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This is the largest state park in California (maybe the country). It's embarrassing to admit that I lived about 60 miles from this desert for 36 years, and this was my first time here. This is understandable if you just consider it a desolate waste land, but I was always aware of the amazing flower display that a dessert can put on, and I always thought about going there, but never made it. This trip, unfortunately, did not satisfy my flower desires. It has just been too dry for too long. I hear there probably won't be much of a display anytime this year.
I stayed at two camp grounds during my two week visit. The first was Aqua Caliente. There are a few good hikes here, and some pools and hot tubs fed by a hot spring. Some friends from San Diego joined me for a couple of days, which made this particular stop all the more enjoyable. The second campsite I stayed at is often simply referred to as the Anza-Borrego State Park, which is kind of confusing because there are many campsites in the state park. It is sometimes referred to as the Palm Canyon park. It's near the town of Borrego Springs, where the pictures of the serpent were taken. The palm canyon trail is excellent. It has a good level of difficulty and good scenery. There is a flowing spring near the top, where there are also a lot of palm trees. I scanned the hill sides for Bighorn Sheep (Borrego is the Spanish term for Bighorn Sheep). I was told to look for them on the hill sides, but I ended up seeing them instead, on the floor of the canyon. There were a few females, but no males. The males have much more impressive horns. |
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