Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is located in Southern California just west of the Salton Sea. The park covers a vast amount of land ranging from cool mountain oasis to dry, exposed desert. In summer, it is a blazing hot landscape. In the winter, it is a cool and gloomy moonscape.

This land is filled with extremes. In the midst of all this are a jumbled mess of dirt roads rarely visited by only the most adventurous of bikers. Those who do are rewarded with some of California's finiest views.

Despite the harshest nature of the environment, life is found throughout the area. Wildflowers bloom with emense intensity, cacti dot the ground, palms in shaded groves, all of which may be seen at once for those who look.

Getting There

Anza-Borrego's desolate landscape.

The Anza-Borrego Desert is located in the So. Cal. desert just east of San Diego. From the downtown area to Borrego Springs at the heart of the park (though not actually in it) is a 3 hour drive.

From San Diego

Start off north on I-15 to CA-78 and Escondido. Turn off the freeway and head east on CA-78 as the freeway ends. The highway becomes a series of confusing roads as it winds through the town. Continue on the highway until it leaves the town. In a few miles, the road should pass by the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Continue on the road past Ramona. Pretty soon, the highway encounters a narrow and dark canyon. It should enter the park just before the canyon ends.

Camping

There are a few campgrounds in the park. Below is a list containing info about most of them.

Palm Canyon- This campground is popular for hikers (though not really for mountain bikers). It sits at the mouth of Borrego Palm Canyon, a popular place to cool down. No bikes allowed though. Only biking is a paved bike route which connects the campground to visitor center.

Blair Valley- Blair Valley is a ghostly valley once inhabited by the Smiths family in the 1800's. A main road runs in a loop through this area. It can be biked by those willing.

Bow Willow- The Bow Willow area is as harsh as it gets for this park. This campground is surrounded by badlands, sand and a few dried up scrubs. There are a few dirt roads in the area for biking. Also included here is a ranger station though it may be empty at times. Costs are $7/site.

Notable Routes

Font's Point is one of the possible rides with rewarding views in Anza-Borrego SP.

Blair Valley- This road travels through a ghostly valley which was once occupied by a pioneer family.

Font's Point- A 5 mile out-and-back dirt road climbs up to the summit of this blunt hill.

Split Mountain- This road is found near the Wind Caves (at the eastern edge of the park) and offers a view through a mounain. The view is rather spectacular very rarely seen. Road is slightly sandy.

External Links

These links contains useful info including closures, weather, ect.

Anza-Borrego Desert SP- California State Parks' Anza-Borrego homepage. Includes contact, wildflower and ect. info.

NWS: Borrego Springs- Weather conditions at Borrego Springs provided by the National Weather Service.