Explore Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

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The Mud Caves are a popular feature in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The caves, located in the Carrizo Badlands, along the Arroyo Tapiado, were created by water flowing through a thick deposit of silt and are an example of pseudokarst topography. It is the largest known mud cave systems in the world. There are at least 22 caves, some up to 1,000 feet (300 m) in length and 80 feet (24 m) in height. Many of the caves are easily accessed all within a mile of each other. Make sure to bring headlights/flashlights. Make sure to stick together when exploring the caves. Someone dies here every few years by falling into cracks and not being discovered until too late. Some caves are home to large cave spiders and bats. Never visit the Arroyo Tapiado during periods when rain is predicted. Lower Canyon Sites: Dead End Canyon - includes a small tunnel Round Room Falls Bat Canyon - includes 3 caves Start Canyon - Long canyons with several forks and caves. Middle Canyon Sites: Bridge Canyon Dip Slope Cave - The small entrance is easy to miss. Little Mud Cave Carey's Big Mud Cave - The largest cave in the arroyo and has been measured to 1300 feet long. It's ceilings are over 100 feet high in places. Chasm Cave - A popular cave with a beautiful skylight. Get to the end of the cave and hike above ground to the E-Ticket Cave. Hidden Cave - Impossible to find without precise directions. Plunge Pool Cave - A short cave that ends in a spectacular round room that towers above you. Big Mud Cave - The only cave marked on most maps. This has a lot of opening in between caves. Continue on to Footprint Cave about halfway up the canton/caves. Mud Falls Upper Canyon Sites: Rubble Canyon Mud Flow Cave Tight Cave Dead End Slot Canyon Slim Slot Canyon Serpentine Cave Mini Cave Canyon To get threre from Hwy 78 take route S2 south until mile marker 43 and then turn left and continue on the dirt road for 4.3 miles. At the point turn left (almost a U Turn) at a sign onto another dirt road for 2.7 miles.

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