Tag: cool place

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Travel Guide

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is one of California’s largest state parks. This vast desert is located east of San Diego and is home to lots of awesome attractions. Here are the top places you can explore in Anza Borrego State Park.

Font’s Point

Font’s point is one of the coolest places in all of Southern California. It has an awesome viewpoint that you can drive up to and it looks out over the craggy ridge lines all the way out into the distance. The best time to visit Font’s Point is sunrise because the sun actually comes up over the Salton Sea. To get to Font’s Point, you will need a four-wheel-drive car. A two-wheel-drive is not recommended because it is four miles back and it could get pretty sandy depending on the time of year.

Borrego Palm Canyon

Borrego Palm Canyon is one of the park’s most popular hikes. This is actually the only place in the entire park that you have to pay to get to but that money goes to help the state park system and to continue to provide for the upkeep they do especially in Anza Borrego State Park. The trail goes back into the canyon behind the campground and it’s about three miles each way. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for bighorn sheep you will often see them on this trail. When you get all the way to the back and you see the greenhorn coming out of the desolate desert, it’s a pretty awesome sight to see.

Galleta Meadows Sculptures

The Galleta Meadows Sculptures are about two dozen sculptures that are in the Borrego Springs area and they range from sea serpents and grasshoppers to scorpions and even a jeep. These sculptures are about 15 to 20 feet tall and they are all made of metal. It’s especially impressive when you see some of the animals that have hair and the hair are actually made of metal as well. Note that Borrego Springs is a dark sky community so they try to limit light pollution in the area, making this a great place to come for astrophotography especially with the sculptures in the foreground.

The Slot

The slot is your typical slot canyon; something like what you would see in Arizona or Utah but this is in the heart of the California desert. The trail is accessed by a half-mile dirt road, just take your time and go slow. When you get to the parking area, you can walk down into the canyon it’s about a half-mile through the Slot. Sometimes, it’s so narrow you have to go sideways to get through. In the end, you will see the natural arch bridge which is the most impressive part of this hike then you can turn around and come back out the way that you came.

Arroyo Topaido Mud Caves

This extensive mud cave system is one of the largest in the entire world and it’s accessed by a seven-mile off-road that you should not attempt without a four-wheel-drive car. As you are driving out be sure to stop at the Hollywood and Vine sign which is set up on a small hill. When you get to the caves note that the caves are dangerous you should not go in without a flashlight and a helmet. Also, don’t go in after it has rained as the caves can move around. However, once you start exploring you will notice this is a pretty cool place to check out.

Chasm Cave.

Goat Canyon Trestle

The Goat Canyon Trestle is one of the largest wooden trestles in the entire world and they connected an extensive desert railway system in the southern part of California. The road to get to this trailhead is another off-roading adventure. When you get to the trailhead, there’s no sign so make sure you have a GPS track. Also, bring tons of water and know that you are hiking in the desert so don’t do it in the summer or when it’s really hot it’s not worth it. That being said when you finally see the trestle, it’s an incredible experience. There is a large wooden bridge that connects to the railway system in the middle of the desert and there’s nothing else around. It is really cool to see.