5 Fun Things to Do in Anza-Borrego State Park: Weekend Travel Guide
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Sooo…I actually visited Anza-Borrego State Park…as a last minute itinerary change. I was originally supposed to be going to Big Bear to stay in a Getaway Cabin there, but uh…they had a really bad winter storm and my tiny lil rental car could not make it up the mountain in the snow. So, I decided to detour and stay in the valley. Which eventually had me looking up things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park area.
Although I’m usually out and about in Coachella Valley in early spring for a few different festivals and annual events, I had never actually gone to Anza-Borrego. I know, I know, it’s one of the biggest state parks in Southern California, how did I miss it?
Well, first of all, this whole outdoorsy thing is new to me, okay? I didn’t really go outside by choice before the age of 22. And by then, I didn’t live in California anymore, so it actually isn’t that surprising. But still, it is a state park in the middle of a literal desert. How could there be that many things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park anyway?
You probably could have guessed by the mere fact that I’m making this post, but – I was wrong about that.
Table of Contents
THE BASICS
- State: California (Southern)
- Nearest Big City: Palm Springs / San Diego
- Closest International Airport: Palm Springs (PSP) or San Diego (SAN)
- Ancestral Lands: Kumeyaay and Cahuilla
- Best season to visit (in my opinion): Spring and Fall
- Transportation: You will need a car
When to Visit
My season of choice when visiting Anza-Borrego State Park is spring. For a number of reasons, but the main one is because the wildflowers are BEAUTIFUL. I’m a sucker for a good desert bloom, and Anza-Borrego lives up to expectation. In fact, just going to look at flowers is one of the best things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park if you manage to visit in the spring.
Plus, yanno, the weather is mostly mild and you get a good amount of sunlight. AND there are a ton of events in the surrounding area for you to enjoy. Issa win-win. To avoid any of the…lingering winter-quirks, I would recommend visiting in mid-late May and early-April. There are just so many things to do in Anza-Borrego in spring that it wins best season every time.
Fall is another good season, due to weather. Although there aren’t huge trees or anything, the autumn colors still make an appearance with the desert foliage.
Summer and winter are both BEASTS when it comes to weather. I personally would avoid summer at all costs. Even the shoulder of summer is too much. Your skin will literally SUE you for taking it outside in that heat.
Winter, though not too bad in terms of temperature, has a tendency to rain a lot. And in the desert, that can mean flash floods and mudslides. They usually aren’t too bad in terms of immediate danger, but they have a knack for sometimes closing trails and such.
Things to Do in Anza-Borrego State Park
Okay, now to get into the nitty gritty. This isn’t going to be a super detailed in-depth post like my other California park guides (those are great btw, check them out: Things to do in Redwood National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park Travel Guide). That said, even though I didn’t stay a whole weekend in the area, I did find a lot of fun things to do in Anza-Borrego that I think could help your trip!
I obviously haven’t done everything, so if you have any suggestions to add for things to do in Anza-Borrego, please drop them in the comments below!
Hiking
Hiking is a given when you think of things to do in Anza-Borrego. Like I mentioned earlier, spring and fall are probably the most…comfortable seasons to hike in, but honestly you can do it any time you visit.
My favorite hikes also happen to be the most popular, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing at this park. It’s never really super crowded, so I’ve always had luck finding parking spaces at trail heads. Overall, I appreciated that many of these trails were flat and wide enough for wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers as well.
Hikes
Split Mountain: This 11.5ish mile hike can actually be driven a bit at the beginning if you have an off-road vehicle, but otherwise the hike is relatively flat and open. There isn’t much shade, but it does take you through the Anza-Borrego Badlands and leads to an accessible (but pretty narrow) slot canyon named -unsurprisingly- The Slot.
The Slot: Alternatively, if you don’t want to hike almost 12 miles, you can park at the trailhead to The Slot and the hike will only be 2.3 miles. Though, the parking lot does have a $10 entrance fee AND it’s one of the few places that does get full throughout the day. So, it might be worth it to wake up early for this one!
Fonts Point: This 8 mile trail is absolutely beautiful, and it is also another one that can be driven! That said, make sure while driving to maintain momentum because there are lots of sand pockets where you can get stuck. It’s my favorite place for sunset for sure.
