Today, bison, elk, mule and white-tailed deer, prohorn antelepo,
big-horn sheep, weasels, mink, badgers, and porcupine roam in the park.
On an evening trip you'll see wild animals such as rattlesnakes, lizards, owls, raven hawks and the rare
big-horn sheep. The tour costs pounds 50 from Borrego Springs (a one-horse desert town, two hours by car from San Diego).
Race organizers had to plan a route around the nesting sites of rare peregrine falcons, and the lambing grounds of endangered
big-horn sheep. The desert surface surrounding the course includes delicate cryptobiotic crust, which can take decades to recover from trampling feet.
We talked to wildlife experts to find seven species--elk, elephant seal,
big-horn sheep, bison, bald eagle, snow goose, and sandhill crane--that collect in large, accessible wintering groups.
