Borrego Sun - Since 1949

"Hiking in Anza-Borrego Desert, Over 205 Half-Day Hikes to Survey Marks" is a new hiking book by local author and Borrego Springs resident, Robin Halford. This is the third volume is her popular series of books with half-day hikes in the Anza-Borrego Desert.

All three volumes have been published by the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association (ABDNHA), a local non-profit that has been educating the public about our desert for 49 years.

Survey marks and benchmarks were installed by a variety of surveyors from federal, state, county agencies as well as private surveyors. This third volume includes marks that can be reached within 6 hours or less (a half-day hike). There are almost 2,000 GPS waypoints with GPS coordinates that take a hiker with a hand-held GPS unit to the specific points where these survey marks are located. Hikes are rated from "Fairly Easy" to "Very Strenuous" and maps are included. Half of the hikes can be accessed from a paved road.

All three of the hiking books can be purchased at ABDNHA's Borrego Desert Nature Center, 652 Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs; 760-767-3098, open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Signed copies are available at ABDNHA's new Birds & Blooms Garden Shop, located at the same street address, but at the north end of the building next to the ABDNHA Desert Garden.

Books can also be ordered online at http://www.abdnha.org.