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.

Miguel Hernández Public Affairs Officer • June 20, 2026

Now Hiring! The Salton Sea Conservancy is Seeking an Executive Officer

Experienced, collaborative, mission-driven professional wanted

We are seeking an experienced, collaborative, mission-driven professional to lead the newly established Salton Sea Conservancy. As the Conservancy’s inaugural leader, the Executive Officer will play a pivotal role in growing the Conservancy team, building durable partnerships, and shaping strategy to successfully operate and maintain completed restoration projects at the Salton Sea.

Under the policy direction of the Salton Sea Conservancy Board and with administrative oversight from the California Natural Resources Agency, the Executive Officer will serve as the organization’s chief executive. The Executive Officer will provide leadership in operations and maintenance for completed restoration projects built by the State’s Salton Sea Program, community engagement, interagency collaboration, project implementation, and financial oversight to ensure the ecological restoration and environmental health of the Salton Sea region in alignment with California Senate Bill 583.

This position is remote-centered and will be headquartered in the Salton Sea region once office facilities are established, with the Executive Officer expected to report onsite as needed.

Click here to read more about the Executive Officer position. Application deadline is August 8, 2026.

Salton Sea Conservancy Board of Directors and First Meeting

Currently appointed voting members:

Janeth Corona, Public Member Appointed by the Governor

Silvia Paz, Public Member Appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, Riverside County Board of Supervisors

Designee: Juan Perez

Supervisor Ryan Kelley, Imperial County Board of Supervisors

Director Castulo Estrada, Coachella Valley Water District

Director Gina Dockstader, Imperial Irrigation District

Chair Joseph Mirelez, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians

Designee: Vice Chair RoseMarie Morreo, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians

President Jonathan Koteen, Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe (Appointed by Secretary Crowfoot)

Camila Bautista (Appointed by Secretary Crowfoot)

Director Joe Stephenshaw, California Department of Finance

Designee: Michele Perrault

Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency (Chair of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors)

Designee: Joe Shea

Director Meghan Hertel, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Designee: Tonya Marshall

Director Karla Nemeth, California Department of Water Resources

Designee: Evon Willhoff

Director Armando Quintero, California Department of Parks and Recreation

Designee: Ray Lennox

Currently appointed ex-officio nonvoting members:

Secretary Yana Garcia, California Environmental Protection Agency

Designees: Executive Director Michael Placencia (Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board) and Maurice Lyles

Chair Joaquin Esquivel, California State Water Resources Control Board

Designee: Board Member Laurel Firestone, California State Water Resources Control Board

Chair Lauren Sanchez, California Air Resources Board

Designee: Jane Sadler

Jennifer Mata, United States Bureau of Land Management

Genevieve Johnson, United States Bureau of Reclamation

Jonathan Shore, United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Please sign up for the Salton Sea Program’s listserv here for additional updates, or reach out to mario.llanos@resources.ca.gov.

Learn More About Borrego Springs

Renate Nishio holistic bodywork brochure, Borrego Springs

Rebirth in the Desert: How Holistic Healing Found a Home in Borrego Springs

By Andrea McKenna • November 10, 2026

Phil Mickelson called her with food poisoning two days before Torrey Pines. Meet Renate Nishio, who helped make Borrego Springs a place people come to heal.

Jim and Anne Wermers: Taking Care of Borrego

By Andrea McKenna • November 9, 2026

From the old grocery on Christmas Circle to The Mall, The Center and a food bank that fed a quarter of the town, how Jim and Anne Wermers took care of Borrego.

St. Richard Catholic Church, Borrego Springs

Help Save St. Richard Catholic Church in Borrego Springs

By Andrea McKenna • November 8, 2026

St. Richard Catholic Church in Borrego Springs has served the desert for more than 70 years. Now the parish and Christ the King Mission need help to stay open.

Bill Wright: Borrego's Champion

By Andrea McKenna • November 3, 2026

Two neighbors, one town, and decades of giving back: how Bill and Jenny Wright helped build the library, the concerts, the scholarships and so much more in Borrego Springs.

Community Spotlight: Father George Keith

By Andrea McKenna • October 30, 2026

Priest, director and longtime friend of Borrego's stage: a look at Father George Keith's years at St. Barnabas and the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center.

Tennis for Health: Borrego’s Own Elite Pro Has Been Teaching the “Sport of a Lifetime” Here for Decades

By Andrea McKenna • October 29, 2026

Photo courtesy of Mike Rogers.

In Memory of Joan Delores Rosen

By Martin, Dirk and Marika Rosen • October 26, 2026

Joan Delores Rosen, 95, Remembered for a Life of Art, Adventure and Conservation

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

By Shirley Vialpando • 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.

Tony Cecena to Lead Both Borrego Springs Resorts

By Andrea McKenna • October 13, 2026

The lifelong Borregan will oversee Borrego Springs Resort while continuing as General Manager of La Casa del Zorro. Tony Cecena has been appointed General Manager of Borrego Springs Resort in addition to his current role leading La Casa del Zorro, according to an announcement shared by Chris Adams. The appointment brings together two familiar desert destinations under shared leadership. La Casa del Zorro offers guest rooms and private casitas, dining, pools, tennis and pickleball. Borrego Springs Resort features rooms and suites with mountain or pool views, a heated pool and lighted tennis courts. For Cecena, the expanded role reconnects him with a property where he spent 22 years working across hotel and food operations, technology, accounting and sales. He began his hospitality career at La Casa del Zorro while attending high school. Adams described the arrangement as a partnership rooted in cooperation and collaboration, praising Cecena’s passion for hospitality. With deep ties to both properties, Cecena brings decades of experience and a longstanding commitment to the Borrego Springs community.

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