Anza-Borrego North: Mines & Geology Lute Fault Scarp

Photo of the north side of Lute Fault Scarp in morning light with Coyote Peak in the distance
Lute Fault Scarp from the North with Coyote Mountain in the Distance

An easy walk from County Road S-22, the Lute Fault Escarpment is a pile of hard-packed rock and sand more than two miles long. It is the longest and (from the north side as pictured above) tallest of a number of fault scarps to the southeast along the Clark Earthquake Fault

Over millions of years, storms have eroded the sides of the Santa Rosa Mountains causing rocks and sand to pile up on the fault. The earth has moved as earthquakes have taken place, and the sand piles have been hardened and stretched into escarpments, or scarps.

If you study the habits of wildflowers and you visit in wildflower season, you might find it interesting to compare the flowers you see on the scarp with the flowers you see in the mountains.

Getting to Lute Fault Scarp. Drive 10 miles east of Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs on County Road S-22 and park at Call Box S22-319. The Truckhaven Trail, now a jeep road, enters the parking area from the west. The Thimble Trail begins just across S-22 on the south.

There is no path to the Lute Fault Scarp. Merely aim for the large ridge to the east of Clark Valley. You will pass the long Lute Fault Scarp on your left. From this side, you will find an easy trail of a few steps to put you on top of the fault scarp. From there, you can look back for an idea as to how the sand flowed out of the mountains. Walk around to the north side of the fault scarp to get the best picture of its size.

To see other fault scarps, look along the Thimble Trail or the Truckhaven Trail.

See Lindsay, Halford, and Anza-Borrego: Edge of Creation by Remeika.