Palm Wash Slot Canyons
From ropewiki.com
Also known as: Palm Wash; Calcite Mine; Calcite Mine Slots.
| Rating: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | Difficulty:3A IV (v3a1 IV) Raps:1-5, max ↨30ft
Red Tape: Shuttle: Vehicle:4WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Condition Reports: | 11 Apr 2025
"Descended west slot and and walked back up east slot. Webbing handline in west slot was on the short side. Hot day,, took lots of breaks and drank lot |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best season: | Nov-Mar
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
33.2894, -116.1033
Search nearby locations
Weather forecast
WaterflowIntroduction
Palm Wash has some amazing sandstone slot canyons, somewhat similar to the slots you can find in Utah.
The area has 6 main slot canyons:
- West Slot: This is the most beautiful slot canyon in the area, it is well sculpted with high walls and just a few feet wide. All the drops can be downclimbed or bypassed.
- East Slot: This is the longest slot canyon in the area, it has difficult downclimbs that are not easily bypassed an will require rappel gear or to leave webbing handlines behind. If dropping in from above there are three short rappels (max 30ft).
- South Slot: This is the easiest of the slot canyons, it does not present any climbs except for an impassable waterfall at the very end.
- Ladder Slot: This canyon requires the use of an old hidden ladder conveniently located at the mouth of the canyon to climb up an impassable drop.
- Sheep Tanks Slot: This is a series of deep potholes usually filled with water that will require technical gear to be descended. Preferably done in Spring or after flash floods.
- Palm Slot: This is a very scenic slot canyon, it gets very narrow but has palms growing in it that are as tall as the canyon walls. It has one difficult 30ft dry waterfall that is best done with a handline or can with a bypass through a side slot.
Approach
From Borrego Springs drive east towards Salton Sea to poorly marked turnoff for the Calcite Mine Road. You will need 4WD to drive any of the roads shown on the map. You may want to take the steep road downhill only, and exit back looping around the Palm Wash forks (see map).
Descent
These slots are best explored as a loop, by going up one and down another. You may only the West-East slots in a few hours or explore all the slots in a full day or overnight. The recommended route is:
- Drive up the 'Road to Calcite Mine' and turn right down the steep 'Road to West-East Slots' and park at the 'Parking' area (great camping spot too)
- Do the 'Approach West-East Slots', Go UP 'West Slot', do the 'Connection West-East Slots' (or 'Shortcut' if needed), then go DOWN 'East Slot'
- If you have extra time, take the 'Hidden Ladder' and use it to go UP 'Ladder Slot' but make sure to put it back once done
- Drive East following the 'Road to Sheep Tanks', but park at the 'Parking' for Palm Slot (if you have two vehicles you may set up a shuttle, but is a very short distance)
- Do the 'Approach to Palm Slot', Go UP 'Palm Slot' (use the 'Bypass' if too hard to climb) then do the 'Connection to Sheep Tanks', go DOWN 'Sheep Tanks Slot' and hike back to your car
- Drive West following the 'Road from Sheep Tanks', then continue on 'Road to South Slot' and the 'Parking' area for the 'South Slot'
- Go UP 'South Slot' all the way to the impassable drop and then go back the same way
The map documents all the known routes along with unexplored leads. Feel free to add if you find more slot canyons in the area.
Exit
Red tape
Beta sites
-
AmericanSouthwest.net : Palm Wash; Anza Borrego Desert State Park; California
Trip reports and media
- Facebook Album Nov 22-23 2014
- https://www.stavislost.com/hikes/trail/travelers-peak-via-palm-wash-slot-canyons-loop
