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.

Borrego Sun Staff • October 3, 2026

Flashback: The Night a Missile Test Lit Up Borrego’s Sky

Photo: Porter Tinsley - Less Than Amateur

Borrego Springs residents witnessed the phenomena in the sky on Saturday night, Nov. 7, 2015 at 6:01 p.m.

Looking back at the Borrego Sun’s December 7, 2015, coverage

On Saturday, November 7, 2015, an unusual light appeared over Borrego Springs shortly after 6 p.m. A bright white glow expanded across the sky, followed by a blue trail, leaving residents wondering what they had witnessed.

Was it a UFO? A meteor? A missile?

The spectacle coincided with the annual Nightfall Star Party & Imaging Conference, bringing an unexpected addition to a weekend devoted to watching the desert’s night sky. The Borrego Sun’s original coverage captured the surprise and speculation surrounding the event.

Nearby, photographer Porter Tinsley witnessed the same display from Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea. Her photographs showed an expanding white halo against the Milky Way and were later featured in Space.com’s coverage by Elizabeth Howell.

What We Know

The light was an unarmed Trident II D5 missile launched from the USS Kentucky in the Pacific Test Range off Southern California. The U.S. Navy’s November 9, 2015, statement confirmed that the November 7 launch was part of an operation to demonstrate the readiness of the submarine’s crew and weapons system.

More than a decade later, the story offers a memorable flashback to a night when Borrego residents looked up—and saw something far beyond their usual view of the stars.

Source: U.S. Navy, November 9, 2015; Elizabeth Howell, Space.com

>> Strategic Command Issues Statement on Trident Missile Test that Freaked Out the West Coast