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.

Colorado Desert Archaeology Society and California State Parks • October 24, 2026

Archaeology in the Desert celebration Nov. 7 in Borrego Springs

Photo above by Barbara Barnes: Eva Salazar, Kumeyaay Basketweaver.

Originally posted on eastcountymagazine.org.

California State Parks and the Colorado Desert Archaeology Society invite the public to Archaeology Day, scheduled for Saturday, November 7. It will be held at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center (200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs) and the nearby Begole Archaeology Research Center. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Archaeology Day is a free, family friendly event that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the vast Anza-Borrego Desert — and the people who have lived there for thousands of years. The goal is to help promote, preserve and protect the Park’s history and its abundant cultural resources through public awareness.

Pictographs in the desert. Photo by John Downing

An opening ceremony by a Cahuilla elder will occur at 9:15 am. Local Indigenous artist Eva Salazar, Kumeyaay, will offer her basketry items for sale and a Juncas basket weaving demonstration. Ami Admire, Payómkawichum storyteller, will share a storytelling event. Payómkawichum games will be presented by ‘ataaxum Pomkwaan (For the People). Cahuilla and Kumeyaay Birdsingers will perform. Dr. Sean Milanovich will do a presentation on Cahuilla land loss. State Parks will do a presentation about the Butterfield Stage Wagon crossing the desert.

Stage Coach, California State Parks

Activities include hands-on pottery making, pot and rock art painting, guided tours of the Archaeology Library. Educational displays by the Barona Museum and Cultural Center, Imperial Valley Desert Museum, Kumeyaay Heritage Preservation Committee, Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center, Rincon Tribal Museum, San Diego Archaeology Center, among others will be exhibited.

An in-person guided field trip will be given on Saturday afternoon to an 8.5-acre cultural site occupied by the Kumeyaay around 1100 years ago. An additional in-person guided field trip will be offered on Sunday, November 8, 2026 to petroglyph and morteros sites in Blair Valley. A small fee will be charged for the field trips. Pre-registration is required and will be handled by Anza-Borrego Foundation on their website https://theabf.org/. Registration now.

Rock and pot painting activities. Photo by Barbara Barnes

Learn More About Borrego Springs

Overnight microgrid testing planned in Borrego Springs Oct. 26-29

By Alex Welling, MLS • October 24, 2026

SDG&E will conduct overnight testing of the Borrego Springs microgrid on Oct. 26, 27 and 29. The testing will require temporary power outages as crews confirm that the microgrid controller and supporting equipment can operate together as intended. Customers should prepare for: Up to two temporary outages of up to approximately 60 minutes between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Oct. 26 Up to two temporary outages of up to approximately 60 minutes between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Oct. 27 The possibility of a temporary outage between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Oct. 29 We appreciate the community’s patience. This testing is an important step to help ensure the microgrid can operate as intended and help reduce the impact of certain outages in Borrego Springs. The microgrid improves community resiliency but cannot prevent every outage. Pruebas nocturnas de la microrred de Borrego Springs programadas del 26 al 29 de octubre SDG&E realizará pruebas nocturnas de la microrred de Borrego Springs los días 26, 27 y 29 de octubre. Las pruebas requerirán interrupciones temporales del servicio eléctrico mientras nuestros equipos confirman que el controlador de la microrred y los equipos de apoyo pueden funcionar juntos según lo previsto. Los clientes deben prepararse para: Una interrupción temporal de hasta aproximadamente 60 minutos entre las 11 p.m. y las 4 a.m. el 26 de octubre Una interrupción temporal de hasta aproximadamente 60 minutos entre las 11 p.m. y las 4 a.m. el 27 de octubre La posibilidad de una interrupción temporal entre las 11 p.m. y las 4 a.m. el 29 de octubre Entendemos que las interrupciones del servicio pueden afectar las actividades diarias y agradecemos la paciencia de la comunidad. Estas pruebas son un paso importante para ayudar a garantizar que la microrred pueda funcionar según lo previsto y ayudar a reducir el impacto de ciertas interrupciones del servicio eléctrico en Borrego Springs. La microrred mejora la resiliencia de la comunidad, pero no puede prevenir todas las interrupciones. Alex Welling, MLS Strategic Communications Manager, Major Projects, Wildfire & Operations

FREE Dementia Friends Session in Borrego Springs - Nov 12

By Carolyn Kendle, MPH • October 23, 2026

Free Workshop Offers Practical Tools for Supporting People Living With Dementia

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

By Fr Michael Plekon • October 23, 2026

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

How Do I Love Thee? Reflections on a Life in Borrego Springs

By Shirley Vilapando • October 23, 2026

For Shirley Vilapando, Borrego Springs has always been more than a place to live. It has been a community of friendship, faith, support and belonging.

