How big is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park?

More than 600,000 acres, or roughly 1,000 square miles. It is the largest state park in California and the third largest in the United States, spanning parts of San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties.

How much does it cost to enter Anza-Borrego?

Day use is $10 per vehicle, collected at the Visitor Center, developed campgrounds and several popular trailheads including The Slot and Hellhole Canyon. The park has no entrance gates and much of it can be accessed without a fee.

When is wildflower season at Anza-Borrego?

Annual wildflowers can appear from January through mid-April, with peak bloom most often between late February and early April. Timing varies year to year based on rainfall and temperature.

Is Anza-Borrego a Dark Sky Park?

Yes. The park was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2018 at Silver tier. Borrego Springs, the town at its center, has been an International Dark Sky Community since 2009, the first in California.

Do I need four-wheel drive at Anza-Borrego?

Not for the paved roads, the Visitor Center or the main campgrounds. The vast majority of the park's roughly 500 miles of dirt roads do require a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park open at night?

Yes, the park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. The Visitor Center is open daily 9am to 5pm October through May, and weekends and holidays only June through September.

Fr Michael Plekon • October 23, 2026

All Saints and All Souls: Remembering Those Who Came Before Us

A reflection on faith, remembrance and the enduring connections that unite us with those who have gone before us.

By: Fr Michael Plekon - St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, BMA Co-Chair

Every year at the start of November we celebrate, on two days, all those women and men who have gone on before us.

By “saints,” we mean, of course, those recognized as persons of holiness. Jesus’ mother, Mary. Jesus’ father, Joseph. (These three are the center of our Christmas crèches or nativity scenes.)

From here the list goes on and on. There are the followers of Jesus: the twelve called apostles or messengers, such as Peter, James, John, Simon, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, another James, Andrew, Thomas, Thaddeus and Judas, replaced by Matthias.

Then there are the too-often-forgotten women disciples: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary and Martha, Salome, and two other Marys — one the mother of James and Joseph, another the wife of Clopas. There were other women disciples not named but indicated.

And, of course, Paul, who only becomes a follower and great preacher and letter writer after the resurrection. There are dozens of other names in the New Testament, many co-workers of Paul like Phoebe, Lydia, the married couples Junia and Andronicus, Priscilla and Aquila — seventy or more names in the texts.

Saints Through the Centuries

All through the centuries, beloved priests, bishops and teachers were recognized: Augustine and Ambrose, Justin and Ignatius and Irenaeus, Thecla, Paula and her daughters, and Marcella.

There were many who were killed for their faith, “martyrs” or witnesses like Perpetua and Felicity, Agnes, Lucy, Blandina and Catherine.

All the way down to our time the list winds, to Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Mother Maria Skobtsova, killed by the Nazis; Archbishop Oscar Romero, gunned down for defending the poor; Dorothy Day, who set up soup kitchens and shelters; and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who worked for reconciliation in South Africa.

An ofrenda is a home altar or temporary display built to honor and welcome back deceased loved ones during the annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.

November 1 and 2: Two Days of Remembrance

November 1 has been for centuries the day on which all these women and men are remembered as our sisters and brothers in the communion or community of faith. The Sunday closest to this date is also used to keep this feast.

November 2 is All Souls or Día de los Muertos, when we remember all our relatives, friends, co-workers and neighbors who have passed from this life to life forever with God and the friends of God, the saints.

Día de los Muertos can be celebrated for the whole period around November 2, and the home altar or ofrenda has on it photos of the deceased, flowers, candles, paper banners, food, salt, sweets and incense. The different levels of the ofrenda symbolize heaven, earth and the realm of the dead.

A Celebration of Community and Connection

Both holy days lift up what makes us human, namely that we cannot exist without others, without the community of those we love, who raised us, whom we care for, those we never forget even when they leave this life.

This reality of community is treasured and celebrated in all the world’s faith traditions. It is part of the sacrament of Holy Communion, central to the Christian faith. It is acknowledged in the Bible as well as in the Creed, in numerous hymns and prayers.

In the middle of the Sunday service in Christian churches, those present extend to each other hugs, handshakes, greetings of peace and belonging.

The churches here will celebrate all the saints and the loved ones who have died, and you will see an ofrenda at the Resource Center.

These days remind us we are never alone. God is always present with us as well as all of God’s people.