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 9, 2026

Old Borego Opens Its Doors for History Preservation Day

Every November, the Borrego Springs Civic Foundation unlocks the gate at 1580 Rango Way and invites the community back to where the valley began. This year's History Preservation Day brought neighbors, longtime residents and newcomers to Old Borego for an afternoon of stories, memorabilia and shade under the old tamarisk trees.

Virginia Miller and Martha Deichler of the Borrego Springs Civic Foundation with Francisco Murillo, who watches over Old Borego, on the porch of the old Borego Store.

Ram Media Foundation was glad to take part. When the Civic Foundation asked for vintage newspapers to display, Ram Media Foundation supplied historic Borrego Sun front pages and old resort brochures, and the Civic Foundation bought the frames. The finished exhibit hung along the porch of the old Borego Store. Headlines like "Sun Worshippers Sizzle" and "'Glass Elevator' Opens" sat next to brochures for Desert Lodge and The Borrego Village, giving visitors a look at how the valley sold itself to the world decades ago.

Denny DuVall, who grew up at Old Borego, spoke to the crowd about life at the homestead and the general store his family ran. Copies of his memoir, That's My Story And I'm Stickin' to It! , were on hand. Inside the store, the original hand-painted "Cabins / Borego Store / DuVall / Groceries – Tobacco – Pop – Gasoline" sign still leans against the wall, a reminder of the years when this was the valley's main stop for supplies.

Guests toured the original home: the high-ceilinged living room with its wood stove, the sunny kitchen with gingham curtains and a vintage rounded-top refrigerator, and the small bedrooms kept much as they were. Outside, the empty pool now holds two metal dragons, with the Santa Rosa Mountains glowing behind them at sunset.

The Miss Borrego court joined the celebration. Strung between the trees were essays by Borrego Springs Elementary students, entries in the Civic Foundation's annual writing contest on the history of Old Borego.

Thank you to the Borrego Springs Civic Foundation, including Virginia Miller and Martha Deichler, for organizing the day, and to Francisco Murillo, who watches over Old Borego year-round, for helping keep this piece of Borrego history open to the community.

Support the Civic Foundation's Annual Fund Drive

History Preservation Day is just one of the ways the Borrego Springs Civic Foundation gives back. Now in its 52nd year, the Foundation has funded dozens of worthwhile organizations and projects since 1975 that help make Borrego Springs a great place to live and visit.

Martha Deichler, Secretary of the Foundation and Executive Director of the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center, explains why the Foundation's support matters:

"Although many nonprofits today rely on major corporate, institutional, or government entities for the bulk of their funding, the comparatively small Borrego Springs Civic Foundation still plays a critical funding role in our community. Major funders can be very selective in what they will fund, and their grants often require long lead times and much red tape. The Civic Foundation, on the other hand, with modest grants that fall mostly between $500 and $3,000, will often fund grant requests that fall 'between the cracks' of other funders—and can often do so within a matter of weeks. Its funding thus enables local organizations to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, meet unexpected challenges, and undertake projects and activities that may not be a high priority for traditional funders."

Consider supporting the Annual Fund Drive: donate at borregocivic.org/donate. Learn more at borregocivic.org.

Old Borego's original buildings are privately owned and open to the public only during History Preservation Day.