A Horse Sculpture near Borrego Springs, California

Anza Borrego – A Day in the Colorado Desert

When most people say they’re flying to California they tend to be excited about spending time in big cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco.

For me, the first thing I did when I arrived in San Diego was head for the Colorado Desert. The desert is actually in Mexico and California – south of the Mojave Desert and considered part of the Sonora Desert.

Colorado Desert - Creosote Bush and Canyon
Colorado Desert - A Creosote Bush and Canyon View in Anza Borrego Desert State Park

 

Geography lesson aside, the Colorado Desert is a low-lying desert. It’s dry and shrubby. Not many big cacti in this part of the desert. There is plenty to see though!

Barrel cactus - Colorado Desert
A Barrel Cactus in the Colorado Desert, California

 

Most of my time in the Colorado Desert was spent in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. As California’s largest state park, there was a lot to explore. The wildflowers weren’t out yet, as I arrived in late winter, but I still found the odd looking plants quite interesting.

Anza Borrego Desert State Park - Wildflowers
The only Wildflowers I could find in Anza Borrego Desert State Park

 

As I continued east from San Diego, through the park I eventually came in sight of Borrego Springs. Nestled amongst the mountains Borrego Springs proclaims itself as California’s Secret Desert.

If you judge it by the odd desert sculptures that greet you as you approach the village, then you don’t doubt you’ve entered some sort of strange desert oasis.

A Woolly Mammoth Sculpture near Borrego Springs
A Woolly Mammoth Sculpture near Borrego Springs in the Colorado Desert

 

As alluring as those rusty sculptures and looming mountains were, I resisted spending much time in Borrego Springs, as I found the desert itself interesting enough. Wide washes that had been previously flooded were countered by deep canyons and the rocky cliffs would be spattered with pockets of colour, creating a nice visual as I passed through the State Park.

A Cactus in the Colorado Desert
A Spider-like Cactus in the Colorado Desert, California

 

If you like wide-open spaces and big skies this is a perfect place for camping only a few hours from San Diego. But, if you’re like me, you may want to drive a little further northeast to the edge of the Colorado Desert and into the Mojave Desert to check out Joshua Tree National Park.

9 thoughts on “Anza Borrego – A Day in the Colorado Desert”

  1. Red,

    Love the photo, I too love the Colorado Desert. Theres something that keeps drawing me back year after year. Theres nothing like it around Kansas City.

    1. Cheers Jim, glad you liked the pics. It’s a great part of the US, nothing like it up here near Toronto either! (And, sidenote, KC is probably one of the most surprising cities I’ve been to in the US, really enjoyed it there.)

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