Anza-Borrego Desert with Keith

Yesterday morning Keith and I piled into his car with snacks and water and cameras and headed out to Borrego Springs and the Anza-Borrego Desert. The desert wild flowers bloom in February and March and it’s a fun day trip for some easy hiking and photo opportunities. After a few miles on the 8 we took the 79 which is all twisty 2-lane scenic roads making the 2 hour drive part of the fun.

Once there we made a quick stop at the Visitor Center to use the facilities, pick up the latest maps, and check with a guide on where flowers were blooming the most. The Visitor Center is very nice with lots of information about the area and a large area of flowers right there, but Keith had been there last year and I had seen it several years ago and we wanted to get out into the desert right away.

Back in the car we drove a couple miles east, then turned north to Desert Gardens. The last 4 miles are a very bumpy 1-lane dirt road, which is why we were in Keith’s car; mine rides too low. We were able to go past where most other people stopped and enjoyed a really nice, easy hike up into one of the canyons. After a couple hours there we drove back south, then east some more to an area covered with yellow flowers and surrounded by mountains in the distance.

Before heading home we stopped back at the Visitor Center for a last pit stop. I also bought a small book on all the different areas of the State Park. It’s huge with a lot more than can be seen on 1 trip. And I’m thinking it’d be a good one-night camping trip as well, to catch the good light around sunset and sunrise.