Mud Palisades of Olla Wash

The deeply eroded cliff faces of the aptly named Mud Palisades look like a delicately designed cathedral in the desert. The Mud Palisades are located at the end of Olla Wash. Here, Mother Nature must have had just the right type of mudstone material combined with just the right steepness of the slope to allow her to erode and cut out the fascinating features we see today.

This feature is a side trip for both the Split Mountain and Fish Creek Area chapters. It is also very close to Sandstone Canyon and you easily explore both places in a few hours.

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Driving up Olla Wash towards Mud Palisades

Driving into Mud Palisades

Close-up of the eroded mudstone

Trip Stats

Trip Length

2 miles one-way (drive)

Attractions

Heavily eroded mudstone cliffs
Abundant cacti – mainly agave
Uniquely carved geology

Difficulty

High clearance may be needed
Possible deep sand
Remote area – no phone service

Elevation Gain

Less than 100 feet

Non-subscriber Info

What’s in our Guide:

Mud Palisades & Olla Wash in southern Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Directions to the Mud Palisades of Olla Wash via Split Mountain
Directions to the Mud Palisades of Olla Wash via the Fish Creek area
What you’ll see along the way
Nearby attractions:
- Sandstone Canyon
- Wind Caves of Anza-Borrego
- Split Mountain
- Canyon sin Nobre
- Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves
Road conditions and what to expect
What type of vehicle you’ll need
Lots of beautiful and informative pictures
Our unique interactive maps

Click below to expand.

What To See

After turning off the road in Fish Creek Wash, Olla Wash, which is the canyon leading up to the Mud Palisades, passes through some colorful, uplifted strata. These uplifted layers look similar to the sheets of sandstone in nearby Sandstone Canyon. This is probably the same deposit of sandstone that Sandstone Canyon is cut from.
Driving along Olla Wash you’ll see large patches of cacti, with agave deserti and teddy bear cholla being very abundant. When we visited in March, there were also large brittlebushes bursting with yellow flowers.
At the end of the road, make sure to walk up into the base of the palisades. Here, you’ll find a maze of short corridors and slot canyons that were created by the erosion. Look at the mudstones closely and you’ll see all types of rock and geologic debris cemented together.
Getting There

You will need a high clearance, 4WD vehicle for this trip. Because this canyon is a side trip, see the appropriate directions below:
From Split Mountain: After turning off the pavement of Split Mountain Road, reset your odometer and continue on the road in Fish Creek Wash (through Split Mountain) for 12.7 miles. Look for the large canyon opening on the left and a small brown sign labeling Sandstone Canyon. Continue reading at the * below.
From Fish Creek Area: After negotiating the Diablo Drop-off, it is another 0.6 mile (1 km) to Fish Creek Wash. Turn left at this junction and go 2.8 miles to the junction with Sandstone Canyon. Look for the large canyon opening on the left and a small brown sign labeling Sandstone Canyon. Continue reading at the * below.
*The entrance to Olla Wash is just 0.7 mile north of Sandstone Canyon on the left.
What To Know

It’s interesting to compare the results of erosion in Sandstone Canyon to that of the Mud Palisades. As you will see, sandstone and mudstone erode very differently.
As the name implies, mudstone is the result of muds and clays that have been cemented together under pressure. Mudstones erode more easily and, as a result, create more dramatic features as you can see here in Mud Palisades.
In contrast, sandstones are the result of sand and other minerals that have also been cemented together under pressure. The result is a material that is stronger and more resistant to erosion than mudstone. This is the reason for the difference in scenery of Mud Palisades as compared to Sandstone Canyon, which is about a mile away.
Mudstone is the primary material that creates the common scenery found in both the Carrizo and Borrego Badlands areas of Anza-Borrego.