Looking down into the slot canyon from above

Taking advantage of the cooler weather before it starts to heat up in our local deserts I decided to head out to Anza Borrego and check out one its many slot canyons. The “Sheep Tanks” are Tinajas ( a term meaning “surface pockets” or “depressions”, formed in bedrock that tend to form below waterfalls,  are carved out by spring flow or seepage,  or are caused by sand and gravel scouring in intermittent streams. Tinajas are an important source of surface water storage in arid environments, the local Big Horn Sheep use these for water and you can find their bones at the bottom of this slot canyon. These “Sheep Tanks” are located at the bottom of a deep and narrow slot canyon in the Calcite Mine region of Anza Borrego.

Check out this hike: