Calcite Mine

This road trip has a lot to offer starting with a challenging drive for the 4WD enthusiast.  The dirt road isn’t very long but it gets very rough and steep about half way up and goes alongside the edge of some considerable drop-offs.  You can hike up to the mine if you don’t have the proper vehicle.

Another unique thing about this road trip is that it is one of only a few roads that take you into the bizarre landscape of the Truckhaven Rocks.  It is different from any other you’ll see in the Anza-Borrego area and has wind caves like those found at the Wind Caves of near Split Mountain.  And once at the mine site, the views of the area are spectacular.

And then there’s the calcite mine itself.  Most mines in the desert center around silver or gold but calcite mines are somewhat rare.  The narrow trenches made by the mining activity indicate the location of the veins of calcite and there are small pieces of the crystalline-calcite scattered all over the mine site.

You will need a high-clearance, 4WD vehicle to drive all the way to the mine. If you don’t have one, it is a 2 mile, one-way hike to the mine with about a 500 foot elevation gain.  The hike is well worth the effort.

Start your trip at Christmas Circle in the center of Borrego Springs.  Reset your odometer to zero and drive east on Palm Canyon Drive (Hwy S22).

You’ll pass the airport and the road to Fonts Point.  At about 19 miles, turn left onto a dirt turnout.  Be sure to stop and read the informative sign here about the Calcite Mine before descending into the canyon.  If you are not driving the required vehicle, park safely here and start your hike.

You should also assess the road and the weather before descending.  The road can be difficult for those without good off-road driving skills and, if there are thunderstorms in the area, just take this trip some other time.  It is not safe to drive or hike in a wash with thunderstorms threatening.

• See directions to beginning of trip on Google Maps

From the dirt turnout, head down the rough dirt road as it descends into the south fork of Palm Wash.  At the bottom, a road to the left leads to the Calcite Mine Slot Canyon Hike but you will continue straight and up the road across the canyon.

After the road climbs out of the canyon, it continues on a wide ridge for about a half mile.  Another road leads off to the right, which goes down into the main fork of Palm Wash, but you will continue going straight.

The road then begins to go around a mountain face on the right and becomes very rough with deep ruts.  For those of you who would rather not drive this difficult part of the road, there is a small parking area just before this section where you can park your vehicle and walk the remaining distance.  From here, the distance to the mine is about 1.2 miles.

Just after starting this difficult section of road, you’ll pass by a deep drop off on the right side of the road.  Below is a narrow slot canyon that is the main fork of Palm Wash.

As the road continues, it twists and turns as it climbs into the Truckhaven Rocks and ends at the mine site.  At the end, there is a large area to park and ample space to turn your vehicle around.

The actual calcite mining was done in narrow trenches which can be seen all around the site.  No machinery or buildings are left from the mining operation, only the trenches remain.  If you walk down into these trenches, look for the numerous veins of calcite inside the soil.  When walking around flat and open areas, be sure to look down and you’ll find thousands of shattered calcite crystals sparkling on the ground.

Just after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. Government sent specialists out to look for calcite deposits that would be used for manufacturing optics for bomb and gun sights.  The task was given to the Polaroid Corporation and their mining operations created the trenches that you see today.  A few years later, a synthetic material was discovered and used in manufacturing the optics instead of calcite so mining at this site stopped.