Anza Borrego - Borrego Badlands
Conglomerates, sandstones, claystones and mudstones, compressed and hardened, chronicle a variety of landscapes, fossil life forms and climates that no longer exist at Anza-Borrego. This spectacular area, with its arid rocky geography, sunken mesas and corrugated hills of dry mud, is called the Badlands of Anza Borrego.

 

Anza Borrego - Fonts Point
Centered in the arid Borrego Badlands due east of the Visitors Center between County Road S-22 and Route 78, four million years of geologic and paleontologic history are exhibited across a stark desert landscape. Join the crew of DesertUSA and take a road trip to Fonts Point, maybe the best place in North America to view sediments of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs.

 

Carrizo Badlands: Mud Caves & Canyon Sin Nombre
The length of the mud caves varies, with some extending over 1000 feet and featuring ceilings as high as 80 feet. Caves have been reported up to 35 feet wide, and others so narrow, you have to squeeze through openings. Multi-level caves with skylights have been found, where erosion has created an opening, or sinkhole, in the ceiling of the cave. Some of the caves are fairly easy to navigate while others may require you to crawl in sections.

 

Are You Riding Your ATV Over Gold?
One of the most famous prospectors of the time, trapper/gold seeker “Pegleg Smith” traveled through the Anza Borrego region. It's rumored he discovered black gold somewhere in the east part of the Park. Where he found his gold has never been discovered, or if it has, the location has never been published or verified.

 

Anza Borrego - The Ghost Mountain Movie (Movie Preview)
An unmarked grave in Julian, CA and a shattered adobe house on top of Ghost Mountain in the Anza Borrego Desert are all that is left of Marshal South and his family's utopian experiment in the wilderness. Originally told in the pages of Desert Magazine by the Souths themselves, the story is now illuminated in a documentary DVD. Enjoy the film preview's great shots of the desert!

 

Anza Borrego - Seasons in the Desert (Movie Preview)
It is a place of great extremes, yet filled with living things and secret corners. The Emmy Award winning film is an intimate portrait of the desert; a celebration of wilderness and of life. This preview shows some wonderful footage of Anza Borrego Desert State Park and some of its inhabitants.

 

The Cosos Range - Little Petroglyph Canyon
The Cosos lie within the confines of China Lake Naval Weapons Center (NWC), the U.S. Navy's largest research and development facility, making it a little difficult to arrange a visit. Let DesertUSA show you this little-viewed canyon that contains as many as 100,000 drawings, some thought to be 10,000 years old.

 

Death Valley - Titus Canyon
As Titus Canyon Road in Death Valley reaches the foothills, it starts to climb and meander among the sagebrush and red rock outcroppings. The road becomes steeper and narrower as it approaches Red Pass, amply named for its red rocks and dirt. Enjoy the ride!

 

Imperial Sand Dunes - Desert Photography
The Imperial Sand Dunes are the largest mass of sand dunes in California. This dune system extends for more than 40 miles along the eastern edge of the Imperial Valley agricultural region in a band averaging five miles in width. Join DesertUSA's staff as we explore the unique challenges of photography in this desert environment.

 

Joshua Tree NP - Old Dale Road
Old Dale Road starts in Joshua Tree National Park, passes through the Pinto Basin and out of the park into the Pinto Mountains, where it becomes Gold Crown Road. The route ends at California Route 62, 15 miles east of the small desert town of Twentynine Palms. This video will give you an idea of what the road is like in case you want to take a little 4 wheeling trip!

 

Ocotillo Wells SVRA
Located off of California SR 78, Ocotillo Wells has quickly become a preferred destination for ATVs, dirt bikes and dune buggies. Join DesertUSA as we take a look at what draws so many people to this location - almost 2 million people in 2007! See also the Gas Domes' mud pots and the Pumpkin Patch's mysterious round rocks.

 

Opal Hill Mine
Tucked deep into the Mule Mountains not far from Palo Verde lies Opal Hill Mine, well known for its beautiful and rare fire agate, opal eggs and quartz crystals. The mine is not a deep shaft or dark tunnel - it is a claim on a hillside which contains rock outcroppings and holes where agate has been found. You can go there yourself, and for a small collecting fee, look for your own agates - take a look at the video and see how to get there!

 
Quicktime VRs

Quicktime VR images let you spin around, look up and down and zoom in as if you were standing right there! You need to have Apple's QuickTime (For PC or Mac - free download.)

Wildflowers in Anza-Borrego 2-3-2001 - QTVR
A sweeping view from from Henderson Canyon Road near the Peg Leg monument in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on February 3, 2001. Do you remember the 2001 wildflowers?

 

Anza Borrego - Font's Point - QTVR
The view from Font's Point to the southeast, overlooks the Borrego Badlands. Mexico is off in the distance. Turning right (west) reveals Inspiration Point Wash and the town of Borrego Springs in the distance, then the access road to Font's Point. To the north, the Santa Rosa Mountains appear in the distance.

 

Joshua Tree NP QTVR
A panoramic view of the geology and vegetation typical of the upper, western portion of Joshua Tree National Park, all of which are features of the Mojave Desert.

 

Joshua Tree NP - Hidden Valley QTVR
Panoramic view from the center of Hidden Valley in Joshua Tree National Park at the northwestern end of the park. Hidden Valley is completely surrounded and concealed by large rocks, which is why rustlers in the 1800s hid their stolen cattle here. The view begins looking south, then as you turn right (west) the concealed entrance to the valley is revealed.

 

Ocotillo Wells - The Pumpkin Patch QTVR
Join the crew of DesertUSA and take a trip to Fonts Point in the Borrego Badlands. Font's Point may be the best place in North America to view sediments of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs.