Hike #28 & 29 Coyote Canyon Backpacking Adventure

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

27 miles | +430' -3200'

While I've explored this area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park extensively with my Jeep, hiking down the length of Coyote Canyon has been on my list for a while now. This was truly a memorable adventure, with mud stomping, water crossings, and cactus dodging in abundance.

Coyote Canyon is the primary path of Coyote Creek, a meandering 35-mile monument to Anza-Borrego history and Mountain Cahuilla civilization. It offers challenges to backpackers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and 4-wheel drive enthusiasts, and opportunities for day-hikers to get away from well-travelled roads.

Coyote Canyon can be approached from Borrego Springs in the south and Anza in the north. The Coyote Canyon Jeep Trail is closed to all from June to October, allowing the local Peninsular Bighorn Sheep free access to the water in the creek. The jeep trail ends at Middle Willows at the north end of Collins Valley. From here north it is mountain bikers, hikers, and horsemen only, all the way to the Terwilliger Valley in Anza.

In the 1770's, Juan Bautista de Anza led two expeditions across the desert to the California coast. One was to explore the route, the other was to bring over 200 people and 1,000 head of cattle to colonize San Francisco. The Anza expeditions left the desert and its hardships at Nance Canyon, which was where our trek began.

Lower Willows is a two-mile slot of dense green foliage along the banks of Coyote Creek. It fills a meandering narrow slot between the mountains west of Anza-Borrego (Bucksnort Mountain, Hot Springs Mountain, San Ysidro Mountain) and the Santa Rosa Mounains. Access is on foot or on horseback. All others must traverse two creek crossings and a difficult bypass road.

This is a hike with many rewards, not the least of which is being able to walk in the cool waters of Coyote Creek on a hot day. Feel free to walk barefoot. The deep mud can pull sandals right off your feet. Shoes will get wet. Wear shorts or hiking pants that convert to shorts. Protect your camera and any other fragile possessions in case you slip and fall in the water.

Middle Willows, at the north end of Collins Valley, is a place where the waters of Coyote Creek rise to the surface, and the greenery is dense, particularly willows. Wild and remote would be good words to describe Upper Willows and its environs. This area is miles from just about any place, and when it rains or snows and the roads develop bumps and washouts, they tend to stay bumpy and washed out.