Tom Skinner
Words by Tom Skinner
If you are contemplating a visit to Southern California, you should put a trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at the top of your list. The park is about an hour and a half southwest of Palm Springs and about two hours from San Diego. It's the largest State Park in California. Many people have visited Anza-Borrego during the February to April time frame enticed by the words "superbloom” and “wildflowers”, however, it is much more than that.
Originally, the area was made up of two State Parks, Anza Desert State Park, and Borrego Desert State Park. Anza- Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP) was established in 1957, named jointly after Juan Baptista Anza, a Spanish explorer, and Borrego which means bighorn sheep in Spanish. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is well known for its population of Bighorn sheep. In fact, ABDSP is considered to be a success story in terms of an endangered species, and the opportunities to see these Peninsular Desert Bighorn keeps people returning.
My wife and I have traveled to Borrego Springs, the closest community to Anza- Borrego Desert State Park, at least nine times. Although that doesn't make us experts, we have been there enough to know what we enjoyed and what we look forward to.
My first suggestion when visiting ABDSP is to check-in at the State Park Visitor's Centre. Even if you only have a day you can't help but come away with new and accurate information from volunteers or park staff officials. At the Visitor Centre, which is built partially underground, there is a garden area complete with cacti, signage, trees, and local wildlife, giving you a sense of what is in the area. Inside the visitor centre there are scheduled talks given by volunteers or park personnel.
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Each time we have visited we have driven from Palm Springs to Borrego Springs via Highway 86, skirting the west side of the Salton Sea, and turning west onto S22 to Borrego Springs. If you are traveling on a weekend, especially in the wildflower season, you can expect traffic to be busy. What you can also expect is to see a significant number of RVs "boondocking", and enjoying a large expansive area ideal for off-road vehicles. Well over five hundred miles await those who want to travel "off-road." The main road is well marked with interesting pullouts and signage. A view of the Borrego Badlands with its unique and interesting formations is worth a stop at any time of the year. If you enjoy privacy and seclusion you can find that as well.
In our time visiting the Park we have enjoyed staying at Palm Canyon Campsite in the State Park. The Park offers approximately 150 sites, of which around fifty are fully serviced. In and around ABDSP there are several options for accommodation, including "glamping" in a retro Airstream, villas, motel units, and approximately ten different resorts. There is also a new Good Neighbour Sam RV Site called Leapin' Lizard RV Ranch.
As you enter Borrego Springs, you'll find Christmas Circle, which is a huge roundabout at one end of Borrego Springs. The street from Christmas Circle to the Park Visitor Bureau and the turnoff to Palm Canyon Campground is wide and straight. Interestingly, there are no traffic lights in Borrego Springs. Depending on the time of year you visit, you might easily be able to circle the roundabout and stop to enjoy a picnic and use the clean washrooms. Close to Christmas Circle are many art galleries, and various shops and eateries. Borrego Springs Road runs off the Circle in two different directions, north and south, and it's a road you'll want to follow.
On my first trip to Borrego Springs, I ended up driving towards Yaqui Pass and Julien. As I drove along Borrego Springs Road, I had to pull over to check out what I had just witnessed. I was convinced I had seen several wild horses close to the road and it was worth the stop. As I looked closer, in addition to the horses, I saw large birds. I now know these figures are part of an outdoor collection of metal sculptures, by sculptor Ricardo Breceda, whose story certainly is serendipitous.
Borrego Springs' resident, Dennison Avery, purchased 3000 acres of land in the 1990s. As a member of the local community, he had become a supporter of the work of local researchers and scientists who were interested in publishing a book on Prehistoric Animals found in the area. The book, "Fossils and Treasures of Anza-Borrego " took five years to produce and was supported financially by Dennis Avery and others.
Tom Skinner
Mr. Avery, a retired lawyer from San Diego, was a well-known philanthropist, with an interest in prehistoric animals. When he noticed a dinosaur being constructed near Perris, California he was intrigued with the possibility of large sculptures open to the public, in an area now known as Galleta Meadows. Galleta Meadows is on the northern part of Borrego Springs Road and is an art exhibit including sea serpents, historical figures, prehistoric animals, and unusual birds. It can best be viewed by automobile or bicycle, and there are loops and turnarounds by each exhibit. The sculptures are large, with an amazing amount of detail, and over 130 metal sculptures are presented to the public at no charge. You should take at least half a day to enjoy and photograph some of the sculptures. It's something you can do in any season, and the considerable creativity with night photography and the sculptures is worth viewing.
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Ricardo Breceda, the sculptor commissioned by Dennis Avery, was a teacher who became a construction worker. After a back injury, he entered the retail industry where he was importing and selling leather boots and jackets. When a customer brought a welding machine into the shop as partial payment Ricardo learned to use the machine. His daughter had seen Jurassic Park Three and wanted to know if her dad could construct a dinosaur. In what can only be called "serendipity", Dennis Avery observed the dinosaur and the two began a relationship with Ricardo working on the sculptures in the Borrego Spring area.
Anza Borrego State Park is a place where you can enjoy yourself by simply taking in the surroundings. It is a huge outdoor classroom. The opportunities for physical activity include hiking, backpacking, and cycling. Photographers have multiple opportunities including landscape, wildlife, flowers, and night photography. The Park was certified as an International Dark Sky Park in January of 2018. It is also a Scientific and Education Research Center. Since opening in 2014, over 130 universities from 29 states and 12 foreign countries have made use of the facility.
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We've generally visited in the fall, and winter, along with approximately 100,000 other snowbirds. My most recent trip was in early December 2019, where I again hiked into Palm Canyon to the Oasis. On the return trip, I was fortunate to see a Bighorn Ram off to the side of a trail. People who stopped to enjoy his presence did not particularly bother the ram. On the second day of my trip, I saw several bighorn sheep close to one of the local golf courses, where they have become accustomed to visiting. In many ways, they are like people, and when they get to the golf course the ewes hang around with the ewes, and the rams stick together.
At 640,000 acres, the park is too big to cover in a day or two. Naturalist's talks, nature walks, hikes, birding, wildflower viewing, and frequent Night Sky events for stargazing and observing planets, should be part of your planning. If you can fit in cycling and photography, you will keep coming. If this seems to be too busy a schedule there is nothing wrong with simply relaxing, and I don't think you'll find a more relaxing place. There is a feeling of pride evident in all interactions I’ve had with the friendly people in Borrego Springs, and I am already planning my next trip.
To help with your planning here are some useful websites and programs.
- Ports Program- for teachers. Over one hundred thousand students have connected through video conferencing technology, learning about desert life, geology, and paleontology. Visit www.ports.parks.ca.gov
- Wildflower Hotline 760-767-4684 www.parks.ca.gov/anzaborrego
- Anza Borrego Foundation: www.theABF.org
- General info: desertusa.com