1960 Map of Borrego Mountain

About this map

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park dominates this desert landscape, revealing a complex network of arid washes and dramatic geologic formations as they were surveyed in 1960. The terrain is defined by the sharp rise of Borrego Mountain, divided into West Butte and East Butte by the narrow corridor of Buttes Canyon. To the north, the Badlands give way to the descriptively named Hills of the Moon, while the Palo Verde Fault cuts across the northeastern reaches. Human presence is concentrated near the settlement of Ocotillo Wells in the Lower Borrego Valley, where the Ocotillo Wells County Airport and scattered wells provide critical infrastructure. For historians and desert travelers, the inclusion of the Old Kane Spring Road and the San Felipe Trail provides a look at traditional routes through this demanding environment before modern development shifted the region's focus.