anza-borrego desert state park

Visited daytime and evening. One of the best visitor centers. Very, very helpful and friendly staff. Strongly recommend coming here and getting the low down. Advice was spot on (big horn sheep, wild flowers, the Slot). We came after dinner one night and just watched the stars. Beautiful park.

Many other folks have already extolled the virtues of Anza Borrego. The largest state park, a diversity of landscape, the change of colors throughout the day, hiking and the night sky. Borrego is one of the Dark Sky Places in the world. What does that mean? It feels like you can touch the skies at night. And the town promotes the reduction of light pollution. I could go on for pages, but read the other reviews. Better yet, go and see it for yourself. Hike to the Palms, wander through the badlands and get lost, gaze at the night sky and wonder at our place in the world. Enjoy

The largest state park in CA, we saw so much of Anza-Borrego State Park on our trip with California Overland Desert Excursions. Our first day was rather windy and lucky for us we had sunglasses and bandanas. Even so, it was nice to take a shower and get the sand out of our ears that night. Our second day was spent looking for wild flowers and trails. This park is in the desert, it your looking for shade you won't find much, but the surrounding mountains and clouds in the sky make the landscape look so beautiful. I can cross it off my bucket list.

Our group hiked the Hellhole Canyon trail which was mostly moderate difficulty with elevation but the last one-half mile was an aggressive uphill hike with climbing over large rocks and difficult terrain. The reward was a thirty-food waterfall in the shade. Take lots of water as most of the three-mile uphill hike is in unshaded trail. The hike down is more challenging in some places. A great experience.

We went from San Diego to Borrego Springs where the visitor center of Anza Borrego desert state park is located. It's about 2 hour 15mn drive with scenic views when you are getting closer the desert. We went to Henderson road to see the flowers bloomering. It was gorgeous. We came back thoughJulian . We had the chance to see 2 big Horns standing on the mountains.The temperature was close to 90 while it was only 60 on the coast...So do not forget hat an solar protection.

Spring is the best time to visit this park. The wildflowers are blooming and the temperatures are still mild. This is not only the largest state park in California, all of the other state parks would fit in this one park with room to spare. Camping in Palm Canyon campground is convenient to the town of Borrego Springs and close to the visitor center. The visitor center is well with a hour or two visit and has award winning architecture.

The park surrounds the small town of Borrego Springs, and there are numerous moderate hikes plus some back country trails. The park includes a couple of slot canyons, some magnificent badlands, and a couple of oases at the ends of hikable canyons. Start by visiting the park HQ, which is staffed partly by volunteers who give excellent advice about where to go and what to see. Buy the $2 park map. It's best to have a small SUV like a RAV4, Outback or CRV is fine. You don't need a jeep, but you should be cautious about going on the trails with a 4WD sedan. If you do have an SUV, take the time to visit Vista Malpais, which is accessible over a sandy, somewhat rutted 4 -mile trail.

Our first trip here---only had three days.....Wish it had been 3 weeks.... We managed to arrive just after several days of precip and many annuals were in full show. Of course, start at the Visitor Center. Trail up Palm Canyon is a must...Go in the morning. We saw desert bighorn from that trail as well. We were directed to Slot Canyon...a fascinating hike. Our trip to the Marshall South site was not possible due to a low slung rental car.... So we did a walking tour of Blair Canyon and visited to stagecoach pass site there. The flower show along Henderson Canyon Road (out of the Park) was incredible....I suggest going at dusk....still good light for pictures and you can watch hummingbird moths. Our sky view was not the best due to full moon....so plan based on that if you want to see the Milky Way.....we'll be back...

If one comes in mid to late March or early April, the colorful wild flowers and cactus blooms will amaze you. There are distant vistas of desert mountain ranges, cool canyons for exploration, and more to see and do. The park is well organized to allow for your best usage. Signs and maps of unique landscapes and formations await you in visitor centers and headquarters buildings. You will love the weather in spring, for sure.

After a few days of heavy rains in the area the desert started to show its beauty. From barren, moonlike canyons to fields od flowers.Beautiful. Be sure to visit the welcome centre in Borrego Springs.

Where to start? I have been to many national and state parks, and this one blows most of them out of the water. Every view.....EVERY SINGLE VIEW....is absolutely stunning. The mountains are unbelievable and dramatic at every turn. The wildflowers, which were starting to bloom while I was there (including cacti) unbelievable. The diversity of terrain was phenomenal as well.....very different from part to part. Also worth mentioning was the drive in and out...stunning views around every twisting corner. The sky was stunning and the peacefulness of the desert ever present. It was unreal...and the best part was that there was almost no one there. I spent a lot of time walking out and just standing in awe of the fact that I was completely alone. I was there during the week in late February...not sure if that made a difference (maybe busier on weekends or summer?). I would highly recommend this park for anyone who loves stunning mountain views, wildflowers, deserts, night skies, or isolation. In February, the weather was perfect- about 65 and sunny during the day, (although there was some patches of rain passing through, although it was also gorgeous) and about 35 at night. I camped at the Arroyo Salada "campground" which is primitive and free...and I had complete peace, gorgeous mountain views, and near isolation (two cars within a .5 mile radius but super quiet and didn't even see the people). Also worth commenting on is the visitors center- the staff were very helpful about all of my questions, and super friendly! They seemed to have a lot of programs also, and a lot geared for all ages. I love this park and will certainly be back, .....there is so much more to discover.*Note- the Salton Sea is lame. Don't go there! It is dirty and run down. Nice view from afar from the park though*

We did a 1 day trip from San Diego. The visitors centre was very helpful. We did a 3 mile walk to the Palm spring oasis. This walk starts from the campground. It took us 2.5hours in total and we bumped in to quite a few buckhorn sheep which was cool. The scenery is spectacular. The oasis at the end of the trail was magical. My son is 6 years old and he loved it. I wish we had more time in the park. It's so peaceful. Total bliss!

We stayed here in a 35-foot motor home in Palm Canyon. The park has full hook-ups, interesting desert trails, and a nice visitor center. You are only a few miles from the town of Borrego Springs. Be sure to take the drive north and south of the town to see the amazing metal sculptures. Herds of metal horses grace the desert landscape along with dragons and dinosaurs.

As the name implies it is a vast area of wilderness, possibly not to every ones taste but we loved it. We were here in February, so not too hot (77f). There had been a little rain so some flowers were out. Hike to Palm Oasis is interesting, good exercise and not to hard. If the road conditions allow go to Font Point (4 mile drive on river bed) this is an incredible view over the whole area.

I've been coming to the park regularly in February or March since the mid 1980s, and try to do something different each trip within limited timeframe. I've never been disappointed. When the desert blooms the array of colors and shapes is worth a full day of wildflower viewing. The hike to the palm oasis is well worth the trek. The visitor center is well designed, well staffed (volunteers and park staff), the displays are excellent and the videos very entertaining and informative. And if one is clumsy enough to get a chunk of cholla pod stuck on a thumb with a dozen barbs, the staff is experienced with removal using needle-nosed pliers.Restrooms are available at the visitor center parking lot and at the visitor center.And the birding is excellent. In February/March it is especially good around the visitor center. A Northern Mockingbird holds territory near the pup fish pond; Costa's Hummingbirds are nearby (check for nests); Black-tailed Gnatcatchers may be along the walkway or out toward the water tanks beyond the small picnic area; check for Rock Wren at the building, Verdins, and many more species. The trails and pullouts offer even more variety--sparrows and thrashers (even LeConte's) among them.