1. Palm Wash Slot Canyon Utah Hike
2. Palm Wash Slot Canyon And Distilleries
3. South Fork Palm Wash Slot Canyon
4. Slot Canyon California
5. Slot Canyon Arizona

Palm Wash Slot Canyon and Calcite Mine Posted by Joseph Esparza at. Hottest Hiked: 100F, Eaton Canyon, CA. State/DC High Points Climbed: 6 /51, Mount Whitney. Borrego Palm Canyon Trail This 3.25-mile loop visits a popular palm tree oasis in a canyon west of Borrego Springs. Hellhole Canyon Trail to Maidenhair Falls This 5.5-mile hike visits a 20-foot waterfall in a canyon near Borrego Springs, making it the perfect place to cool off on a hot day in the California Desert. Starting in a wash, you’ll see some of the best desert scenery until the wash deepens and narrows to the slot portion of the hike. While the “zebra” portion lasts roughly ten minutes or so. It offers a visually-stunning Utah slot canyons experience and makes the entire hike worthwhile. Hiking in Borrego Springs, CA.

Hiking the Lost Palms Oasis Trail in Joshua Tree National Park is a unique experience. The trail is in the southern part of the park, which has more of a Sonoran Desert feel than the majority of hikes in the northern part of the park. You won’t see any Joshua Trees on the Lost Palms Oasis Trail, but you will see the park’s largest grove of California fan palm trees, tucked into a hidden canyon. There are no big climbs as you make your way over the ridges and washes through the desert. It’s a fun desert hike that’s worth your time.

Where Is The Lost Palms Oasis Trail?

The Lost Palms Oaisis Trail is in the southern part of Joshua Tree National Park and uses the Cottonwood Spring parking area as the trailhead. Parking can get crowded quickly. Arrive at sunrise for the best hike (and parking!) experience.

Use this trailhead address:
Cottonwood Spring, Lost Palms Oasis Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Instead of paying the park entry fee, just get a National Parks Pass.

There is no backcountry camping in this section of the park because it’s a protected area for bighorn sheep. If you want to camp, you can stay at Cottonwood Campground.

Gear for the Hike

The hike to Lost Palms Oasis takes a few hours through the desert, so prepare accordingly. I wear regular hiking gear, carry 3L of water, and have hiking boots. I also recommend a GPS unit with this hike’s GPX file loaded (available below) in case you get confused or lost. Don’t do this hike in the hot summer months. There is no shade or protection from the sun.

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My Goto Hiking Footwear: La Sportiva Wildcat
If you hike a lot or just want the best (but not the most durable) hiking footwear, the Wildcat trail runner is your best move. It’s fast and light on trails, the sole gives me good grip off-trail or scrambling, and they dry quickly.
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Latest Price on Men’s Shoe – REI Amazon

Best All-Around Day Pack: Osprey Talon
I try so many backpacks and I can usually find something I love about all of them. But no matter how many I try, I always find that I come back to the Osprey Talon 33 (or for women, the Osprey Sirrus 36). It’s just the right balance between everything. You save weight because there is no frame, but the vented and padded back holds its shape, giving it a pseudo-frame. It’s big enough for long day hikes or overnighters, but when I don’t fill it on a shorter hike, it’s still nice and light. It’s got a sleeve for a hydration bladder and side pockets for Smartwater bottles. I’ve been using (and beating) the same one since 2017 and it’s still going strong.
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Stay Safe Out of Cell Phone Range
If you’re not familiar with the Garmin InReach technology, it allows you to send and receive text messages where you don’t have cell phone signals. You can also get weather reports and trigger an SOS to emergency responders. Even if you don’t have an emergency, sending a quick message telling a loved one that you’re okay or are running late is well worth the cost. The Garmin InReach Mini(REI Amazon My Review) fits in your palm and weighs next to nothing.

Here’s my complete gear list that I personally use, have tested, and recommend, updated December 2020.

No company pays me to promote or push a product, all the gear you see here is gear I use and recommend. If you click an a link and buy gear, I get a small commission that helps offset website expenses. There is no cost to you.

Lost Palm Oasis Trail Maps

The trail to Lost Palm Oasis is marked and maintained by the Parks Service. There are signs along the route, and there are also stones that block off side trails. Make sure you pay attention to the route. When you hike back, you’ll have to do it in reverse, and it’s easy to take an incorrect trail mistakingly. And again, having a GPS will be helpful as you make your way across the desert.

How are you going to navigate this hike?
To start, you should always have a paper map and compass. And it helps to print this guide out or save it on your phone. I highly recommend a GPS as well. I use the Garmin Fenix 6 smart GPS watch (REI Amazon My Review) with maps (or the more affordable Garmin Instinct). You can also use most smartphones. Check out my navigation recommendations and resources on my top gear picks page for options at all budget levels.

Elevation Profile

3d Map

Palm Wash Slot Canyon Utah Hike

Lost Palms Oasis Trail Hike Directions

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Video Directions

Palm Wash Slot Canyon And Distilleries

Turn By Turn Directions

From here, just hike back the way you came.

Did something change on this hike? If so, please contact me and let me know. I'll update the guide.

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The slot canyon in Anza Borrego is one of those hikes that you never realized you had right in California. The slot is a beautiful natural formation nestled in the heart of Anza Borrego State Park, about an hour and a half east of San Diego. The park has no fees to enter and hundreds of miles to explore and off-road through. It even has unique areas such as the palm tree oasis of Hellhole Canyon, abandoned mines, and of course, the slot canyon itself. Here is all the information if you want to check it out.

South Fork Palm Wash Slot Canyon

Details

Getting There

Make no mistake, you will have to work to find this place. While it is technically on the map, it is still challenging to find, as it is located about two miles down a dirt road that is very easy to miss. My suggestion would be to check in with the visitor’s center before trying to head out to the canyon. The map below will get you close, but it is really easy to miss if you do not know where the road will be. Here is a map that the visitors center provides.

The road to the slot was dirt and a little rough, but we were able to go 3 /4ths of the way with a Ford Focus, so most cars should be able to get at least as close as we did. From where we parked, it was about 200 yards to the start of the hike. There are no signs to direct you where to go, just know when you get to the area in the below picture you want to head down into the canyon for the start of the slot.

Right where the above car is, is where you can make your way down. Also, make sure that you mark your entrance as it can be hard to tell exactly where you entered when you come back out. We made a small pile of rocks that let us know this was our exit.

The Slot

After walking about 100 yards, you will see the entrance to the start of the slot canyon. As you proceed, the canyon starts to get taller and taller around you, while the path gets more and more narrow. You can see the entrance below.

The next mile or so is a fantastic experience. You simply weave your way through the canyon as it gets to about 100 feet on either side of you. The canyon gets so narrow in some places that you actually have to go sideways. I was carrying a hydration pack, which I took off and left halfway through the hike to pick back up on the way out, as it was scraping and making walking through the narrow canyon difficult.

About three-fourths of the way, you will reach the natural rock bridge. It is a great place to stop and take in the size of the canyon you are in.

Slot Canyon California

After you pass the bridge, the slot canyon opens and dumps you out on a dirt road. From here, you can walk all the way out and loop back around, or you can simply head back into the canyon. We elected to do the latter and headed back in only to see a nice tarantula greeting us at the entrance.

Slot Canyon Arizona

Check out my video to get a glimpse as to what walking through the canyon is like and make sure you put this on your list of places to check out. It is a unique experience that is easy enough for the whole family or can be combined with other hikes in the park if you are going with an active group of hikers.

For more great things to do in Anza Borrego check out this great site.