Puttin’ on the Glitz! Join BSPAC for a Special Evening Celebrating the Arts

By Andrea McKenna • October 22, 2026

Enjoy an elegant evening supporting the performing arts in Borrego Springs.

Start Your Story Workshop Expanded to 40 Participants

By Andrea McKenna • October 22, 2026

Free Community Writing Workshop Opens More Spots Ahead of November 8 Event

Driver Injured After Truck Rolls Off Montezuma Valley Road

By Andrea McKenna • October 22, 2026

(Vehicle in left hand portion of the photo) Photo credit: Jim Torian, Facebook

Free Tai Chi Classes Return to Christmas Circle

By Andrea McKenna • October 20, 2026

Jill Feltovich leads weekly Monday morning sessions sponsored by the Borrego Valley Endowment Fund Residents looking for a gentle way to start the week can join free tai chi classes at Christmas Circle Community Park, led by certified senior instructor Jill Feltovich. Sessions began October 19 and meet Mondays from 9 to 10 a.m., weather permitting. Often described as “meditation in motion,” tai chi is a Chinese practice of slow, flowing movements paired with steady breathing and focus. Its low-impact nature makes it welcoming for people of all fitness levels, and regular practice is widely recognized for helping with balance, strength, flexibility and a sense of calm. Feltovich teaches Yang style tai chi, the most widely practiced form, known for its smooth, graceful movements. Classes also include tai chi bang, which uses a short wooden stick to guide stretching, twisting and coordination exercises that help loosen the joints and build strength through the upper body. Feltovich brings 16 years of tai chi experience to the park. She is a certified senior instructor and a disciple of Master Jesse Tsao, and she shares her practice with the community at no cost. The open-air setting of Christmas Circle, with mountain views and morning desert light, offers an ideal backdrop for the practice. Sessions are free, and donations are welcome. The program is sponsored by the Borrego Valley Endowment Fund.

Suzanne Roberts to Lead Memoir Workshop at Borrego Springs Library

By Andrea McKenna • October 20, 2026

October 27 session will help beginning and experienced writers develop stories from their own lives Author and writing instructor Suzanne Roberts will present “Writing Your Life: A Generative Memoir Workshop” at the Borrego Springs Library on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The program offers an opportunity for writers to begin a memoir or return to a project already underway. According to the workshop announcement, participants will work through a series of writing prompts designed to help them start, develop or revise their memoirs. Instruction will address overcoming writing blocks, using specific details and sensory imagery, and building scenes. Both beginners and experienced writers are welcome. Roberts’s visit comes shortly after the October 1 publication of her newest book, 52 Writing Prompts: Inspiration for the Creative Writer, from the University of Nebraska Press. Drawing on more than 30 years of teaching creative writing, the book combines discussions of writing techniques with exercises designed to take about 20 minutes. Its themes include memory, family, relationships, grief, and the natural world, with additional guidance on revision and publishing. Her own work includes memoir, travel writing, essays and poetry. Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail recounts a 1993 backpacking trip with two other women through California’s Sierra Nevada. The memoir won the 2012 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature, bringing recognition to a story that explores friendship and personal growth alongside the challenges of the trail. Roberts is also the author of Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel and Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties. The latter was longlisted for the 2023 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. She has also published four poetry collections. Based in South Lake Tahoe, Roberts holds a doctorate in literature and the environment from the University of Nevada, Reno, and teaches in the university’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at Lake Tahoe. The Borrego Springs Library is located at 2580 Country Club Road. For information about attending the workshop, call 760-767-5761. More information about Roberts and her books is available at suzanneroberts.net.

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