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.

City News Service • August 18, 2026

Campo-area wildfire threatens structures

Smoke from the Church 2 Fire near Campo rises into the sky on Aug. 17, 2026.

A brush fire spread over swaths of brushy open terrain in the rural southeastern reaches of the San Diego area Monday, blackening scores of acres and threatening structures as ground and airborne crews worked to subdue the flames.

Church 2 FireThe blaze, dubbed the Church 2 Fire, erupted for unknown reasons shortly before 2:30 p.m. off the 36800 block of Church Road in Campo, east of Lake Morena and about a mile south of Interstate 8, according to Cal Fire.

Within a half-hour, the fire had grown to encompass roughly 20 acres, the state agency reported. The flames were posing potential hazards to some developed areas as firefighters battled the blaze, officials said.

As of 3:45 p.m., the size of the burn zone had grown to about 132 acres, Cal Fire advised.

EvacuationsAuthorities issued an evacuation order for sparsely populated locales around the intersection of Live Oak Springs Road and Old Highway 80, and advised people living somewhat farther to the east to prepare to clear out of their homes on short order.

A temporary shelter for the displaced was in operation at Golden Acorn Casino in Campo.

Learn More About Borrego Springs

San Diego County: When To Expect Election Results

By East County News Service/County News Service • November 4, 2026

The Registrar will post the local election night results on sdvote.com and the Registrar of Voters X account.

Pilot killed in Ocotillo Wells plane crash

By Miriam Raftery • November 4, 2026

Video Credit: FOX 5 San Diego / YouTube

Borrego, November 1949: Ten Cents a Copy

By Andrea McKenna • November 2, 2026

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.

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