Customer Reviews

Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

For someone who really enjoys mountain trails, I seem to spend a lot of time in the Anza-Borrego Region. This ever-growing state park and surrounding public lands offer some of the best off season recreation in southern California and one cannot find a more comprehensive guide to the area than this book by Lowell and Diana Lindsay. With a huge map, sharp photos, and new updated GPS coordinates (using UTM and traditional lat/lon locations) this book is simply a must have for anyone who wants to spend time in the southern deserts.

Like previous editions, and unlike most Wilderness Press books, the focus of this guide is off-road vehicle travel and auto-touring. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the adjacent BLM lands (and Ocotilla Wells State Vehicle Recreational Area) cover such a large area that auto touring is simply the best way to explore the region. (The "Desert Driving Techniques" section of the introduction is almost mandatory reading for any would be RVers. The authors' humorous descriptions of what happens to weekend road warriers are plenty sufficient to keep me and my little chevy out of many of the areas they describe.) Still, the guide does feature many nature walks and dozens of longer hiking options, including a few backpacking trips. It also lists the many camping opportunities in the region.

Finally, like all Wilderness Press Books, this one is heavy on natural and cultural history. Readers will be treated to the story of Pegleg Smith and his legendary lost gold mine, the destruction of Oh My God hot springs, allegedly for health reasons but actually a concerted effort by citizens of Salton City to rid the area of nudists, the history of Ghost Mountain and poet Marshall South, and a description of the recent (September, 2004) flood of Borrego canyon that uprooted hundreds of Palm Tress (the bowls of which can still be seen some 20 feet above water level) and forever changed the canyon. This all makes for enjoyable reading and adds immensely to one's appreciation of the desert as you explore it. I cannot recommend this guide highly enough.

I visit the Anza Borrego regularely and have used this book since many years.
The book is essential for everybody who wants to take a closer look at this area, be it hiking, camping, off-roading, whatever.
It covers history, geology, botany, hiking and off-roading in an interesting way. The structure of this book is something one has has to get used to first, but afterwards it becomes indispensible.
The only negative comment I have to make is on the pictures, they always were and still are inferior.
What I did not find in the book was a reference to the map-datum used. Maybe I did not read everything carefully enough, but I could not see whether NAD-27 or WGS-84 (nearly the same as NAD-83) was used for the map and for indications of Latitude and Longitude
Nevertheless I would not visit the Anza Borrego without this book.

With both a guide to the region and a very detailed map, this is the main book you need for the park. The locals in the area seem to agree as it is available to buy at the Ranger Station and all the surrounding gift shops. The book had the park divided by regions and details of hikes and road trips are provided in detail. We used it for our week long trip and could not have asked for more information.

This is THE book to go for if one wants an intimate knowledge of the Anza Borrego Desert. Well laid out, the specific area guides are easy to find, plus a wonderful color map is included with purchase. Speaking of color, I would think it about time now to update and upgrade to photos within the book to color. I realize that printing costs would rise, but the extra cost would be well worth it as someone travels through the book on "previsualized" journeys. I would have given it five stars except for its lack of color photos.