Hills of the Moon

As mentioned, Hills of the Moon Wash heads into the Borrego Badlands.  This is probably the best way to experience what it’s like to be in the middle of such badlands.  Some other famous badlands are the South Dakota Badlands, around Death Valley and the Chinle Badlands at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah but these can typically only be viewed from a distance.  Exploring Hills of the Moon will take you into the badlands.

When you visit Fonts Point, you’re looking down at the many nooks, crannies and crevices of the Borrego Badlands.  Staring down into the vastness of the badlands is rather mesmerizing.  Now, imagine being down in that labyrinth of badlands.  That’s where you’ll be as you explore the Hills of the Moon Wash.  You’ll get a whole different perspective and experience.

From above on Fonts Point in the middle of the day, the badlands appear very monotone and basically a drab beige color.  However, when you are down in the badlands, you’ll be amazed at how many different bands of colors there are.

Erosion is the key element that created the beauty encountered when traveling through these badlands.  The powerful force of erosion is so random that it creates many different designs and patterns on this barren desert land.  When traveling up the wash, be sure to look all around and look for these ever-changing patterns as the hills continue to erode.

The further you go up the canyon, the narrower and more rugged the terrain gets.  When you started up the wash, you were able to see the top ridge where Fonts Point is located.  But as the canyon walls narrow, you will no longer be able to see the ridge or any other distant point of reference, for that matter.  Being deep in the canyon can be like being in a maze.  You can feel like you’re turned around and no longer know which way is North.

Continue venturing up Hills of the Moon Wash as far as you dare.  At some point, the road will become either too narrow or difficult to navigate your vehicle through.  When you get to that point, park your rig well out of the way as to not block any other vehicle and then explore the rest of the way on foot.  Eventually, the canyon will end in a steep section as it gets closer to that ridge you saw in the distance when you began your trip up the wash.

Don’t attempt a visit to Hills of the Moon after there’s been a rainy period or when rain or thunderstorms are threatening.  You do not want to get caught in this area if there is a potential for flash floods and/or mud flows.

Accessing Hills of the Moon Wash is done by driving along San Felipe Wash.  The closest route from a paved road is from Hwy 78 using the road over Buttes Pass in Borrego Mountain.

We suggest incorporating a visit to Hills of the Moon with our suggested Borrego Mountain Loop trip.  The beginning of Hills of the Moon is a short distance from this trip’s route.

To start your voyage up Hills of the Moon, follow the directions to Borrego Mountain Loop. Then, when you reach San Felipe Wash, turn left.  If the wash surface is safe to drive on (not too muddy), stay to the right side and, when the wash starts to make a sweeping turn to the left, look for another wash with a road that leads to the right, heading northeast.  When we visited, there was a faded sign that said Hills of the Moon.

This is an in and out trip.  You will come out the same way you go in.  If you encounter an obstacle that you feel will be difficult for your vehicle to negotiate, just remember, you will be encountering it again on the way out!

• See directions to trailhead on Google Maps

Badlands is a term used to describe land that is very difficult, if not impossible, for life to take hold.  It is characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation, and high drainage density.  They are typically low-lying hills and, since there are no plants to hold the topsoil in place, when it rains, the runoff erodes delicate patterns into the sides of these hills.

We ventured up Hills of the Moon for almost 3 miles.  It seems to go further, probably another mile or so, but there are so many twists and turns in the canyon that it is difficult to judge distance.

The Anza-Borrego area has two regions of badlands.  They are the Borrego Badlands and the Carrizo Badlands.  The best way to experience the Carrizo Badlands is by driving the Fish Creek Route.

Near Hills of the Moon is another wash that you can drive up called Rainbow Wash.  According to the map, Rainbow Wash ends just below Fonts Point.  When we tried to explore this canyon, the beginning of the route was in deep flat sand, so we didn’t continue and take the chance of getting stuck.

We visited Hills of the Moon in December and were surprised at how hard packed the soil was on the road.  We expected it to be sandy.  For almost the entire route, we drove on a hard packed surface.  The road in the wash was also fairly level with a slight incline going into the canyon.  These conditions made us think that this would be a fun canyon to explore on a mountain bike.  You can cover a greater distance than walking and you can squeeze by the difficult areas that a vehicle couldn’t.  It’s something to plan for if you like mountain biking.

As mentioned, when we visited Hills of the Moon, 95% of the road surface was hard pact, making it ideal for exploring by mountain bike.  Most of the road is level with a slight incline going into the canyon.  Along the way, there will be the occasional washout, which will either make your ride more challenging or give you a chance to get off your bike and hike a short distance.

A suggested ride is drive to either to the mouth of the Hills of the Moon or at the end of Buttes Pass Road.  Then, park in either of these places and ride to and up into Hills of the Moon as far as possible.