We have absolutely fallen head over heels in love with Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. An easy 1 hour and 45 minutes drive from San Diego, it’s a must see day trip for the outdoors enthusiast. Almost 650,000 acres and 500 miles of dirt roads, there’s endless possibilities to even make it a destination in itself for multiple days. Desert beauty, Spring wildflowers, ancient discoveries, incredible natural formations, and roadside artwork make it a top spot for families, couples, individuals, and truly anyone.
The Drive from San Diego
Our favorite time of year to go to Anza-Borrego, not just due to the mild temperatures, but it’s when the desert wildflowers start blooming.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor’s Center
We recommend that your first stop be at the Anza-Borrego Visitor’s Center. After the drive, everyone is ready to use the bathrooms and step out of the car. At the Visitor’s Center you can get tons of information, guides, and directions from the volunteers, as well as enjoy the little trails right there. They also have some exhibits where you can learn about that area that are also fun for kids.
Just walking around the Visitor’s Center you can enjoy the desert bloom. We arrived at the tail end, probably the last day you could really count as Spring wildflower season, and there was still a lot to enjoy.
If you look carefully, you’ll spot desert wildlife. This guy was HUGE! Literally the size of a small dog. And he wasn’t too scared, he let us hang out for a while and take a lot of photos.
The Slot
Just 20 – 30 minutes from the Visitor’s Center is an incredible trail called The Slot. A short trail suitable for all skill levels including children, twists and turns as you make your way through the narrow slot canyon, tons of climbing opportunities, it’s truly a must see. All the details can be found in our The Slot blog post.
Wind Caves
About 30 minutes down from The Slot you’ll find another Anza-Borrego treasure, the Wind Caves. Overlooking the Carrizo Bandlands, you’ll feel like you were transported to another world. Another short and easy hike suitable for all ages, the awe inspiring scenery is just the tip of the iceberg once the Wind Caves sandstone formation appears just begging to be explored by adults and children alike. You can get all the details on this must see destination in our Wind Caves blog post.
Galleta Meadows
One of the most unique things about your drive around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are these giant free-standing sculptures you will see everywhere! Some are near the roads, but others you’ll catch quite in the distance and then you just drive off-road to get up close. The sculptor Ricardo Breceda made these come to life base on the vision of Dennis Avery. Dozens of these metal sculptures can be found sprinkled around the area and make for a fantastic scavenger hunt that both adults and children will enjoy. Giant tortoise, elephants, camels, sloth, saber tooth cat, mammoth, giant serpent and so much more! At the visitor’s center they will give you a map if you want to hit them all!
By far our favorite is this giant serpent that actually spans across the road! It’s not far at all from the Visitor’s Center.
These sculptures are always set back with lots of space to explore. Just park your car anywhere in the sand.
Ocotillo Forest
When the desert blooms are alive in the Spring, visiting the Ocotillo Forest is a site to be seen. Not far from the Visitor’s Center, just park your car on the side of the road and explore.
The Hunt for Wildflowers
During the wildflower season, you can just drive around until you see something you want to explore. Park your car on the side of the road and have at it!
Other Places to Explore
We are just getting started with Anza-Borrego! We’ll continually add to this post with our new discoveries. Next on our list is:
- 17 Palms Oasis
- Borrego Palm Canyon Trail
- Agua Caliente
And more!
Need to Know
- As you get closer to the park, the drive does get a little curvy, so take note if you have littles in the car who get motion sickness. We solved that problem by a using a little Kids Dramamine
. If you aren’t into medicines, Sea Bands
seem to work pretty well.
- For many of the trails a high-clearance vehicle with 4WD is required, but not all.
- Many of the trails do not permit dogs, so leave Fido behind so your day isn’t impacted.
- There are several routes to get there. We recommend the route through Ramona. Avoid the route through Julian via the 8 freeway. It’s much more curvy, and our kiddo unfortunately couldn’t keep his stomach settled on that route.
- Check the weather forecast. This is the desert and gets very hot in the summer. Take water and we recommend packing a lunch to enjoy as you experience the outdoor fun, there aren’t a ton of food options especially in the middle of a trail!
- Check how windy it will be and bring sunglasses for everyone. If the wind picks up, this is desert and a lot of debris/sand can get in the eyes. We learned that the hard way! Fortunately the Visitor’s Center sells sunglasses so we were in luck.
. If you aren’t into medicines, 
seem to work pretty well.Where is your favorite spot in Anza-Borrego? Ask your questions or share your comments below, we’re listening!
