This pic captures the arched bridge that is part of the Japanese Garden at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. This 160 acre garden was originally owned by newspaper magnate E. Manchester Boddy and boasts over 1 million plants including one of the largest collections of camellias in the world.
These are but two of the many dinosaur sculptures by Ricardo Breceda located in Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs. Kinda cool to look across the desert and see a couple of T-Rex. Hopefully they survived this morning’s earthquake without damage!
Upper Yosemite Fall plunges 1,430 feet before heading into five smaller drops known as the Middle Cascades (675 feet), followed by Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet) for a total of 2,425 feet. The top of the falls can be reached by a 7.2 mile round trip trail (2,700 ft elevation gain) known as the Yosemite Falls Trail, which takes 6-8 hours to complete. The trail begins at the Camp 4 area near shuttle stop #7.
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The Pines to Palms Scenic Byway is the portion of Hwy 74 from Mountain Center to Palm Desert. This pic was taken just south of the turnoff for Lake Hemet.
At Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (located between La Jolla and Del Mar) you can hike up on top through maritime chaparral and coastal sage scrub, then head through other-worldly eroded terrain down to a beautiful beach. In this pic, the large rock just to the right of the cliff is known as “Flat Rock”.
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Font’s Point was named for Father Pedro Font, official chaplain and diarist on Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza’s expeditions of 1775-76, who described the scene as “the sweepings of the earth”. This viewpoint of the Borrego Badlands is located east of Borrego Springs, about 4 miles south of the S22.
Links: DesertUSA
Lower Yosemite Fall is the final 320-foot-drop portion of Yosemite Falls, North America’s tallest waterfall (total height of 2,425 feet). An easy 1 mile loop trail leads to the bottom of the fall with gorgeous views along the way. Begin your hike at the Lower Yosemite Fall Trailhead (shuttle stop #6).
Links: NPS previous related post
One of my favorite spots in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is “The Slot”, a small slot canyon that is about 2 miles north of the 78. The turnoff is just a little ways east of its intersection with Borrego Springs Road and should be marked as Buttes Pass Road. Keep left at the intersection that you come to after about a mile. If the road looks too challenging, hike in from the 78.
Links: ABDSP Wheelingit
Located about 45 miles northeast of San Diego, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park encompasses 26,000 acres and offers over 100 miles of trails to explore. The park includes 6,512 ft Cuyamaca Peak, San Diego County’s second highest summit. The park was heavily damaged in the 2003 Cedar Fire, as evidenced by the blackened tree trunks in this pic.
Links: CA.gov
Red Rock Canyon State Park is located where the southernmost end of the Sierra Nevada meet the El Paso Mountains, about an hour north of Lancaster. The campsites in Ricardo Campground back up against dramatic desert cliffs. Off highway exploring opportunities abound in the nearby Dove Springs and Jawbone Canyon OHV areas.
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