Anza-Borrego Desert is located within the Colorado Desert of southern California. It’s the largest state park in California and contains numerous highlights within its huge area. The can’t-miss places are accessible only by 4WD or on foot, so be sure to plan your vacation to last for a few days or a week. It was unfortunate that I was unable to do much exploring of the park as it was a business trip, but there are apparently many more things to see and do, including hiking on the Palm Canyon trail, Little Blair Valley, canyons, beautiful oasis, and pictographs created by Native Americans.
Hot and dry even in early November.
I visited in early November. The temperature was still high and the air was very dry. The ground was burned and cracked by the scorching sun. The dust thrown up by the rough motion of the 4WD creates the mood of being in the middle of nowhere in the arid desert.
One of the park’s highlights, attracting visitors from far and wide, is the wildflower season, which sees the whole area blanketed by colorful blooms. The best time to see it is from late Feb to early April. This time we rarely saw flowers. Yet there are plants that survive in the arid and wild environment, with the contrast against the scenery making them appear even beautiful and vibrant.
A hardy tree shining orange in the sunshine.
Anza-Borrego’s rugged landscape was formed by a series of huge earthquakes and ongoing erosion by water. This is one of the can’t-miss locations for a sunset, Font’s Point.
Getting there: 5-6 hours’ drive from L.A.
How long to spend there: A few days or a week, depending on how much you’d like to cover.
Activity keywords: Desert, oasis, hiking, pictographs