By Liz Voosen
Turning off the two lane highway south of Temecula, CA, we began the descent into Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The road aimed downhill, with snake-like twists and turns, opening up to a view that spread toward the Salton Sea, 50 miles away.
As the van hugged the curves, I downshifted and tried not to get distracted with the beauty of the view and the steep cliff on the passenger side of the vehicle. In what seemed like a few short minutes, we were 3500 feet lower, on level ground, rolling along the desert floor. Spring flowers were in full bloom. The air was warm. And the sun was sunscreen-worthy in March.
We pulled off to the side of the road to get a closer look at the flowers. After a rainy winter, the Anza Borrego desert was covered in tiny flowers on the ground and dotting bushes. The flowers are spectacular, in shades of blues, purples, yellows, and more, and can be appreciated both as a swath of color across the landscape, and also up close from just a few inches away. Larger flowers erupt from the many spiny cactuses and pokey succulents as well (the agave, brittle brush, and ocotillo), some blooms reaching 20 feet in the air. The ideal time to see flowers in the park is January – April.
The comprehensive visitor center at the Borrego Palm Campground is a must-see for learning more about the area. The friendly park rangers helped us plan a drive through parts of the 600,000 acre park to see some highlights, including enormous artistic metal sculptures of creatures both real and imagined and canyon hikes. I love a good visitor center, and this one had an excellent nature path around it with a variety of desert plants and their descriptions. One of my favorites of the area was the agave plant that blooms tall yellow flowers just once in its lifetime, often taking decades to flower.
We opted to stay in the Borrego Palm Campground for its close proximity to the visitor center, and also the tiny town of Borrego Springs, and the sights in the park we wanted to see. Some of the sites here offer hook-ups, which given the warm weather during the day and the cool temperatures at night, was a plus for us, so that we could run the ac or heater easily (and endlessly) if desired.
The Borrego Palm Campground, if you are lucky enough to get rain just before your visit, as we were, also has a genuine stream running in it. When we arrived, it was flowing strong, and was large enough to have splash areas, and was attracting birds and animals. But just two days later, the water had dried up and was just another part of the hiking trail up the hill. Enjoy it if you see it!
The rocky hills above the campground are home to the endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep, roadrunners, desert cottontails, black-tailed jackrabbits, quail, and lizards. Binoculars are helpful to spot the sheep, as they blend in well to the colors of the desert, and are found in the most perilous looking rocky outcroppings on the hillsides, but the sheep are in fact quite comfortable there.
We spent a few days exploring the area. A day would be sufficient to see the highlights, but you could easily spend 3 or 4 days and explore in depth and add in some hikes. Plus, there’s an ice cream store in town that makes for a nice diversion.
The metal sculptures are spread throughout the flats of the desert. We did not make it to all of them (there are 130), but the ones we saw were spectacular. The scale of them, which takes advantage of the expansive desert horizon, made me feel tiny. I was standing under a giant dragon head, and then beside
camels, elephants, and a sea serpent so long it crossed the road and continued undulating on the other side. We were able to drive right up to each of them, and the walking was fairly flat and level.
The hiking, however, was another story! There are a variety of hikes in the desert here, some easy, some challenging with elevation changes. For most, going in the early day (and returning early) or a short hike later in the day is best. The sun can get hot fast, and its harshness is easily underestimated, especially if you’re not familiar with the environment. Wear sunscreen, a hat, proper clothing, and carry sufficient water.
A good hike to do on a warm day is the one that goes into The Slot canyon. This long, very narrow canyon – just one person wide and reaching 40 feet tall –stays cooler and kept us in shade for much of it. We enjoyed the short hike in and out. It’s about one mile, with just 100 feet elevation change. Seeing the sand- and mud-like textured walls (made of siltstone) and staying cool was a pleasant way to spend part of the afternoon. Getting there did require some dirt-road driving, and I took it slow. My Pleasure-Way handled it like a champ, and we were able to have a nice snack before heading off.
Scattered throughout the park, area also, um, not really *attractions* but definitely a feature unique to Anza Borrego –the open-air, open-roofed toilets. We got a good chuckle out of these. The park does have regular bathrooms on offer as well, but you don’t always get a choice, depending on where you are!
Evening brings an excellent opportunity for stargazing. Anza Borrego Desert State Park is an official Dark Sky Community, which means light pollution is at a minimum and star-gazing is top-notch! Next time we visit, I am bringing my new camera to try night sky photos!
We can’t wait to go back to this park. From the dramatic landscape, playful and awe-inspiring metal sculptures, to the brilliant colors of spring flowers, this park offers something truly special, and is a fabulous stop for winter and early springtime RV’ers enjoying the southwest USA.
To get the current wildflower conditions, here is the Wildflower Hotline number: 760-767-4684.
