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 3, 2026

Treffpunks Rolls Into Borrego Springs

Vintage Volkswagens roll into Borrego Springs for a weekend built around driving, desert roads and community.

If you noticed a lineup of vintage Volkswagens around Borrego Springs today, they’re here for Treffpunks, a private gathering built around old-school Volkswagen culture, road trips and the simple pleasure of driving.

Treffpunks was created by longtime automotive figures Jason Whipple, co-founder of Rotiform, and Brian Scotto, co-founder of Hoonigan. The gathering focuses largely on pre-2000 Volkswagens and was designed as an alternative to the traditional car-show format — less about parking cars in rows and more about actually driving them.

The group’s previous California gathering took participants through the Sierra Nevada, with Performance VW describing it as an invitation-only weekend centered on vintage Volkswagens, scenic roads, food and friendship.

This time, the destination is Borrego Springs.

During their stay, members have been getting a taste of town, with stops at Coyote Steakhouse, The Dive Bar and Frugal Coyote, while making Hacienda del Sol their home base. Their Dive Bar experience even came with some unexpected entertainment: the group reportedly convinced someone to jump into the pool at The Palms at Indian Head, giving them a view of a swimmer through the bar window.

And when one member was asked what they liked most about Borrego Springs, the answer came quickly:

“The roads.”

It makes sense. For a gathering built around driving, Borrego’s open desert highways, curves, mountain approaches and dramatic scenery offer exactly what these vintage cars were brought here to enjoy.

The colorful lineup parked at Hacienda del Sol today includes generations of Volkswagen Golfs, GTIs and other classic European cars.

For Treffpunks, Borrego Springs offers exactly what the group came for: open roads, desert scenery and plenty of places to stop along the way.

Learn More About Borrego Springs

Flashback: The Night a Missile Test Lit Up Borrego’s Sky

By Borrego Sun Staff • October 3, 2026

Photo: Porter Tinsley - Less Than Amateur

Taste of the Backcountry | Where the Road Leads to Great Food

By Michael's in Borrego • October 2, 2026

Join us for Taste of the Backcountry, a culinary showcase.

Studio 628 Opens the Season with “Mixed Tempos”

By Andrea McKenna • October 1, 2026

Six artists come together for a collective exhibition, with an opening reception October 24 in Borrego Springs. Gary Henderson Interiors Studio 628 will celebrate its season opening with Mixed Tempos, a collective exhibition featuring Kevin Goddess, Victoria Johnson, Kippi Leonard, Robert Landry, Wil Gardner and Marcy Gregory. The opening reception takes place Saturday, October 24, from 5–7 p.m. at Studio 628, located at 628 Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs. Bringing six artists together in one exhibition, Mixed Tempos offers visitors an opportunity to explore their work and welcome the return of the local gallery season. The evening will also include a sneak preview of Galeria el Patio, adding another reason to stop by and see what’s ahead. Community members and visitors are invited to join the celebration, enjoy the exhibition and spend an evening connecting with Borrego Springs’ arts community. Opening reception: Saturday, October 24, 5–7 p.m. Location: Gary Henderson Interiors Studio 628, 628 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs

The Art Scene: Joe Garcia, Journey & Openings in Santa Ysabel and Borrego Springs

By Sally Walsh, Creative Director • October 1, 2026

Learn More About Borrego Springs

What’s Happening at Christmas Circle Community Park?

By Andrea McKenna • September 30, 2026

Irrigation upgrades are underway as the park seeks community support to keep Christmas Circle green.

