You need special shoes for hiking—and a bit of a special soul as well.
A north-south trending fault zone is responsible for the series of ridges and canyons at the southern end of the Anza-Borrego desert. Carrizo Gorge, the most dramatic of these, divides the Jacumba Mountains to the east from the In-Ko-Pah Mountains to the west. These mini-mountain ranges are links in the Peninsular Ranges from the Laguna Mountains in the northwest to the Sierra Juarez of Baja California. Carrizo Gorge is best known for the railroad that threads along its eastern wall: the San Diego & Arizona Eastern. Built in 1907-1919, the railroad carried freight—and for a time passengers—between San Diego and Imperial Valley. At its heart it is a remote and rugged wilderness area.
A trek down the length of Carrizo Gorge is long, rugged, and memorable. It is one to be taken cautiously, with the right equipment and clothing. Essential are long pants to protect you from the sharp thorns of mesquite, catclaw, and...
