The Slot

The Slot is an awesome slot canyon in Borrego Springs. You can either go down the canyon and then turn back the same way, or you could go a little longer and make it into a loop. The canyon gets very narrow in some parts, where you may need to take off worn children or backpacks to squeeze through. The canyon walls are also rough, so pants and long sleeves are helpful. The ground is very sandy in the canyon. Be careful not to go hiking in the canyon right after a rain because it has been known to have flash floods. There is a bathroom in the parking lot.

Coming from the 78, you will turn on Borrego Mountain Wash, which is an easy to miss dirt road. From there you will drive on the dirt road until you get to the dirt parking area. Though the road is dirt, as long as you are careful it should be able to be accessed by any type of vehicle. Once you go 1.8 miles on the dirt road, the road will make a sharp left and there will be a dirt parking area to your right. Reception can be spotty out at the canyon, so it is best to keep an eye on your odometer rather than relying on GPS.

After you park in the dirt area, head in the direction away from the road. There you will see a trailhead. Continue on the trail away from the road until you see a trail that forks to the left. Follow the trail to your left which will lead you to the slot canyon. Once you reach the canyon, go left to get to the famous slot section. Follow the canyon as far as you would like to go. If you want to make it an out and back, the canyon opens back up around 0.6 miles and it’s a great place to turn around and go back through the canyon. If you want to do the loop trail, continue through the canyon until you reach a trail that intersects called The Drop Off, then take that trail to the left. That trail will eventually loop back around and meet back up to the parking lot, making the loop 3 miles total.