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 27, 2026

Protecting Anza-Borrego from the Golden Pacific Powerlink

Public Input Opportunity

The Golden Pacific Powerlink is a proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line being developed by SDG&E. The project would run from the Imperial Valley Substation in southern Imperial County to the border of San Diego and Orange Counties, near the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Current route materials indicate that the line could pass through or near Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, raising concerns about potential impacts to wilderness areas, cultural resources, wildlife habitat, scenic views, dark skies, and sensitive desert landscapes.

SDG&E released a proposed route map on April 13, 2026, and stakeholder feedback is being accepted through early November 2026. A formal CPUC application is expected later, followed by state and federal environmental review.

This is an important time for residents, visitors, conservation groups, tribal representatives, ratepayers, and other stakeholders to review the proposal and share informed feedback.

The project has been described as important for grid reliability, clean energy integration, and reducing transmission congestion across Southern California’s electrical system. At the same time, many community and conservation stakeholders are asking whether the current route can avoid unnecessary harm to one of California’s most significant state parks.

A 500 kV transmission line is major infrastructure. The towers required for this type of line can be far taller and more visually prominent than the existing 69 kV line currently within the Park. That older line was built before the Park was established and before modern environmental review laws such as CEQA existed.

The Anza-Borrego Foundation is encouraging the public to learn more, review available materials, and participate in the feedback process.

Source: Information summarized from the Anza-Borrego Foundation’s “Park Threat” page: https://theabf.org/park-threat/