Top Things to do in Anza Borrego, California

With California having a summer heat wave in full force, it feels silly to be be posting about desert excursions, but hear me out. Save this blog for your fall/winter adventuring when the mountains get too cold, and you still want (need) to social distance in nature to escape the pandemic chaos.

Anza Borrego State Park is one of my most favorite places to go to within driving distance from San Diego and L.A (about 2 hours). It's a nice alternative to Joshua Tree, which can get really crowded, and is somewhat overrated (and also Anza Borrego doesn't have an entrance fee).

Anza Borrego provides you with stunning desert beauty, eclectic art, oasis's, off-roading fun, slot canyons, and the Borrego Badlands, just to name a few awesome things to check out. And you can pretty much pitch a tent anywhere. Also, it's the perfect spot to see the spring super bloom phenomena if you catch it at the right time of year.

[ How to Get to Anza Borrego State Park ]

Here are my favorite, must-see spots in Anza Borrego that are totally worth while:

Galletta Meadows

[How to Get to Galleta Meadows: Click Here]

I find myself coming back again and again to check out these giant metal sculptures scattered across the desert. They're just so cool and unusual. A lot of times I'll pack a lunch, drive out to Anza Borrego to take the dirt path to the farthest sculpture, (usually the dueling dinosaurs), and just park my car and hang out for awhile. Actually, I pitched a tent out there for a night on me and my boyfriends third date and it was sort of magical.

Galleta Meadows are a series of 130 metal sculptures by artist/welder Ricardo Breceda. They can be anything from dinosaurs, sloths, and horses, to elephants, birds of prey and more. Some of the statures can be seen just off Borrego Springs Road while driving, while others you have to head down a dirt road from a residential street.

The most famous sculpture is the Galleta Meadows Serpent Sculpture (click here for directions) that looks like a giant serpent going in and out of the ground.

As far as off-roading, the dirt road is pretty accessible and you could do it in a 2WD car pretty easily. I took my Kia Soul out there many times, and my new SUV handled it like a champ.

Depending on the time of year/day, it can get quite a bit of people traffic, especially the easily accessible ones just off the road, so plan accordingly.

Palm Canyon

[How to Get to Palm Canyon: Click Here]

The Palm Canyon Hike is one of my most favorite hikes and is also pretty easy. This is a hike I'll take friends with any hiking skill-level. It's a 2-mile hike with a big payoff. This in-and-back trail ends with a palm tree oasis in the desert. The oasis offers some wonderful shady spots to hang out that can be a godsend on those hot desert days since majority of the hike is in direct sun.

Depending on the time of year, you'll also see water where the palms are. I've been mid-winter when I had to cross ravines to get through the hike (and got my shoes soaked in the process), and then in the summer where the water was minimal to almost nonexistent.

[caption id="attachment_102763" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo from Visit California[/caption]

There is a $10 parking fee to park at the trailhead, and is totally worth it as it goes to the care and maintenance of the trail, but if you want to avoid the fee you can hike from the visitors center, but it adds a bit of mileage of course (and in my opinion, not really worth it). Also, be aware that this trail is really popular, so if you don't start early, you'll run into a lot of people, and it's much nicer to have this trail to yourself with all the wonderful rocky mountain scenery.

Keep a keen eye out for desert horned sheep, too! They like to use the oasis as a watering hole and are known to frequent the area.

The Slot

[How to Get to Slot Canyon: Click Here]

This is a pretty cool location! The Slot is, well, you guessed it, a slot canyon and even though you need to take dirt trail to this location, it can get pretty busy, to the point where it might even be hard to find parking during peak times. I recommend trying to get there early before the crowds, plus, it's good to avoid the heat anyway.

It's not the easiest to find, seeing as you need to take a 1.8 mile dirt road from highway 78 and it's easy to miss the entrance. Stop by the visitors center and they can provide you with a map and helpful directions if the online link above is confusing. The dirt road is pretty easy and I've seen 2WD vehicles make it, but if it gets muddy, you might be in trouble.

Also, no fee to visit this location! Once you're parked you'll find signs to the trailhead and start to descend into the slot canyon which ends up being about a 1 mile hike roundtrip. No pets are allowed on this trail.

Font Pont

[How to Get to Font Point: Click Here]

This is a newfound favorite spot I discovered on my last trip. Font Point is the BEST spot in Anza Borrego to watch Sunrise or Sunset. That glow is next level over the badlands.

This location is not the easiest to get to and you will most definitely need to have 4WD to get to this location because you have to drive through thick sand for about 4 miles from the paved road to get to the viewpoint. We overheard someone at the viewpoint talking about how the last time she tried getting there she got stuck. Yikes.

I read that this place is considered one of the most underrated spots in Anza Borrego and I'm going to have to agree. I've been visiting the park for years and just recently discovered this viewpoint, and wish I knew about it sooner. Although, the sandy drive to it probably keeps most people from finding it, I was surprised to see about 4-5 cars in the dirt parking lot when I arrived. It also got pretty busy around sunset.

Catch the Spring Bloom

If you can make it to the Spring Bloom, or in some years, the Super Bloom, I highly recommend it! It really is absolutely stunning and worth while. Timing of the bloom can vary and happen anywhere between mid-February through March (maybe even April), and the second week of March is typically 'peak bloom'. You can read spring flower updates here or here to know when it's the perfect time to go and where to find them. With the internet and needing the perfect 'gram, the traffic to these spring blooms can be intense. When I was there in 2019 they actually had roads blocked off and cops directing traffic--it was insanity. So, do yourself a favor and wake up at dawn to make the drive out there to catch the bloom in the early morning sunrise before people start to arrive. You'll not only get a stunning glow, but you'll actually get to enjoy the beautiful serenity that the flowers give when there's less people. It makes a huge difference, not to mention being able to find parking.

Camping

I'm going to be a huge tease here and not name my favorite campsite because it's the best kept secret in Anza Borrego, but I love last minute camping in Anza Borrego and my favorite campsite is rarely ever crowded, has a bathroom, and it's free. Yup, FREE.

It's hard to find anywhere in a national or state park where there aren't throngs of people, so it's nice to have a special place to pitch a tent at random.

There are a few campsites in Anza Borrego, most notably one at the Palm Canyon hiking trail (Borrego Palm Canyon Campground), and what makes camping in Anza Borrego extra special is that Anza Borrego is a Dark Sky Community, meaning they're dedicated to restricting and modifying lights on public streets, making it the PERFECT spot for night photography and star gazing.

Camping in Anza Borrego is also awesome because you can plan a spontaneous trip on a whim. Unlike most spots in California, camping in Anza Borrego doesn't require planning months in advance to reserve a campsite. Instead, Anza Borrego offers free dispersed camping, so you can set up camp anywhere in the park.

So, there you have it. After writing this blog post I realized how much I adore this state park and how lucky I am to have it within driving distance. It's a little slice of desert heaven, and also a fantastic gateway to other nearby sights like the Salton Sea, Ocotillo Wells, and Salvation Mountain.

It's my happy place.

What outdoor adventure is your happy place