Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
State park · San Diego County
California
Highlights
Wildflowers, slot canyons, dark skies, and desert sculptures
Wildflowers, slot canyons, dark skies, and desert sculptures
"Approximately a 2.5-hour drive from Los Angeles and certified as a Dark Sky Place, this desert park provides wide-open horizons and excellent conditions for stargazing." - Skye Sherman Skye Sherman Skye Sherman is a travel writer based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Aside from traveling, she's also a pilot, scuba diver, bookworm, and fourth-generation Floridian. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Palm Beach Illustrated, Atlas Obscura, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Encompassing over 600,000 acres of mostly wild desert, this is California’s largest state park and is prized for remote badlands, slot canyons, and areas accessible only on foot or by primitive four-wheel-drive roads. Spring brings spectacular displays of wildflowers—purple sand verbenas, yellow desert sunflowers, and golden poppies—while nights offer some of the best stargazing in the state after its designation as an International Dark Sky Park in 2018. The landscape also preserves ancient Native American rock art and fossilized remains, giving visitors both striking scenery and deep cultural and paleontological history." - Evie Carrick Evie Carrick Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Home of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, this small community is the only International Dark Sky Community in California. Dedicated to protecting the night sky from light pollution, backyard stargazing parties are a daily occurrence. Visitors are invited to embrace the local natural and cultural wonders with the annual Night Fall Star Party." - Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Be a Travel Writer, an online course for the next generation of travel journalists. Her photos, videos, and words have appeare
"Many people don't realize the hidden slot canyons and abandoned mines of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park exist in California. It's about a 90-minute drive outside the city, but true adventurers will be rewarded with the park's great hikes, abundant wildflowers, and hundreds of miles of dirt road. The Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, a 3.25-mile loop in the park, ascends 450 feet into the desert canyon. You'll pass through one of the largest palm oases in California at the end, while hiking along seasonal waterfalls. (The palm grove itself is currently closed to the public for restoration.) If you have a full extra day in San Diego and are looking to get out of the city, California's largest state park is well worth the trip." - Archana Ram, Claire Trageser
"A vast, 600,000-acre desert park surrounding a small town and prized as an International Dark Sky Community; it draws visitors for dramatic desert landscapes, extensive spring wildflower displays, primitive and developed campsites, and a surprising outdoor gallery of large metal sculptures by self-taught artist Ricardo Breceda, with interpretive guides available from the local natural history association." - Patricia Doherty Patricia Doherty Patricia Doherty is a writer who specializes in covering destinations, resorts, and cruises for Travel + Leisure and other publications. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
