Imperial County Map Recommendations

[bfar33 165]

Anyone have a paper trail map recommendation for Imperial county? Looking for maps showing Superstition, Plaster City, Ocotillo, East of Carrizo, etc...

 

I have downloaded cell phone maps/GPS/PLB but always like to carry the old crinkly maps as well. Everything I have is for San Diego county/Anza-Borrego/Ocotillo Wells. Looking to connect Superstition area to Borrego area.

Any maps that label silt beds? 😨

[tntmo 887]

I picked these up at the restaurant in Ocotillo, they cover all of what you want and more.

[cj54x 51]

I like to use the Desert Dash maps.  I use them to plan my two day overland Jeep trips and they are nice to carry in your backpack when you are on a bike.

[cj54x 51]

I hope we do the Desert Dash this year!

[Zubb 1061]

Well, we all better get cracken’ then. 

[tntmo 887]

14 minutes ago, cj54x said:

I hope we do the Desert Dash this year!

We would have to been planning it already.  Way too late to start putting it together at this point.  

[bfar33 165]

What is the Desert Dash and is there a way to get one of those maps?

[bfar33 165]

☹️ S'pose it's this ☹️

 

[shutterrev 469]

Really excellent trail data for any phone or regular gps: 
https://www.californiatrailmap.com/

[tntmo 887]

6 minutes ago, bfar33 said:

What is the Desert Dash and is there a way to get one of those maps?

I might have some old DD maps, but they aren't amazing.  If you can pick up those maps that I posted, they are much better.  They have all the WECO trails (the brown post ones in the desert with three numbers on them).  

 

[Goofy Footer 539]

@bfar33 OW poleline road south, cross the 78 into BLM land, take Route 75 east and it leads to the southwest base of Superstition

We will have to ride there soon

 

 

the Official Desert Dash sounds like it won’t happen this year but.. maybe there is interest in an unofficial and not organized ride nor a guided tour but a gathering of like minded, friendly dualsporting souls in the desert for a weekend in Feb? maybe a Desert Mash

[tntmo 887]

36 minutes ago, Goofy Footer said:

@bfar33 OW poleline road south, cross the 78 into BLM land, take Route 75 east and it leads to the southwest base of Superstition

We will have to ride there soon

 

 

the Official Desert Dash sounds like it won’t happen this year but.. maybe there is interest in an unofficial and not organized ride nor a guided tour but a gathering of like minded, friendly dualsporting souls in the desert for a weekend in Feb? maybe a Desert Mash

Esert-day Ash-day

[bfar33 165]

2 hours ago, shutterrev said:

Really excellent trail data for any phone or regular gps: 
https://www.californiatrailmap.com/

Thanks for the link, it looks like this will drop right into Gaia which is what I use. The Gaia overland map has missing/different/additional trails (CTM data vs Gaia on my phone shown below), I would hope the CTM data would  be more accurate?

[bfar33 165]

1 hour ago, Goofy Footer said:

@bfar33 OW poleline road south, cross the 78 into BLM land, take Route 75 east and it leads to the southwest base of Superstition

We will have to ride there soon

 

 

the Official Desert Dash sounds like it won’t happen this year but.. maybe there is interest in an unofficial and not organized ride nor a guided tour but a gathering of like minded, friendly dualsporting souls in the desert for a weekend in Feb? maybe a Desert Mash

Would love to do that. Ideally looking to get away from the pole line roads and train tracks and silty 2-tracks and just ride through the desert but need to get familiar with the area first.

[Goofy Footer 539]

22 minutes ago, bfar33 said:

Would love to do that. Ideally looking to get away from the pole line roads and train tracks and silty 2-tracks and just ride through the desert but need to get familiar with the area first.

for us City folks, it's faster to drive out the 8 fwy to Ocotillo (town) vs Ocotillo Wells.

 

I've driven out to Superstition proper from town and it's worth the drive, there is a variety of terrain to ride including small mudhills & moto tracks tracks that people have built to work on skills. You can ride Superstition itself plus the open dez or out to OW / Anza Borrego. Bring extra gas cause no services at camp but it's fun.

Part of the fun of the open dez is dropping into a wash and following a bearing heading and seeing where you end up.

Once you ride Superstition you'll soon be looking east towards the Bradshaw Trail, dunes and Yuma next!

 

@hodnettjj - 11 years ago!  @PaulyPickles a DRZ400 can do this

 

[tntmo 887]

Superstition/Plaster City/Painted Gorge area is one of my favorite places to ride desert.  I prefer to camp there, just less overall craziness than Ocotillo Wells but there are also no services so you have to be able to support yourself. 

Probably in January I will put together a weekend ride in Plaster City area and we can explore all of the desert around there.

[Goofy Footer 539]

3 minutes ago, tntmo said:

Superstition/Plaster City/Painted Gorge area is one of my favorite places to ride desert.  I prefer to camp there, just less overall craziness than Ocotillo Wells but there are also no services so you have to be able to support yourself. 

Probably in January I will put together a weekend ride in Plaster City area and we can explore all of the desert around there.

 

Is this the inaugural "@tntmo Plaster City Pounders Ride"

[350thumper 336]

Great topic

Edited December 10, 2022 by 350thumper

[KTMrad 508]

18 hours ago, cj54x said:

I hope we do the Desert Dash this year!

Possibly in 2025.

This event always needs about 15 volunteers. 

[bfar33 165]

20 hours ago, Goofy Footer said:

for us City folks, it's faster to drive out the 8 fwy to Ocotillo (town) vs Ocotillo Wells.

