A destination in itself, Sandstone Canyon is also a perfect side trip during a weekend spent in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park or in Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area, both east of San Diego, California.
This trail run took about four hours, including the optional hike to the Wind Caves. A trip to Sandstone Canyon is as adventurous as it is convenient and accessible. Highly recommended.
 |  Tare's long wheelbase and...  Tare's long wheelbase and 35-inch BFG All-Terrains walked right up this step. |  A few turns later, that same...  A few turns later, that same wheelbase got the FJ-80 hung up while attempting a difficult line. There was a bypass, but where's the fun in that? |
 To get to Sandstone Canyon,...  To get to Sandstone Canyon, you'll need to navigate Split Mountain Gorge. You'll follow Split Mountain road south through Ocotillo Wells toward the Vallecito Mountains. Just before Split Mountain road terminates at a mine, Fish Creek Wash breaks off to the right/west. These routes are open to street-legal vehicles only. Fish Creek Wash starts out as a wide flood plain, but soon becomes confined beneath canyon wall hundreds of feet high. |  Fault lines slice through...  Fault lines slice through the layers of rock and sand that were deposited millions of years ago. The same fault lines hint at the potential for modern quakes and geologic upheaval in Split Mountain Gorge. Our four-vehicle caravan consisted of Jeff Nasi's hulking M-715, Nick Green's TJ, Braden Stiller's TJ Unlimited, and Tare Waunch's FJ-80. |  We were in the desert during...  We were in the desert during March, with pleasant temperatures and friendly skies. Plenty of other dirt-minded adventurers were on the trails with us. This vintage J10 Honcho motored on by with a friendly wave from the driver. |
 Split Mountain Gorge is sliced...  Split Mountain Gorge is sliced through by Fish Creek Wash. Nearly a century ago, Fish Creek made its way through the wash, punctuated by pools of desert pupfish. A tropical storm created by Charles Hatfield the rainmaker in 1914 sent tons of debris through the gorge, filling the pools and making the pupfish a memory. Hatfield had been hired by San Diego to fill its reservoirs by creating a rainstorm. Hatfield more than delivered: the storm caused a catastrophic flood that devastated much of San Diego. |  The trail hugs the canyon...  The trail hugs the canyon wall for much of the way. Routes in this area are well-signed, but it's still common sense to carry a map. If you don't have one, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park visitor's center in Borrego Springs offers them for sale, along with other guidebooks and helpful directions from the park rangers. |  It's hard to fathom the forces...  It's hard to fathom the forces needed to bend the layers of rock around the central point seen just in front of Nick's TJ, but it's easy to gawk at the results. All of these twisted layers were originally horizontal strata. |