Split Mountain

Driving through the center of a mountain can be quite revealing.  Thanks to the repeated erosion by Fish Creek Wash, layers of the mountain have been cut away allowing us to take a look into what was laid down millions of years ago.  As you drive through Split Mountain, stop a few times to get out of your vehicle and look around at the canyon walls.

When entering the canyon (from the north), make sure to look up.  You will be astonished by how much both the mountain rose over time and the wash dug into the mountain.

At the southern end of the canyon, the canyon walls become more eroded and pot-holed making for all kinds of whimsical and fascinating shapes.  Again, you may wish to get out of your vehicle to get a better look at Mother Nature’s artwork.

You will need a high clearance, 4WD vehicle for this trip.  Because the dirt road is really the bottom of Fish Creek Wash, there is soft sand in many places where 4WD is necessary.  Fish Creek Wash is a major drainage for a large portion of the Anza-Borrego desert to the west so be aware of the weather.  You don’t want to be in a wash if rain is predicted or there are thunderstorms nearby.

Starting at Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs, reset your odometer to zero and head south on Borrego Springs Road.  Continue past Yaqui Pass Road and turn left (east) onto S.R. 78.  About 18 miles from Christmas Circle, as you come into the small hamlet of Ocotillo Wells, look for Split Mountain Road and turn right (south).

On Split Mountain Road you’ll pass by the parking area for the Elephant Tree Discovery Trail.  At 26.2 miles, turn right (southwest) onto the dirt road that leads up into a large wash.  This is Fish Creek Wash.  Reset your odometer again.  If you were to continue straight on the paved road, you’ll find that it ends shortly at a large gypsum quarry.

At 1.4 miles from the pavement, there is a campground on the left where there are restrooms.  The canyon begins just beyond the campground.

As you pass through Split Mountain, the cliffs on both sides of the canyon rise up several hundred feet high and the wash you are driving in is not more than a hundred feet wide.  The canyon continues like this for about 2.75 miles.

At about 3.8 miles, look for the rock strata layers on the right side of the canyon that are very jumbled up.  Here you’ll see what geologists call an anticline which is where the rock layers were pushed up in a semi-circular, rounded shape.  This particular anticline, near the bottom of the wash, is quite dramatic.

At around 4.1 miles, look for the sign marking the trailhead to the Wind Caves on the east (left) side of the canyon.  On the west (right) side of the canyon is North Fork Fish Creek Wash.  This is a dead-end road that leads up to the wind-eroded hills to the west.  It’s fun to explore but is not included in the mileages for this road trip.

From this point, you can continue in Fish Creek Wash for another 6.8 miles to Sandstone Canyon or Mud Palidades of Olla Wash or turn around and retrace your route back to the pavement of Split Mountain Road.

• See directions to beginning of trip on Google Maps

Split Mountain is not only physically split in half by Fish Creek Wash but it also marks the split of two separate mountain ranges – the Vallecito Mountains to the west and the Fish Creek Mountains to the east.

Geologists say that the gorge of Split Mountain was formed when water as continually drained from the Carrizo Badlands in the west towards the Salton Sink in the east.  Fish Creek Wash is the main drainage that drains the Carrizo Badlands to the southwest of Split Mountain.  As the mountains rose over time, Fish Creek Wash continually gouged them downward creating the canyon we can drive through today.

All of Split Mountain is ideal terrain for fat-tire mountain bikes.  Much of the route is on hard-pact dirt with very little sand, so it would be navigable for regular mountain bikes also.

Most of the road is level and sees little vehicle traffic.  Some of the side canyons off Split Mountain Road and Fish Creek would also be great for exploring on a mountain bike, including Sandstone Canyon.