Borrego Palm Canyon Nature Trail

Had a magical hike through this desert canyon to a true oasis surrounded by fan palm trees and frogs and birds alike chirping. The trail itself isn’t always well marked and there is plenty of climbing up and down rocks and slopes so bring your best hiking shoes. We got our visitor parking day pass at the nearby Visitor Center to the south so we didn’t have to bother as much with the longer line of campers - just showed them we paid for the day and the rangers let us through. Make sure to be on your way back to your car by sundown and have a good flashlight!

My family really enjoyed this hike. My daughter is 9 and was able to manage the whole thing, but I wouldn't try it with a smaller child. We saw nesting birds, some frogs, and bighorn sheep! Bring plenty of water, were sunscreen, a hat, ect.

I'm not a huge fan of deserts and if you're coming from LA, there are definitely better options. While I wouldn't go out of my way for this hike, I can see how it's appealing to locals close by . Bring plenty of water and make sure to do this hike early in the morning or in the afternoon, it does get HOT! Even with an adventure pass or an America the beautiful pass you do have to pay $10, but it's only per vehicle. There was some water, but I wouldn't recommend drinking from it. We saw a European couple who didn't carry enough water end ended up using the steam to drink . Sunscreen, hats, shades and maybe even UV clothes is recommended. It is a nice place to take pictures.

A short nice hike. The trails are well marked and easy to follow. You might want to climb up the big rocks for cute pictures. There water through hike with small water falls to enjoy as well. I personally enjoyed walking on the rocks in the streams and played it’s cold water. The sound of water falls is relaxing throughout the hike. The palm trees at the top are beautiful.

Great hike! Really neat going deep into the canyon. The geology is more complex than initially thought or seems. Really cool. The alternative route is really special definitely recommend taking that route on way back. We Love this park it always amazes us.

Great hike out to the oasis. Easy to moderate trail. Beautiful area and vistas. A very worthy trek in the park. Plenty of parking, water and facilities on site.

This hike was recommended to me and it was amazing! The lady at the park entrance said to go up the alternative route and down the main route which I would recommend, gives a you a good view of all the different terrains and plants. Oasis at the top is stunning. Was 10 dollars entry fee. Parking easy.

Awesome hike and did not expect all the palms at the end. Was surprised to see all the palms on the main trail were uprooted during a flood several years ago. Hard to imagine that much water in a place so dry. Trail was pretty easy with a few places you had to climb over big rocks. Hike in morning during the summer as you are exposed most of the trail. Wasn't much water at the Oasis but was full of wildlife.

During the spring of 2019 I had the opportunity to hike this trail in the Anzo Borrega desert with a good friend. If you are from out west, you will recall this was a phenomenal year of the super bloom and the desert was not left out. It was an absolutely stunning spring season filled with wildflowers. It is an easy 2.9 mile hike and relatively flat. Elevation gain was approximately 600 feet. The trail leads to the third largest palm oasis in California. The palms are tucked away in a water filled oasis. We enjoyed an awesome hike filled with gorgeous wildflowers and water. I could not believe how beautiful this desert was. We did have to park at the Visitors Center and walk an additional 1.25 miles to access the trailhead as the parking lot was already full. We did not have any issues with losing the trail as others have noted. Funny, there is an outdoor toilet for you to use, no door and no roof. I doubt many people use it but I guess if you really had to go you would. Ha! Ha! Be advised no dogs allowed on the trail and remember to Leave No Trace.

This is really a very easy hike. The hardest part is there are only a few spots to stop and get some shade. The whole hike is in the sun and it gets very hot. People were sitting in the water at the end to cool off so maybe bring a suit. The parking lot was full so I had to park at the visitors center and walk around 1.25 miles to the trail. That walk is very easy and flat

In November, the hike took one of us 45 min each way without stopping and the other of us about 60 min each way. We lost the trail several times because the trail markings are unclear, and we ended up following others' footprints. Last half mile includes vigorous scramble on boulders. The map says about 1.5 mi to the First Grove at the top of the trail, but it was more like 1.8 miles according to Apple Watch. By about 3 pm in November, there was no sunlight on the top half of the trail, so the temperature was comfortably mild. But some of the photos might have been even better in sunlight for a more vivid color.

$10 day use per vehicle. Big parking lot. Nice open air bathroom to go to the bathroom, but no soap. Bring some water on the trail. During warmer days you will need more water. Trail has a gradual incline, but the scenery will distract you from all the strenuous exercise. If it has rained recently, you may be in luck and see a nice stream and small waterfall. Be respectful of nature and stay on the trail and pick up after yourself. Trail May have a few water crossings which could be tricky depending on how much it has rained recently. Have fun and enjoy the outdoors.