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 • May 18, 2026

Old Borrego Sun Boxes Reveal a Famous Feathered Visitor

A Fun Find in the Old Borrego Sun Boxes

Going through old Borrego Sun boxes recently turned up a fun piece of Borrego Days history: The Famous Chicken was once Grand Marshal of the Borrego Springs Desert Festival Parade.

The story connects back to Southern California’s legendary FM radio era. In 1974, a KGB-FM radio promotion helped launch the Chicken into San Diego pop culture, with Ted Giannoulas first putting on the suit for a KGB promotion at the San Diego Zoo. By 1979, the character had become known as The Famous Chicken, one of the most recognizable mascots in sports and entertainment.

The connection also reaches Gabriel Wisdom, founder of the Ram Media Foundation and KRAM 90.5 FM, whose broadcast career began at KPRI in 1968 before he later worked at KGB-FM San Diego and KMET in Los Angeles during the 1970s and early 1980s.

A fun reminder that Borrego history can turn up in the most unexpected places — even in the story of a legendary Chicken.