Anza-Borrego State Park
Paved and dirt trails encourage all visitors (including those in wheelchairs) to experience the desert
Discover Indian rock art and grinding areas on this desert hike.
The majestic Anza-Borrego Desert never ceases to surprise me. It is an alien environment of ghostly, pale rocks and unforgiving heat. Ocotillo plants sprout like underwater coral from the barren sands that hide translucent scorpions …
Development of Borrego Springs still hinges on water supply.
Palo Verde Canyon is aptly named for the many green-stemmed palo verde trees found in this desert canyon that leads down from the Santa Rosa Mountains. A hike up this canyon leads to an old …
Despite the formidable name, Hellhole Canyon is one of the most delightful canyons in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, with sycamores, cottonwoods, and palm trees fed by intermittent streams. The goal of this hike is the …
Distance from downtown San Diego: 104 miles. Allow almost 3 hours’ driving time (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park). From Ramona, drive east on Hwy 78, turn left on Hwy 79, right on San Felipe Road (S2), …
The best place to visit accessible desert palm groves in the southern Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is Mountain Palm Springs, found at the foot of the Tierra Blanca Mountains. Six oases with well-established trees provide …
Pummeled by roaring, tent-folding winds most of the night, I awoke to the softest of morning gusts coming out of the canyon. Swaying in my hammock, I sipped freshly brewed licorice root tea surrounded by …
Most San Diegans have been to Anza-Borrego State Park, but I wonder how many have discovered the (self-declared) Slot Canyons. When entering the park from the 8, take a left after the exit, go past …
Soggy Lower Willows, along with its primary source of water — Santa Catarina Spring — together comprise Anza-Borrego’s richest riparian habitat. An easy-going hike through here is all that’s needed to acquaint you with this …
Fish Creek Wash is the gateway to a fascinating labyrinth of rugged canyons, twisted arroyos, and mud hills covering the stark and desiccated Carrizo Badlands in a remote corner of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Why …
The narrow opening of the mud cave was nothing but a slot in the rock, barely wide enough for my shoulders. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never know it was there. We're …
Other than the Butterfield Stage Route, there isn't much reason to be in Carrizo. "It's in a very rugged, very remote area. And it's 45 minutes to an hour by dirt road from the nearest paved road."
It was all of it sad, godforsaken country. Last summer in a remote area south of here, around Split Mountain, a man whose car had broken down was found dead. He was shoeless and his brain had boiled.