"The Slot" is a extremely narrow hiking trail in a sandstone canyon in the heart of Anza Borrego State Park. The off-road drive to The Slot is a very easy one with some soft sand and compact hard dirt. The road is safe to drive in a 2wd vehicle most of the year, but please note, when it comes to taking any dirt road, it is always best to travel in a group. Once you reach The Slot, you can hike from east to west down the canyon. The Slot starts out an openish area but quickly closes in. At points in the trail you will be trying to shimmy sideways just to continue on. Once to the bottom it opens up to a slot canyon just wide enough for a off-road vehicle. If you have an equipped vehicle and are with a group, driving around this end of the trail might make for a full day adventure. For most people, it is recommended that you go back out the way you came in.
**Important Notice** It gets over 110 degrees at The Slot in the summer. Please bring lots of water and notify people where you are going. Also, this area is at high risk of flash flood. Only enter The Slot on sunny days.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
Recommended Vehicle:
2WD Vehicle with High Clearance
Concerns:
Summary:
The main part of the road is a compacted sand path. You only need to worry about pinstriping in sections where you need to pass someone.
The hardest part of the trail that you
cannot bypass - you have to drive it.
Optional
5 -
DIFFICULT
The hardest part of the trail that is
purely optional - you can bypass it.
Dirt and/or rocky road. Potential rocks and/or tree stumps less than 5" tall and/or vertical ledges less than 5" tall and/or near vertical ledges or waterfalls less than 6" inches. Good tire placement likely. Can be steep, but with good traction.Read More about our Rating System
The Slot is a very narrow canyon in Anza Borrego that is fun to hike (Not a Off-Road Trail). The trail getting to the Slot is very easy but sandy in places. The sand can get deep at times but most 4x4's and 2wd vehicles should be able to make it.
Inside the Slot Canyon is a very narrow mini-canyon that is at times only about a foot wide and about 200 feet tall. While inside don't forget to look up and see boulders suspended between the cliff walls or large mud/hill slides that are wedged above you.
If you plan on driving to the west most end of the slot, please understand in doing so you are going to enter a one-way trail that requires about 20 additional miles of mild to hard trails to exit to asphalt. If you do plan on going this way, please be in a upgraded 4x4 and travel in a group.
1. Road Turn Off (0
mi)
Turn off Highway 78 roughly 1/4 of mile east of Borrego Springs Road, head north
2. Stay To The Left (West) at Hawk Canyon Cut-Off (1.1
mi)
Stay to the left / west at Y (Hawk Canyon)
3. East End Of Slot Canyon / Park Here (1.8
mi)
Park at the edge of The Slot. The trail turns hard left when at the slot and follows the ridge.
4. Tight Places in the Slot (
mi)
Some of the tight places in The Slot
5. West Most End of The Slot Canyon (Borrego Mountain Wash) (
mi)
West most end of The Slot. This end can be approached by vehicle. But note, if trying to reach this end, it will require a full day trip of cross desert travel.
6. Borrego Mountain Drop (One Way) (2.8
mi)
This is where the trail becomes one way. If you are not in an equipped 4x4 and not with a group, do not proceed down this path.
This will drop you onto Borrego Mountain Wash which leads to several other washes.
Once down this hill the only exit is going north about 20 miles. The trail gets tight and hard at first once down and wouldn't be recommend for long wheelbase.
7. End of Trail (Borrego Mountain Wash) (3
mi)
The trail ends at Borrego Mountain Wash. To the south is The Slot, while if you go north it will take you to San Felipe Wash.
Dispersed
You are allowed to do dispersed camping in this area, but no fires are allowed. If your vehicle is up for it, the best place would to be camp near the Borrego Mountain dropoff. There, you will have a lot more space and a lot less traffic.
Anza Borrego Park offers tons of designated camping in the area and allows camp fires. Please visit Reserve America to find the camping area for you.
Starting Point
Ocotillo Wells, CA
Exit North off of Highway 78 roughly 1/4 of mile east of Borrego Springs Road.
Go north on dirt road.
While on dirt road stay to the left at Y (Hawk Canyon).
Park at 33.182114, -116.214372.
Hike down hill and proceed West into "The Slot"
Road condition to the trailhead is great. 1 small patch of sand that you might not even notice since it's on a straight. Anything on wheels should be able to make it with little worry.
Awesome place to visit while in Anza! The trail is easy going all the way through cause of the high traffic and gets just a little more fun past the parking lot for the Slot Hike but nothing any 4x4 can't handle. The hike is definitely a cool place to check out. Felt like Indiana Jones hiking through it
Very easy to get to the parking lot lots of cars had done it. But so many people the lot was full and people were parking along the road. We gave up on seeing the slot as getting past the people in the slot was a human trafic jam.
We kept going and went down the drop and out the bottom. The drop is no joke steep sandy and partway down was a ledge about a foot high. Getting out the bottom does get narrow and has more ledges but it is all down hill so not to bad.
Can't really review as I didn't get a chance to walk the slot canyon. Wish someone said that dogs were not allowed! Was excited to visit but too many tourists there and tons of "no dogs allowed" signs. Had to pass on this.
Just saying... don't come here with your best friend!
Always a fun trail to do. Easy trail to the hiking trail head. Some washboard at the start but otherwise a smooth drive. 2wd sedans were making it up so anything should be good.
Did this trail with my small hatchback AWD on a stock rims and suspension with All terrain tires. Both the hiking and the off road trails are super easy, short but very fun and an awesome experience. I turned around after I reached the the severe drop.
Still one of the coolest places in the low desert... We always try to swing over there during TDS.
From the Community
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Josh Noesser
Mapping Crew - California
Joshua Noesser grew up in Southern California but has lived in different parts of the country during his young adult life. Josh was first turned to four wheeling when he road with one of his friends dad up Surprise Canyon in the Panamint Valley at age14. After nearly 3 different roll overs later and a half dozen intense waterfalls, Josh was hooked. At 16 he purchased his first Jeep a CJ 7 and by 17 was putting his first locker in it.
Currently, Josh is the owner and CEO of Nybble, an IT Solutions Company based in Orange County, California. Nybble isn't your normal IT company where everyone stays in and plays video games. Nybble's average company trip is out on the trails since a good amount of his staff enjoy wheeling too. As Josh likes to say, he offers the only IT Company with the ability to provide services in extreme locations. "If you want a server at the top of The Hammers, we will take care of that for you."
Today you can find Josh out on the trail behind the wheel in one of his three different off-road vehicles. See the vehicles below for more information.
If you ever run into Josh, please say high, he is a very friendly person and is always happy to have a new person join the group.
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