Trip Date: March 2009
Maidenhair Falls
This fantastic desert hike up Hellhole Canyon to Maidenhair Falls is located in the heart of the Anza-Borrego State Park and not too far from the town of Borrego Springs. Hiking this trail will take you through classic Sonoran Desert landscape, pass through a wild grove of California fan palms and, after a little bit of boulder scrambling, to a pure desert miracle: a waterfall in the middle of the desert – not only one, but two.
The 5 mile roundtrip hike up Hellhole Canyon is somewhat similar to the more popular hike up Anza-Borrego State Park’s Borrego Palm Canyon. The only difference is that Hellhole Canyon isn’t advertised much, so therefore it doesn’t have as many people hiking the trail. Being closer to the Anza-Borrego visitors center, Borrego Palm Canyon typically attracts a lot of hikers. Furthermore, Hellhole Canyon has an added attraction, a waterfall surrounded by maidenhair ferns, suitably named Maidenhair Falls.
