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.

Andrea McKenna • November 2, 2026

Borrego, November 1949: Ten Cents a Copy

Actor Jon Hall, Borrego’s new honorary marshal (center), with the October 1949 Borrego Sun at the opening of Hoberg’s Desert Resort. From left: Sun publisher Paul Strand, Paramount starlet Mari Blanchard, actress Beverly Tyler and Jack Benson of Benson Tours. Photo by Gaylord Johnson, Borrego Sun, November 1949. Courtesy of the Fred Jee Collection.

In November 1949, the Borrego Sun was nine issues old. It cost ten cents. Someone mailed this copy to a reader in San Diego with a two-cent stamp, and it survived. Here’s what was going on in Borrego that month.

A movie star gets a badge

The front page shows actor Jon Hall, Borrego’s new honorary marshal, in a cowboy hat and a sheriff’s star. He’s reading the October Borrego Sun at the gala four-day opening of the “million-dollar” Hoberg’s Desert Resort. With him are Sun publisher Paul Strand, Paramount starlet Mari Blanchard, actress Beverly Tyler and Jack Benson of Benson Tours. Gaylord Johnson took the photo.

Borrego collected Hollywood names in those years. Actor Frank Morgan was the town’s first honorary mayor, and Leo Carrillo was named honorary sheriff.

A road through Hellhole Canyon?

The top story was about a new road out of the valley. San Diego County supervisors rode horseback down a 4,000-foot grade on a two-day trip to see whether a road through Hellhole Canyon could work. The route would have cut about 20 miles off the drive to Warner Springs. Frank Hoberg also flew the officials over the area in his private Beechcraft Bonanza for a bird’s-eye view.

Today Hellhole Canyon is a hiking trail.

Small-town news

Chamber of Commerce election: members who couldn’t make the December meeting could mail in their votes. The nominees included Ray Schindler of the Schindler Detective Bureau.
Women’s Club: the Borrego Valley women met for the second time, at the Desert Lodge. They watched a demonstration by Sam Beatty, who had just opened a beauty salon in town and whose experience included Antoine’s of Paris and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Other notices: a weekly Saturday shopping trip to Brawley, a “prominent organist” engaged to play, and news that the county library was open to everyone.

A town being built in 1949

The Borrego Sun published its first issue in March. A subscription was $1 a year.
The post office opened in May. The valley’s population was estimated at 1,500.
The state park counted almost 42,000 visitors from January to April. Camping cost 50 cents.
The county airport was dedicated, and more than 17 miles of streets were paved.
Daily life: Borrego got its own song, a Little Theater group, a Boy Scout troop and the Borrego Valley Women’s Club. Bus service ran to San Diego, and Hoberg’s showed free movies every Friday.

The two R’s

Look at the masthead: BORREGO, with two R’s. The spelling wasn’t settled yet. The first issue in March was printed with one R “shaded” to please residents who preferred “Borego.” A month after this issue, in December 1949, the federal Board on Geographic Names made two R’s official.

This 1949 page comes from the Fred Jee Collection. The Borrego Sun’s print archive is at the San Diego History Center, and Ram Media Foundation shares its history online. Help at RamMediaFoundation.org.

Please also support the San Diego History Center, which works to preserve the history of San Diego County, including Borrego Springs. Visit SandiegoHistory.org.