Mud Caves Arroyo Tapiado

Mud Caves of Arroyo Tapiado

Spent the night camping in Arroyo Tapiado, here's the beautful sunset that night. Looks like a flaming heavenly sword.

One of the more unusual trips to be found in the Anza Borrego are the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves. Though mud caves can be found in other areas, this is one of the largest concentration of over 42 caves. They span the range of large to small, some easy, some difficult.
One must be careful though and beware of ones safety, a recent death in Hidden Cave drives this home. Don't go alone or out of ones comfort zone. The smaller caves should be left to the more experienced.
One also must pay attention to the roads in and out to the Mud Caves, there is quite the off road network in the Anza Borrego, and if you miss your turns you can find yourself in a bit of trouble. The road markers are iffy at best and are sometimes stolen. I will be adding to this page as there is a lot of photos to process. High clearance vehicles and 4X are the best to travel in.
Warning: The area is covered in a extremely fine dust, during winds it really kicks up, see later pictures, in the caves it always present in the air. Anyone with breathing problems need to take precautions.

Two Caves Careys Mud and Chasm, Careys Mud not to be confused with Careys Big Mud, is rommy with huge passages and Chambers. Chasm is still roomy but you need to watch your head in this one.

A typical cave entrance.

Inside a cave, some caves go on for thousands of feet, others are short sections.

The caves run through the ancient sediment of the ocean that use to cover the area. The sediment that composes the walls, roof and floor is a compacted silt, giving the caves the name mud caves. The silt is of a very fine consistency and the slightest breeze can disturb it.

Heres a point of reminder, caves are unpredictable, this section has recently collapsed. This is evident by the light colored rock. The collapse has now created a skylight to the surface. If you look at the picture closely, one can see the point of failure. Though water plays its part, this was most likely caused by the small white crystals on the wall in the background. I have posted a photo of the crystals farther down the page.

The Exit from Oxbow Cave.

Another short section.

Here's what happens when the wind Blows

Hidden Cave one of The Dangerous Caves

Here's some crystals growing on the wall. They form in the cracks and help in the formation of the caves as they force off sections of the cave.

Exploring a Chimney

So heres a person within a passage Carey's Mud Cave. Gives you a sense of scale

Passage in Footprint cave and yes this one is not for The Claustrophopic.

Tilted ancient Marine sediment

I apologize for not give out directions to most of my trips, trails change and I do not have the time to keep the site always updated. My hikes also span from the easy to the extreme, a lot of places do not even have trails, as well as extreme conditions. Some sites need to be protected as they are fragile and historically sensitive. So if you decide to hike some of these areas, do your research and know your limits, have the proper provisions .Every year many hikers die from not understanding these Simple Rules. San Diego County and surrounding areas are diverse in climate and terrain. Remember if you do decide to Hike do your research, carry the essentials and do so at your own risk. An alternative is to join one of the many hiking groups such as meetup or on facebook ,as well as other social sites. Not only is there safety in numbers but a pooling of knowledge.