Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: A weekend trip

There seems to be quite a number of state parks in California, but the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park covering over 900 sq. miles is the biggest of them all. Before going to Anza-Borrego, I had never been to a state park, so I was curious to see how a state park would differ from a national park.

Getting there from LA is straightforward and takes around 3 hours. As always, I enclose a map at the end of my post. On the way, you can "enjoy" the always horrendous LA traffic, so arriving at the park is a relief.

I started from a town called Borrego Springs, where I had my motel booked and where many hiking trails start too.

Borrego Springs is one of those desert communities that do not seem to differ much from one another. From my European perspective, it is always exotic to see how sparse they are. Buildings stand far away from each other, streets are super wide and sidewalks are nonexistent. One thing was unusual: there is a round-about in the center of town that is called "The Christmas Circle". It is large enough to host a small park, the only green area in the otherwise brown-yellow surrounding.

I first went to the Visitor Center to pick up a free map and then to my motel to check in.

The Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs.

If you have been to places like Death Valley or Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego is similar in character. The park is located in a valley surrounded from three sides by mountains, and bordering the Salton Sea. The park is huge as the desert stretches for miles. Take that into account if you plan to visit many spots - they may be even an hour drive away.

Hiking up the Calcite Mine.

My first hike was to the Calcite Mine. The mine is located on county road S22 in the direction of Salton Sea, just past the Arroyo Salado Campground. It was tricky to find the trailhead, which is an old mine road. There is a small parking area just before a place with radio antennas. From there, one can descend into a canyon where the mine road starts.

It was already late afternoon when I began climbing, so I did not see other hikers. After about a mile, I arrived at a spot with a sign reading "Calcite Mine Area". And that was it. I could not find any signs of mining activity, shafts to look into, nor abandoned infrastructure.

Back in Borrego Springs, it was quite late, so I called it a day and headed for the motel.

Panorama from the Calcite Mine.

Next morning at 9 AM, I returned to the Visitor Center and walked on a paved path in the direction of Borrego Palm Canyon. The path is called "Campground Trail" and ends at a camping area. I made a small detour to an overlook on the top of a nearby hill. The view from the top was pretty spectacular and one could see the whole town of Borrego Springs.

Palm Canyon trailhead: note the warning sign.

Behind the camping area starts a trail leading to a natural oasis. Numerous signs at the trailhead advise to take at least 1 gallon of water per person, since the place is hot and dry.

Walking at a moderate pace, about an hour later palm trees started coming into view. In contrast to the Calcite Mine, the oasis was by no means disappointing. In a place this dry, it was refreshing to see some surface water.

At the end of the canyon, vegetation was thick and palm trees grew all over. Water formed small ponds between rocks and spilled over the trail. Some of these ponds were quite deep and the water looked exceptionally clear.

A natural oasis.

Back at the Visitor Center, I bought a couple of gadgets in the souvenir shop and headed for the Elephant Tree zone.

The zone is located on the other site of the park, in the vicinity of a place called Ocotillo Wells. There is a sign reading "Elephant Tree Zone" beside the road, where the trail starts. Unfortunately, there are no signs as one progresses into the desert, so I had to follow footprints on the sand. The Elephant Tree is a rare species and I could not find any specimen. After about 45 min I headed back to the car.

There was some time left, so I decided to have a look at the Slot. Again, it was not easy to find where the dirt road branches off the highway. It seems to be a common problem in Anza-Borrego: with the exception of the well-marked Visitor Center area, signage is definitely lacking or the signs are difficult to spot.

I arrived at a small parking area and descended into the Slot. The Slot is a canyon that also seems to be circular. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to walk the whole circle, but it was still interesting. Once you get in there, it may be difficult to get out, because the walls are steep and exit from the canyon is only possible at certain places.

Desert views near The Slot.

At this point, it was getting late, so I had to say goodbye to Anza-Borrego and head for Los Angeles.

Last thing that struck me: driving on Highway 82 towards Escondido, the desert promptly gives way to a densely forested area called Cleveland National Forest. Whatever little precipitation comes from the Pacific Ocean, it stays here, so there is no water left for the desert further east. It is always interesting to me that places of such climatic variety can exist so close to each other.

Panorama from Highway 82 in Julian.

Despite some problems with signs and a few places being not as much interesting, I definitely took some proper rest in Anza-Borrego. The park does not have Joshua Trees, but is similar to Joshua Tree National Park and has some of the nicest oases, desert views and hiking trails. And last but not least, it is not at all crowded.