{"id":10179,"date":"2023-01-16T09:05:29","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T17:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christofteuscher.com\/aagaa\/?page_id=10179"},"modified":"2023-04-19T14:15:01","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T21:15:01","slug":"anza-borrego-loop","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/christofteuscher.com\/aagaa\/anza-borrego-loop\/","title":{"rendered":"Anza-Borrego Loop"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\r\n Apr 19, 2023: Small route updates posted. See end of page. Make sure to download the latest GPS track if you have downloaded it before.\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\n

The Essentials<\/h2>\n

T<\/span>he 210mi Anza-Borrego Loop elegantly combines two established FKT routes, the Santa Rosa Traverse<\/a> and the Anza-Borrego Traverse<\/a>, a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)<\/a>, a section in the Jacinto Mountains Monument<\/a>, and a traverse of the Borrego Badlands<\/a> into one big, fabulous, irresistible, unforgettable 210mi loop. You will simply get to see the very best of the Anza-Borrego desert region<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\r\n The Anza-Borrego loop is an official FKT route: https:\/\/fastestknowntime.com\/route\/anza-borrego-loop<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\n
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The Anza-Borrego Loop: 210mi of joy with 47,000ft of elevation pain. For an interactive map, go here<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Route<\/h2>\n

The route has a total of about 47,000ft of elevation gain. The high point is Toro peak<\/a> (8,717ft), the highest peak in the Santa Rosa mountains<\/a>. The low point, just barely above sea level, is located at the eastmost point of the route in the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Santa Rosa Traverse<\/a> alone is considered very difficult, the Anza-Borrego Traverse<\/a> is no joke either. Part of the difficulty is the lack of water on most of the loop. Besides a bit of raw endurance, one will need a variety of other crucial skills to be successful on this adventure.<\/p>\n

Toro Peak<\/h4>\n

Public access to Toro peak<\/a> (8,717ft) has waxed and waned over the years, it seems. The peak lies on the Santa Rosa Indian Reservation and is full of telecommunication equipment and cameras. It is not entirely clear what the current public access status is and whether it is enforced or not. You will find many guidebooks and reports that do not mention any public access issues.<\/p>\n

[pullquote]”We do this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy.”[\/pullquote]<\/p>\n

However, Toro has a neighboring peak that is unofficially called\u00a0Wind Chill Peak (33.524081, -116.4292)<\/a>. It sits quite literally next to Toro’s main peak and tops out at 8,600ft (117ft less than Toro). Toro’s official West<\/a> peak is a little further away and sits at 8,316ft. The Sierra Club’s Hundred Peak Section website<\/a> lists the new Toro summit registry location on Toro’s West peak (33.527132, -116.435755)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For this route, I suggest that folks either summit the unofficial Wind Chill Peak (33.524081, -116.4292)<\/a>, or, as an alternative, Toro’s West peak (33.527132, -116.435755)<\/a>. Access to these peaks require off-trail travel, so, despite the slightly lower summit elevations, I argue that this requires a similar effort than climbing Toro peak along the road.<\/p>\n

Because Toro’s North Peak<\/a> is 717ft lower than Toro’s main peak, it should not count for this challenge.<\/p>\n

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The unofficial Wind Chill Peak<\/a> sits next to Toro Peak and tops out at 8,600ft (117ft less than Toro). See small route update at the end of this article on how to reach Wind Chill Peak. Following the drainage seems to be the easiest climb.<\/p><\/div>\n

Anza-Borrego Traverse Section (39mi)<\/h4>\n

The Anza-Borrego Traverse<\/a> section doesn’t go all the way to the PCT Sunrise trailhead on Sunrise Highway (CA County Road S1). That shaves off about 5mi from the original traverse. There is no water on that section.<\/p>\n

PCT Section (93mi)<\/h4>\n

That section is more or less self-explanatory. It’s best to use one of the apps to know where trail resources are, e.g., https:\/\/faroutguides.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Santa Rosa Traverse Section (43mi)<\/h4>\n

In accordance with the original Santa Rosa Traverse<\/a>, one needs to summit all 9 major peaks in the range between CA State Route 74 (Pines to Palms Highway) and CA County Road S22:<\/p>\n

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  1. Travelers (Palm)<\/li>\n
  2. Pyramid<\/li>\n
  3. Rosa Point<\/li>\n
  4. Mile High<\/li>\n
  5. Villager<\/li>\n
  6. Rabbit<\/li>\n
  7. Dawn’s Peak (Peak 6582)<\/li>\n
  8. Toro Peak (see alternative peak described above)<\/li>\n
  9. Santa Rosa Mtn<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There is no prescribed route between these peaks. Most of that section is off-trail and involves significant bushwhacking. There is no water on that section.<\/p>\n

    Jacinto Section (13mi)<\/h4>\n

    To make resupply easier, the route leads through Pinyon Pines<\/a> and connects to the Pinyon trail. It would be acceptable to connect to the Pinyon trail by choosing another descent\/ascend to\/from Santa Rosa Mt. For example, one could take the Santa Rosa road or connect cross-country to Ribbonwood. It would also be acceptable to take the Palm Canyon trail from CA State Route 74 (instead of going through Pinyon Pines<\/a>), that then connects to the Pinyon trail.<\/p>\n

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    Alternative ways to connect to the Pinyon trail. See small route update (to avoid the road) below if you are taking the Sawmill trail.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Badlands Section (22mi)<\/h4>\n

    That section follows jeep roads and washes. There is no water on that section.<\/p>\n

    Route updates (Apr 19, 2023)<\/h2>\n

    Based on my 1st<\/sup> attempt<\/a>, additional recon, and input from Rob Manley<\/a> (thanks!), a few minor updates were made to the original route:<\/p>\n