From the Laguna Mountains to the Desert Floor: Driving the County's Far East

People think of San Diego County as coast and suburbs. A good part of it is desert, and getting there involves a mountain range in between. That makes a trip to Borrego Springs or out along I-8 two different drives in one: a climb that heats engines and a descent that heats brakes, followed by long, hot stretches where help is a long way off.

The climb and the drop on I-8

Caltrans describes I-8 in its San Diego district as 172 miles from San Diego to the Arizona state line, serving the urban core and also rural communities and tribal lands. Heading east, the freeway climbs through the Laguna Mountains and then descends toward the desert. Two habits cover most of the risk:

• Going up in heat: the DMV's guidance for extreme heat is to watch the temperature gauge, avoid driving at high speed for long periods, and turn off the air conditioning if the engine runs hot.
• Coming down: select a lower gear so the engine holds your speed, and brake firmly and intermittently rather than riding the pedal.

In winter the higher sections can see snow, and chain controls follow the posted signs. Our snow-day page covers the levels.

Down into Anza-Borrego

The routes into Borrego Springs come down steep, winding grades from the mountains, and the desert below has long distances between towns, fuel and repair shops. In a good wildflower spring the roads can fill with visitors who do not know them. Treat the descent like any mountain grade, and fill up before you leave the last town with a station.

Off the pavement

Dirt roads and sandy washes are part of the appeal, and part of the risk. Two points before you leave the asphalt:

• Read your policy's wording on off-road use. How a personal auto policy treats damage on unpaved or off-road routes varies by insurance company. A rental car's contract may prohibit unpaved roads altogether.
• Know how to get unstuck. The DMV handbook's method for sand or mud: do not spin the wheels; drive slowly forward as far as you can, then back as far as you can, and repeat in a rocking motion until the car rolls free. In deep sand, put boards or branches under the tires, but only while the car is stopped.

Washes that look dry can carry fast water after a storm far away; our flooded-roads page covers why not to cross moving water.

Heat, water and the car that quits

Out here, a breakdown in summer is a safety problem before it is a mechanical one. Carry far more water than you expect to need, keep the phone charged, and write your insurer's claims number on paper because signal can disappear. If you go off the road with no one else involved and no officer attends, the DMV reporting rule still applies: an SR-1 within 10 days if anyone is injured or damage exceeds $1,000.

What to check before you go

• Tires at the right pressure, checked cold, and a spare that holds air.
• Coolant level and a battery that is not near the end of its life.
• A full tank leaving the last town.
• Your roadside coverage's tow limit — a tow from the desert back to a shop is long, and limits vary by insurance company.
• Whether you carry comprehensive, which is where sand-pitted glass and wind damage usually land.

If the desert side of the county is part of your regular driving, let us check your towing and comprehensive coverage against the trips you really take.