EC 236 Painted Gorge Road

Trail Overview

EC 236 Painted Gorge Road is a 4.9-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 in Imperial County. Painted Gorge Road is the primary access to the Carrizo Mountain (EC 130), Carrizo Mountain Overlook (EC 125), and the Painted Gorge. The BLM has designated Painted Gorge Road as a "Limited Access" trail which restricts the trail to street-legal vehicles only. The trail is mostly hardpack dirt with some desert sand sections especially when crossing washes. The road is located within the northernmost section of the Sonoran Desert known as Anza-Borrego. The trail starts at State Road 80 and travels north with the first 4.5 miles crossing open desert before entering the first gorge within the Coyote Mountain range. After an additional 0.4 miles, the trail has multiple intersections. The gated trail to the west is EC 130 which is seasonally open from 1 July to 31 December and closes the remainder of the year to protect lambing of Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. Cell phone service is available until the trail enters the gorge. The nearest services are in El Centro to the east.

Photos of EC 236 Painted Gorge Road

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Difficulty

The trail consists of loose rocks, dirt, and sand with some slickrock surfaces and possible mud holes, but no steps higher than 12 inches. 4WD may be required, and aggressive tires are a plus.

History

The Painted Gorge area is a place of contradictions. Now a desert, 450 million years ago this part of North America was under the sea. The area does not lend itself to conventional agriculture. Viewed by some as a wasteland, from 1942 to 1959, the area just to the north, the Carrizo Impact Area, was used as a bombing range to test and train during World War II and the primary part of the Korean War. The region's history as a major route is multi-cultural. The Kumeyaay moved back and forth from desert to coast, explorer Juan Baptista de Anza crossed the region, and the Butterfield Overland Stage route crosses just to the north of Painted Gorge.

Technical Rating