A great place to visit Anza-Borrego in the winter months is under the crisp, clear skies of the southeastern area of the park. Soaring hawks, the edges of storms collapsing at the rain shadow, ebullient rainbows disappearing into the blue sky…
The focus of this area is Agua Caliente County Park, tucked against the rocky foothills of the Laguna Range. There is Indian Gorge and Bow Willow a few miles to the south and Bisnaga Wash and Vallecitos to the north. Of these locales, Bisnaga Wash has the most feel of a desert garden, with its bright sandy washes bursting with color and desert life.
Bisnaga Wash is a drainage basin that carries the flow of rainfall from the stately mountain to its north, 5,349′ Whale Peak. At an elevation around 1,400′, the wash is accessed from County Highway S-2 about 1 mile north of the turn-off to Agua Caliente County Park. There is signage for Bisnaga Wash at a pull-out on the east side of the road with convenient parking for a few cars. Another 0.9 miles up the road, toward Vallecitos County Park, is Bisnaga Alta Wash, a well-defined bajada no less than 500 feet wide and offering excellent hiking and opportunities to see gardens of barrel cactus along its 2.5 mile length to the foot of Whale Peak.
Bisnaga is an Americanism for the Spanish Biznaga, which refers to tall barrel cactus.
This post is under construction.
Bisnaga Wash is accessed from County Highway S-2 about 1 mile north of the turn-off to Agua Caliente County Park (see map below). There is signage for Bisnaga Wash at a pull-out on the east side of the road with convenient parking for a few cars. The trek up the wash is to the northeast from parking, around the periphery of the hills to the northwest.
Leave a Reply