Pictograph Trail: At 2.6 miles, this is a pretty easy trail, relatively flat the entire time and a great option for children as well. However, don’t turn around once you reach the pictographs, keep going and you’ll reach the waterfall at the end!
Cactus Loop Trail: If you’re REALLY pressed for time, this trail is only 0.7 with tons of different cactus (cactuses? cacti??). If you’ve been to Joshua Tree National Park, it lowkey reminds me of the Cholla Cactus Garden there. It’s even more beautiful in the spring with all the wildflowers.
That said, don’t let your little ones (or big ones for that matter) touch the cactus because they HURT. I know from experience y’all.
Camping
There’s just something about sleeping in a desert that reinvigorates my soul.
So, naturally, camping just so happens to be one of the best things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park. PLUS, it’s extremely beginner friendly for people who may be newer to camping and getting in the outdoors.
If you are new-er to camping or just prefer a more robust campsite, you have a few options. Borrego Palm Canyon, Tamarisk Grove, Bow Willow and Vern Whitaker Horse Camp are all developed campgrounds and have a daily camping fee of $15 to $30 per campsite.
You can reserve campsites up to 6 months in advance at the California State Park site. All of the developed campsites (with the exception of Tamarisk) have drinking water stations, and all of them have flushing toilets, fire pits, picnic tables, showers, and shade ramadas.
Borrego Palm Canyon is usually the most popular campsite, and for good reason. It has the most amount of campsites (122 sites) AND it is close to the Borrego Palm Canyon oasis where the campsite gets its name. In fact, the oasis is what prompted the area to become a protected outdoor space.
What about more rugged camping options?
If you’re looking for a campsite that is a bit more challenging, Anza-Borrego is one of the few parks in the entire country that allows open-camping. Which is basically camping outside of designated campsites, also known as backcountry camping – it’s free of charge as well!
So if open camping is on your wishlist for things to do in Anza-Borrego, keep in mind a few camping etiquettes to ensure that it is continued to be permitted:
- Pack in and pack out! Everything you bring with you must also LEAVE with you.
- All pets must remain leashed!
- No ground fires! You must use a metal container to hold your fire. Remember, you’re in a wildfire prone area!
- Your campsite must be at least 100 feet away from natural water sources.
- You can park on the side of the road (in fact, please do so others can get around you safely) but do NOT trample geological formations or vegetation.
Art Hoe-ing
Y’all know I love a good art moment. And when you mix pop art AND the desert??? I’M ALL THE WAY IN. I mentioned before that there are some nearby art events that happen in Coachella Valley like Desert X, Desert Art Festival, Native Film Fest, and even Coachella Music Festival…
But the small town of Borrego Springs, just outside of the park, has its own local art scene. The most visible are the giant iron pop art installations by artist Ricardo Breceda, which really come alive whilst surrounded by the Spring blooms.
Can you tell I’m obsessed with spring things to do in Anza-Borrego?
Anyways, there are plenty of his works to frolic through and take some boss pictures. Get your instagram on y’all.
And if you like art, I’d strongly recommend you check out the Borrego Art Institute as well! They are only closed on Monday, and their hours are 10 am to 4 pm. It is a non-profit organization that also provides kids’ art programs and give young artists the opportunity to create and express themselves. I dig it.
Nature Watching
Of course, for nature lovers, you don’t have to hike into the unknown to enjoy the wildlife. As I’ve mentioned like a trillion times before, if you visit in the spring, there are TONS of wildflowers. Cactus are blooming, lil pollinators (mostly bees lol) are buzzing around, and the hills are alive with pretty colors. AND if you manage to catch a super bloom?? It’s DOPE.
Animal watching is not something I’M personally too keen on, because I’m afraid of most wild animals, but it is one of the coolest things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park. I mean, it’s not like you’re gonna see a bighorn sheep in Los Angeles.
(Fun fact, borrego means bighorn sheep in Spanish!)
Speaking of bighorn sheep, if you want to view the animals the entire PARK is named after, you can most commonly find them along Palm Canyon Trail fall-spring, and in the summer, most of them hang out down at Coyote Creek around watering holes. Note: Coyote Creek is closed to vehicle traffic during the summer to allow them to chill in peace, though you can still hike to it.
You will also see mule deer, kangaroo rats, antelope squirrel, jackrabbits, AND my favorite – desert kit fox. Keep your eye out for them and have your cameras ready!
