Can you find out if the Bureau of Land Management plans to sponsor any day hikes this spring? I remember they have done it in the past and I have not heard if they are doing it again. I really appreciate your time and response. — Curious, El Centro
Actually, the timing of this question is perfect. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s El Centro Field Office has a hike coming up Saturday and it’s not too late to register, said Neil Hamada, acting recreation chief for the BLM.
The hike will be at the Indian Pass Arches at Indian Pass, and the BLM is asking for hikers to meet the ranger at Ogilby Road and Indian Pass Road, about 12 miles north of Interstate 8 in eastern Imperial County.
What is unique about this hike, Hamada said, is hikers can bring their dogs. Pre-registration is essential as there is a limit of 10 dogs and 20 hikers.
Call BLM Interpretive Park Ranger Joya Szalwinski at 760-337-4443.
The difficulty level on this hike is considered moderate. There are slight climbs and descents in terrain that is both sandy and cobblestones. It’s 3.5-mile roundtrip.
Hamada said Szalwinski will have more information, including what supplies to bring for the hiker and their pet, or people can access the BLM El Centro Office’s website on the hike from its home page, then looking for “recreational opportunities,” and “2013 hikes.”
Hamada said because of workload and available funding, there is not a schedule set out in advance. Rather, he suggested checking back every few weeks. The El Centro Office hopes to have at least one hike a month.
As our readers might have seen in Sunday’s newspaper or online, BLM is not the only group offering hikes.
The Jacumba Hikers, an informal group that meets at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo at 8 a.m. on the days of scheduled hikes, held its first guided hike last weekend to Mortero Palms.
The Jacumba Hikers’ next hike is Jan. 19 at Painted Gorge, and there are four more hikes planned through March 16. The schedule and contact info for the guides can be found at http://ivdesertmuseum.blogspot.com/2012/12/jacumba-hikers-schedule.html
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