Borrego Canyon to Red Rock

The Hike:  Borrego Trail to (Mustard Road) to Red Rock Trail
Vague Location:  Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park (Parking costs $3)
Length:  4 Miles – Out & Back
Elevation Gain:  500′

The trailhead is located near strip malls and across from a McDonald’s.  The 2-mile destination of the red rock sandstone cliffs feels far removed from the starting point.

The beginning of the trail takes you through a wooded canyon.  If you look up along the canyon walls you will see nearly identical homes lining both sides of the canyon.  Before you know it the houses disappear, along with the delicious smelling barbeque.

There were few wildflowers to be seen; purples mostly, and one small area had poppies growing.  There were many hummingbirds, woodpeckers and lizards observed along the way.

Borrego Trail and Mustard Road are shared with many mountain bikers.  However, Red Rock Trail is open to hikers only.  We arrived at the formations in the late afternoon when half of the red rocks were in the shade and the other half were in the bright sun. The trail ends at the base of the formation and it was tempting to explore the other trails in the park.  However, we decided to leave those for another day.

This hike was taken on March 2, 2013.