As far as mountain lions and bobcats…they ARE in the area, but they are solitary animals (for the most part) and don’t generallyyy hang around trails or campsites. If you do come across them though, take the advice of the Mountain Lion Federation:
“If you see a mountain lion, no matter how thrilled you are to be one of the very few gets such an opportunity, stay well back, and take the encounter seriously.”
Recognize its Indigenous History
You’re on Turtle Island (North American continent) after all. You’re on Indigenous land.
I always feel a little…weird visiting state and National Parks. Like…y’all really kicked the ORIGINAL caretakers of the area off their land…to then set it up as a “protected area” anyway?
Make it make sense.
But I digress.
Anza-Borrego is the ancestral land to Yuman-speaking Kumeyaay and the Shoshonean-speaking Cahuilla (and Cupeño!). If you don’t have time to swing by the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Palm Springs, or the Barona Cultural Center in San Diego, there are still a few spots to check out for things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park to get a glimpse of the local Indigenous culture and history.
Within the park, you can visit the Kumeyaay Village Site, also noted as “Village Site” on park maps. Pronounced ku-may-eye, the Kumeyaay Village Site isn’t a formal building, but rather a placard and a short trail. Along the trail you will see “grinding stones” where people would grind seeds (kinda like a mortar), as well as some pottery, charcoal, and tools.
You can see multiple examples of rock art like petroglyphs (etched into the rock) and pictographs (painted on top of the rock) at Morteros Trail and Pictograph Trail, which are 0.5 a mile and 2.6 miles respectively.
There are even a few archeological sites within the park that are open to the public, Mine Canyon and Blair Valley where you can see more items and art left behind by the Tribes that inhabited the area *cough when they were forcibly removed*
Please respect the area and know that vandalism, theft, and otherwise being mischievous in the area is not cool. And also illegal.
Quiet Getaway-ing
Okay, now I’m just making things up for these titles, but you know what I mean. Sometimes, you don’t even really have to DO anything to have a good time.
In my option, one of the nicest things to do in Anza-Borrego is to just rent a cabin and EXIST. I’ll eventually link to my post about the best cabins near Anza-Borrego State Park, but just as a quick overview, here are some of the highlights:
Most of these are located in the small town of Borrego Springs, just outside of the park. Literally, like a 3 minute drive. Borrego Springs is the only California town completely surrounded by a state park AND the only California town that is a dedicated International Dark Sky Community, dedicated to protecting the night sky from light pollution. So stargazers, YOU’RE IN FOR A TREAT!
For food, I recommend checking out Kendall’s Cafe. I am obsessed with their omelets and they use incredibly fresh ingredients. I personally don’t like biscuits and gravy, but everyone who had them said they were great. Although I didn’t get a chance to eat at Red Ocotillo, I’ve only heard good things and if you’re there for a weekend, I’d recommend at least trying both!
Carlee’s Place makes for a great lunch spot, especially after a long morning of hiking, and has vegan options! Andddd last but not least, grab dinner at Coyote Steakhouse! You can get a 3-course meal for $21 or $27usd (before 6pm vs after), and both the food and ambiance is top notch. Even though it’s a “steakhouse” they have vegetarian options as well!
Things to do in Anza-Borrego: Conclusion
Alright, that’s all I’ve got in terms of things to do in Anza-Borrego. Buuuut, I feel like it still felt pretty substantial, right? Even if you only have a day or a short weekend, you can still have a lot of things to do in Anza-Borrego without feeling bored or like you’re wasting time. And…regardless, wasting time is fun! Occassionally, you need those trips where you literally do nothing. You don’t have to fly across the world and visit the greatest wonders of the world to have a great vacation.
In any case, I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of things to do in Anza-Borrego State Park! Which activity would you want to do the most: hiking, wildlife watching, learning about culture, or…posing in front of iron sculptures? Let me know in the comments below!
Also, why you’re in the area, try spending a weekend in San Diego! It’s truly California’s gem!
Did I leave any of your favorite activities off of this list of things to do in Anza-Borrego?
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Love this park! The potential for ridiculous photo shoots at all of the art installations is worth the trip alone. We’ve been during a super bloom and it’s even more incredible!
Hahah RIGHT?!?! And aw man, I can’t imagine visiting during a SUPER BLOOM!!! Ahhh hopefully one day my timing will line up with it! Thank you so much for reading!!