring water! At some points, a few trails branch off of the main trail, but they all lead to the same place.

EXPLORE THE ANZA-BORREGO WIND CAVES

When you come over the final peak, you can see the massive sandstone formation of the Wind Caves down in front of you. Our son was so excited to begin exploring. It looks like you are in the middle of a Star Wars movie. The view of the Carrizo Badlands is spectacular. We took some time to relax in the shade of some of the caves to drink some water and feed the baby. Then we set out to explore.

Our son had a great time climbing around and through the Wind Caves. The views are jaw-dropping, and the shade around the caves makes it a great adventure for kids of all ages. Our son’s imagination began running wild as he explored all around the beauty of the Anza-Borrego desert and Wind Caves.

I wanted to catch the sunset in Galleta Meadows, so as the afternoon sun started moving, we knew it was time to get going. So we headed down the 1-mile trail back to the car. The hike back seemed much faster as it was all downhill this time! We were grateful to be in hiking boots that helped steady us on the rocky downhill terrain. However, we did pass a group of 15 or so in flip-flops drinking beers heading up, so I guess anything goes! You can see in my pictures that the trail is quite rocky.

LEAVING THE WIND CAVES

Once we were back to the car, we started the 4-mile drive back to the paved Split Mountain Road. I was much more relaxed for this portion of the drive and was able to snap a few more pictures to give you an idea of what it is like driving between the canyon walls in the sandy wash.

When we reached the end of the off-roading portion of our drive from the Anza-Borrego Wind Caves, my husband had some fun driving a little faster through the final sandy areas. Now we understood why some people were tearing out of the canyon. It is kind of fun to know you have made it through the rocky adventures and only have a short way back to the paved road. Our son loved waving his arms out of the window as we finished our drive out of the wash. On the left, the paved road of Split Mountain Road takes you back to regular driving as you exit the wash.