 

I've driven out to Superstition proper from town and it's worth the drive, there is a variety of terrain to ride including small mudhills & moto tracks tracks that people have built to work on skills. You can ride Superstition itself plus the open dez or out to OW / Anza Borrego. Bring extra gas cause no services at camp but it's fun.

Part of the fun of the open dez is dropping into a wash and following a bearing heading and seeing where you end up.

Once you ride Superstition you'll soon be looking east towards the Bradshaw Trail, dunes and Yuma next!

 

@hodnettjj - 11 years ago!  @PaulyPickles a DRZ400 can do this

Love it, I'm a little leery of powdery dunes on a DR650 (the bike can do it fine but one mistake or lapse in concentration on my part can shoot me over the front like a ninja star).

I would love to participate in Tom's inaugural PCP ride! If it's a dune-fest I'll just bring the 2-stroke. 350thumper PM'd me the map I'm looking for from Wilderness Press, and next time I'm out that way I'll grab all of the BLM maps I can. I'm a bit of a map hoarder so I would have done that upon first sight. 😎

 

I took the bush pig out last weekend and caught desert fever.

[Goofy Footer 539]

@bfar33 is that solo Pinyon Mtn, Heart Attack Hill and out Fish Creek?

 

if so, bravo!

[bfar33 165]

Yup pretty much, plus I accepted the Diablo climb challenge and took Montezuma/Culp/Grapevine back to the start. One day I want to try and climb Heart Attack Hill but not solo. 😨

[Goofy Footer 539]

2 hours ago, bfar33 said:

Yup pretty much, plus I accepted the Diablo climb challenge and took Montezuma/Culp/Grapevine back to the start. One day I want to try and climb Heart Attack Hill but not solo. 😨

Did you loop from town? If so that is quite a day!

But even riding Pinyon Solo through the Squeeze, down Heart Attack and up Diablo is an impressive feat on a DR

How was the condition of Borrego Mountain Dropoff? All big pit moguls or smooth?

There are some fun trails along Borrego Sink Wash

Most maps that I've seen do label Heart Attack as one way so beware..

[bfar33 165]

22 hours ago, Goofy Footer said:

Did you loop from town? If so that is quite a day!

But even riding Pinyon Solo through the Squeeze, down Heart Attack and up Diablo is an impressive feat on a DR

How was the condition of Borrego Mountain Dropoff? All big pit moguls or smooth?

There are some fun trails along Borrego Sink Wash

Most maps that I've seen do label Heart Attack as one way so beware..

I parked at the Pinyon trailhead and looped through Borrego Springs after housing an entire burrito. I was short on time so skipped going through Ocotillo Wells and took the shortcut past the Slot. (waved at the parking attendants collecting $9 from each passing vehicle on a dirt road in the middle of the desert!) 🤡

Borrego Mountain droppoff (Diablo drop?) was still moguled out. I took the right hand side and made it to the last mogul before almost ghosting the bike over the top, was able to ride up the last mogul from a stop which surprised me. I rode back down it on the center line which was much rougher/looser/deeper. I'd need a dirt bike to even attempt to climb that one I think. I didn't look at the LHS route but it looked like very deep sand.

 

Is Borrego Sink Wash the area south of Borrego Mnt Dropoff? It's definitely my plan to start exploring south and east of there, Fish creek is absolutely gorgeous but can be crowded which is great when you need help but bad when you're tired of breathing dust.

If riding up Heart Attack Hill is against park regulations or a ranger said not to do it then I wouldn't (don't want to ruin my social credit score🤠), but if it's just a note on a map I'd probably attempt it anyway as long as I had some backup.

[Goofy Footer 539]

11 hours ago, bfar33 said:

I parked at the Pinyon trailhead and looped through Borrego Springs after housing an entire burrito. I was short on time so skipped going through Ocotillo Wells and took the shortcut past the Slot. (waved at the parking attendants collecting $9 from each passing vehicle on a dirt road in the middle of the desert!) 🤡

Borrego Mountain droppoff (Diablo drop?) was still moguled out. I took the right hand side and made it to the last mogul before almost ghosting the bike over the top, was able to ride up the last mogul from a stop which surprised me. I rode back down it on the center line which was much rougher/looser/deeper. I'd need a dirt bike to even attempt to climb that one I think. I didn't look at the LHS route but it looked like very deep sand. 

 

Is Borrego Sink Wash the area south of Borrego Mnt Dropoff? It's definitely my plan to start exploring south and east of there, Fish creek is absolutely gorgeous but can be crowded which is great when you need help but bad when you're tired of breathing dust.

If riding up Heart Attack Hill is against park regulations or a ranger said not to do it then I wouldn't (don't want to ruin my social credit score🤠), but if it's just a note on a map I'd probably attempt it anyway as long as I had some backup.

@bfar33 Diablo Dropoff is the one you went up. It connects Arroyo Seco Del Diablo to Fish Creek. Last time I was there in April I took the middle line (I think). I saw some fullsize diesel 4x4 trucks with 8 foot beds drag brakes down the entire hill which leads to the big moguls. The view at the top of Diablo Drop (your picture) is superb!

For those reading this who aren't quite up for the technical challenge laid down by @bfar33 a fun alternative route through this area is: Vallecito Creek Rd east from the 78 towards Arroyo Seco Del Diablo (north) then through some mudhills and turn right (easy to miss) on Diablo Dropoff trail then down Diablo Drop and out Fish Creek Wash. That route avoids the technical Heart Attack Hill & the Squeeze but is still super scenic similar to the pics posted above.