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 • October 20, 2026

Suzanne Roberts to Lead Memoir Workshop at Borrego Springs Library

October 27 session will help beginning and experienced writers develop stories from their own lives

Author and writing instructor Suzanne Roberts will present “Writing Your Life: A Generative Memoir Workshop” at the Borrego Springs Library on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The program offers an opportunity for writers to begin a memoir or return to a project already underway.

According to the workshop announcement, participants will work through a series of writing prompts designed to help them start, develop or revise their memoirs.

Instruction will address overcoming writing blocks, using specific details and sensory imagery, and building scenes. Both beginners and experienced writers are welcome.

Roberts’s visit comes shortly after the October 1 publication of her newest book, 52 Writing Prompts: Inspiration for the Creative Writer, from the University of Nebraska Press. Drawing on more than 30 years of teaching creative writing, the book combines discussions of writing techniques with exercises designed to take about 20 minutes. Its themes include memory, family, relationships, grief, and the natural world, with additional guidance on revision and publishing.

Her own work includes memoir, travel writing, essays and poetry. Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail recounts a 1993 backpacking trip with two other women through California’s Sierra Nevada. The memoir won the 2012 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature, bringing recognition to a story that explores friendship and personal growth alongside the challenges of the trail.

Roberts is also the author of Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel and Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties. The latter was longlisted for the 2023 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. She has also published four poetry collections.

Based in South Lake Tahoe, Roberts holds a doctorate in literature and the environment from the University of Nevada, Reno, and teaches in the university’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at Lake Tahoe.

The Borrego Springs Library is located at 2580 Country Club Road. For information about attending the workshop, call 760-767-5761. More information about Roberts and her books is available at suzanneroberts.net.

Learn More About Borrego Springs

Showboss Productions Brings the Sky to the 60th Annual Borrego Days

By Andrea McKenna • October 20, 2026

13th year of festival flyovers features T-34 Mentor aircraft soaring over Borrego Springs Before the first parade entry rolled down Palm Canyon Drive on Saturday, October 17, the crowd along the route was already looking up. The 60th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival opened with the familiar rumble of aircraft overhead as a formation flyover swept across the desert valley. The flyover was organized by Showboss Productions , a San Diego-based aviation event company led by Christopher “Oz” Van Stelle, who shared that this year's performance marked approximately 13 years of flying for Borrego Days. The aircraft featured in this year's flyover were T-34 Mentors , military training aircraft originally developed in the late 1940s and used to train generations of U.S. military pilots. For Van Stelle and his team, returning to Borrego Springs has become a cherished tradition. "It was a pleasure to fly over Borrego Days again!" Van Stelle said. "As for the experience, it's always a highlight for us. We flew T-34 Mentors and there's no better backdrop for these aircraft than the desert landscape. This was our 13th year, I believe, flying for Borrego Days and the community support has always been overwhelming. We are fortunate and blessed." Showboss Productions specializes in precision aviation events, including formation flyovers, aerial demonstrations, drone light shows, helicopter VIP arrivals and air show production. The company coordinates flight formations, pilots, regulatory approvals and timing to deliver aircraft overhead at precisely the right moment. Its work has included flyovers for the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, San Diego FC and San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium, the USS Midway Museum, and LEGOLAND California. Other events have included Fourth of July celebrations, community parades and air shows across the country. Showboss also performs Missing Man formations to honor veterans and others during memorial ceremonies, including tributes at Fort Rosecrans, Miramar and Riverside National Cemeteries. Depending on the event, Showboss formations feature everything from vintage military aircraft and civilian aerobatic planes to former military jets. For Borrego Days, the flyover is a natural fit for a community with a longstanding connection to aviation and the surrounding desert landscape. The two-day festival, hosted by the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce at Christmas Circle Community Park, celebrated its 60th year with the Saturday parade, Shine & Show vehicle show, live music, children's activities, food vendors and community booths. And for the pilots who have returned year after year, the enthusiasm from Borrego Springs residents remains one of the highlights of the experience. Learn more about Showboss Productions at showbossproductions.com .

Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group – Seeking New Members

By John Peterson, Sponsor Group Membership • October 20, 2026

The Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group is seeking applicants to fill three vacant seats following the announced resignations of two members for personal reasons. Members are appointed by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and represent the interests and concerns of Borrego Springs to County government. Following questions raised at the group’s October 7 meeting, Chair John Peterson clarified that applicants must be registered voters, but do not need to be registered to vote in Borrego Springs. Under Board Policy I-1, applicants must either reside in or own property within the community. Residents who do not own property in Borrego Springs are eligible to apply. Serving on the Sponsor Group offers an opportunity to become involved in local issues and help ensure community concerns are heard by County government. For more information about membership, contact John Peterson , Chair of the Borrego Springs Community Sponsor Group, at 858-220-0877 or petersonenv@hotmail.com ..

Tibet Comes to Borrego: Lama Tashi Norbu Returns to Yellow Woman Ranch

By Rossy Sanchez, Yellow Woman Ranch • October 19, 2026

Lama Tashi Norbu returns to Borrego Springs for four days of Tibetan art, teachings and traditions.

OLAX Brings Many Hands Together for Borrego Days

By Andrea McKenna • October 19, 2026

Families and volunteers worked into the early morning to bring the organization’s parade float to life

Miss Borrego Springs Court Makes the Rounds at Borrego Days

By Andrea McKenna • October 18, 2026

The Miss Borrego Springs 2026–27 Court stops by the Borrego Art Institute booth during Borrego Days.

Martha Deichler Leads the Borrego Days Parade

By Andrea McKenna • October 18, 2026

Grand Marshal of the festival’s 60th annual celebration Martha Deichler waved to the crowd along Palm Canyon Drive on Saturday, October 17, as Grand Marshal of the 60th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival, with the San Ysidro Mountains providing a scenic backdrop. A longtime local educator and community advocate, Deichler previously served as Borrego Springs Elementary School principal and superintendent of the Borrego Springs Unified School District. She now leads the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center as executive director, helping residents access food, transportation, educational opportunities and other essential services. Her place in this year’s parade celebrated a familiar face whose work has touched families throughout the valley.