Hiking and Trekking

Rancho Los Baños, throughout its 30,000 acre preserve, has over 80 miles of scenic, pristine hiking and trekking, with wide ranges in elevation, temperature, difficulty and ecosystems. From easy to moderate to difficult, each trail offers a diverse set of challenges, as well as experiences. The Sonoran/Chihuahuan desert landscapes, flora and fauna of this region are unlike anything else in the world. With 30,000 acres as your playground, virtually devoid of people or signs of modern life, you are sure to enjoy your journey, whether it be one hour long hike or a two or three day trek through the ranch’s property.

With an elevation range from 3,200 feet above sea level in Canyon Country to 7,400 foot El Pinito, with medium elevation river beds and rugged hills in between, the ranch offers hiking and trekking that will surely please every taste and level of experience. Enthusiasts of the outdoors and of nature will find in Rancho Los Baños’ trail system a scenic, untamed and unspoiled terrain. You will traverse a land as rugged, wild and exotic as anything you have seen, or experienced.

Whether climbing to the top of El Pinito for miles long, spectacular views of the entire region, while enjoying the cooler temperatures and the crisp, fresh, ponderosa and oak tree-smelling air, or whether you decide to hike the mountain’s foothills, full of mid elevation (4,500-6,000 feet above sea level) canyons such as Land of Puma Claw, right in the middle of mountain lion country, and riparian river beds such as El Palmarito, where you might find yourself in a birding paradise, or bumpin g into a Gould’s turkey roosting site, or coming face to face with a Coues white-tail deer, a bobcat, red fox, or javalina, the Northern Section of the ranch will not disappoint.

In the lower elevations of the ranch, known as Canyon Country , El Cajon Canyon is a hiker’s dream, and the gem of Canyon Country (please see the section on El Cajon for more information). Not to be outdone, however, are several other canyons and river beds, each with its own personality and distinguishing landscape and scenery. Each of these hikes offers guests a surprise at every corner, a different perspective and experience that cannot be found anywhere else inside the ranch.

Cajon Aguaje, within 300 yards of the ranch’s base camp and sharing the same river bed as El Cajon, though located just north of El Cajon, is a wonderful hike through a boxed canyon full of sights, sounds and spectacle. Inside you are likely to see owls perched atop canyon walls and a group of 20-30 coatimundi scurrying up the walls as you approach. In time, the boxed canyon gives way to the openness of rugged hills and terrain as the river bed you are on slithers its way past miles of wild country until it reaches the higher elevation of Land of Puma Claw. Offering prehistoric-like scenery, serene tranquility and a hike well worth your time and effort, Cajon Aguaje, which means “Water Spring Canyon” is home to the ranch’s hacienda’s water supply. The natural spring that emanates from here supplies base camp with water that has run continuously for more than five decades. It is a canyon of impeccable beauty and one that combines both boxed canyon and rugged hill country scenery and habitats.

<--Cuatro Cabezas as seen from 10,000 ft.

Also inside Canyon Country is Cuatro Cabezas, or Four Heads, named for the four enormous rock formations that rise hundreds of feet in the air and have the appearance of giant heads. A stone throw away from base camp, this section of the ranch offers hikes into riparian river beds, the tops of canyon walls, rocky outcrops and rugged hills. This great habitat has a personality all its own, with a diverse flora that is green virtually year-round. Here, you will most likely enter the habitat by walking underneath an enormous sycamore tree that just happens to be the roosting area to dozens of turkey vultures. Once inside you might spot a family of deer, or a javalina or two, or even a group of coatimundi. Perhaps in the spring and summer the Elegant Trogan might call your attention, as might the calls of many diverse birds in the Fall as well. Amazing rock formations will captivate you, as will sandstone walls hundreds of feet high, and all around, in all directions, you will be surrounded by majestic scenery that will keep you going on. Moderate and difficult, the hike in Cuatro Cabezas is sure to get your heart pumping and your adrenaline going. From its riverbed to the top of El Cajon’s canyon walls which you can climb up to, Cuatro Cabezas is a hike well worth taking, an experience never to forget.

El Alamo River Bed and Riparian System, another outstanding hiking and trekking experience, is a miles-long river bed expedition that also serves to connect Los Guajolotes habitat, Tierra Palmas and Tierra del Ocotillo. Eventually, El Alamo connects with El Palmarito as well. In this river bed habitat, you will find much of the character that makes the southwestern section of Rancho Los Baños what it is. This hike takes you through open air scenery, without the confined space of boxed canyon trails. You will be exposed to large and small mountains, rock formations, small canyons and a diversity of flora that is a treat to see. In a few miles, El Alamo riparian river bed traverses the true essence of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, showcasing a world of rugged wildness that makes this land unique.

In the southern entrance to El Alamo, in the Tierra del Ocotillo, you will be immersed inside a virtual forest of ocotillo plants, spreading their tentacle-like branches in green splendor, each distanced apart perfectly as if Nature had hired an expert landscaper. As you approach Tierra Palmas you will see the rugged hills and small mountains of the southeastern part of the ranch. Some of these are dotted with clusters of desert palm trees that appear out of place, as if they do not belong . Yet dozens of these palm trees call this section of the ranch home, exotic reminders that even in deserts, diverse habitats can be found anywhere. The Land of Palms seems as prehistoric and wild as anything inside the ranch, and a hike through the river bed that dissects this land allows a hiker to experience wide open vistas of this amazing land. For those seeking even more riparian river beds, with opportunities for great sights and birding, Los Guajolotes, or The Turkeys, offers hikers the chance to veer off the path. This river bed branches off El Alamo and heads west, reaching the western edge of the ranch’s border.

Caption: Dave’s Cajon as seen from 10,000 ft.

Close to Lake Angostura and the Bavispe River is Dave’s Cajon, an enchanting miles-long canyon full of adventure and surprises at every turn. This canyon, with its river bed winding and slithering its way through sandstone walls, rock formations and incredible vistas, is not to be missed. Inside this boxed canyon, full of riparian habitat and desert landscapes is a great assortment of ancient petroglyphs painted on the canyon’s walls. Dated to 2,500 years ago, these paintings offer a different perspective than those found inside El Cajon, at the Cueva Pinta. The glyphs at Dave’s Cajon offer further insight into what life must have been like more than 2,000 years ago. These paintings are not to be missed, for they represent age-old masterpieces our ancestors created. Dave’s Cajon, in addition to its petroglyphs, offers a hike of immense beauty, secluded and hidden from civilization, with an environment only a boxed canyon can provide. This hike, moderate and difficult, will nonetheless be worthwhile, an experience a hiker has never had, with views she has never encountered. Dave’s Cajon will leave you in awe at the power of time and force of Nature. In many ways, Dave’s Cajon is second to none, an adventure unlike any other.