Cherie Salma Bianco Brings Four Decades of Healing Work to Borrego Springs

By Andrea McKenna • September 29, 2026

Learn More About Borrego Springs

“…and Nobody Died.” The PAC6 Painters Celebrate 12 years of Adventures in Art

By Debra Holladay, PAC6 Painters (PAC6) • September 29, 2026

Known as the PAC6 Painters (PAC6), Linda Brown, Marian Fortunati, Nita Harper, Debra Holladay, Laura Wambsgans, and Sharon Weaver have explored and documented the landscape together for the past 10 years. Dedicated to painting the beauty and grandeur of the American landscape, the Southern California-based collaborating artists share a love of the wild outdoors and painting en plein air. Following in the historic footsteps of the California Impressionists, the PAC6 creates landscapes of iconic locations from a new and contemporary perspective. The paintings not only allow viewers to visit and revisit these places, but also take them on a journey through each artist’s individual interpretation of their experience. As Laura Wambsgans explains “Capturing the light within the landscape, nature’s palette, and the true sense of a place is our desire with each landscape painting. If we are successful, the viewer will feel the sun and wind and forget what is on the wall outside the frame.” The group’s first trip to Canyon de Chelly in 2013 solidified their partnership and was where they dedicated themselves to creating bodies of plein air and studio work for exhibiting as a group. Armed with easels, paints, and brushes, they’ve hit the trails, explored deserts, climbed mountains, and waded in the lakes and streams. Highlights of their trips include a pack trip by mule into the Sierras back country to Lake Ediza (and a bear that won’t forget them), jumping mules, a late-night stroll through the Silver Terrace cemetery under a full moon, forest fires, tumbles and twisted body parts, and crunched cars. Other painting expeditions include Yosemite Valley (with a snow trip planned for 2025), Carmel, Vermilion Cliffs, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Virginia City, and Lake Tahoe. Upcoming trips are already planned this year for June Lake, Rankin Ranch, and a fourth trip to Carmel. Linda Brown sums it up when she says, “Wandering the great outdoors and painting its beauty, from grand mountain vistas to butterfly wings, is a joy we simply could not live without.” Most recently, the PAC6 took on the Anza Borrego Desert. Multiple plein air trips over the past 16 months have resulted in a collection of plein air and studio paintings that showcase the variety and beauty of the desert. The group’s upcoming exhibit at the Borrego Art Institute, On the Trail of Plein Air Masters with the PAC6, opens October 17, 2026 and runs through November 29, 2026. Regardless of the destination, at the end of each adventure the PAC6 Painters brush off their jeans, smile at each other, and proclaim “… and nobody died.” The PAC6 Painters are: Linda Brown , www.lindabrownart.com Marian Fortunati , www.marianfortunati.com Nita Harper , www.nitaharper.com Debra Holladay , www.debraholladay.net Laura Wambsgans , www.laurawambsgans.com Sharon Weaver , www.sharonweaver.com

Two Exciting Exhibition Celebrate Our Natural World

By Cody Magee, Borrego Art Institute • September 29, 2026

Borrego Art Institute’s Season Opening Features Life in the Desert and Beyond

A Yacht Club in the Borrego Desert

By Andrea McKenna • September 28, 2026

Borrego Springs Yacht Club Brings Model Sailboat Racing to Rams Hill Borrego Springs is home to an unusual desert pastime: model yacht racing. The Borrego Springs Yacht Club was founded in 2010 by Steve Luckman and Dennis Daoust. The club has grown to about 40 members and operates at a pond on the former nine-hole golf course at Rams Hill. Members race V32 sailboats, 32-inch non-motorized model boats controlled remotely through their sails and rudders. The boats were manufactured in California for decades but are no longer in production. Races typically draw 16 to 20 boats, with courses marked by duck decoys used as buoys. The racing season runs from November through May, although members can practice throughout the year. Six club events are held during the season, including Opening Day in November, the Pacific Cap in January, the Invitational in February, the Misplace Race in March, the Powder Puff in April and the Tequila Bowl in May. Winners receive trophies that are held until the next event. The club also maintains a palapa-style clubhouse and hillside seating overlooking the pond, providing space for members and spectators during race days. Membership was listed at $250 per year. The Borrego Springs Yacht Club offers a distinctive local version of sailing, combining competition, model boat craftsmanship and community activity in the desert. If you have any interest, contact Dennis Daoust at captain-havoc@earthlink.net .

< Older Post