Tag Archives: Anza-Borrego

Borrego Palm Canyon

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ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE WILDERNESS

Activity: Day Hike

3 miles, 462’ elevation gain, 90 minute duration, rated Moderate

Date: 3-7-22

My son, Alec, and I started our Spring Break Adventure to Anza-Borrego California State Park by going to the Visitor Center. On the way to the Visitor Center we spied some of the cool looking metal sculptures that I had heard about. We did the tourist thing and snapped a couple pictures by the Wild Horses and by Big Bird. My understanding is these are the handy work of artist Ricardo Breceda and that there are some 130 of these works of art scattered throughout the desert. We got to checkout a few of them, but perhaps on another trip to Anza-Borrego we will try to search them out. Some are easily assessable to the road others are hidden away further out into the desert.

We made a quick stop to the Visitor Center and talked to the Ranger confirming some of the things we wanted to experience during our visit. The area of the Visitor Center and the nearby hike that we did had a $10 parking fee. One of the hikes that the Ranger suggested was Borrego Palm Canyon.

Borrego Palm Canyon is a short hike. The trail is well maintained and is one of the most popular in the park. We found it to be a really pretty spot with the desert hills and mountains surrounding us. Alec and I really enjoyed this gorgeous area. It really gave us a feel for Anza-Borrego and I would recommended it for the whole family. There were lots of different rocks to scamper on and a trickling stream.

Unfortunately we did not know much about the hike when we were doing it. We entered the trail, which turned out to be a loop, from the exit so we missed all the information that was posted. So we failed to include the oasis, which was a bummer, but as it turns out a fire in 2020 damaged the palm oasis spot so perhaps we didn’t miss anything. We heard that it might be closed for rehabilitation.

Really a beautiful hike that should not be missed. Bring water, a snack, sun tan lotion, and a hat- it’s hot, it’s the desert.

The Sculptures of Anza Borrego are the art work of Ricardo Breceda and there are about a 130 of them scattered throughout the desert. We got to see a few of them, but maybe a 4×4 scavenger hunt is in the future.
“Simplicity is the heart of everything. If you look to the desert, apparently the desert is very simple but it’s full of life, it’s full of hidden places and the beauty is that it looks simple but it’s complex in the way that it expresses the soul of the world or God.” – Paulo Coelho

Thanks for joining Alec and I as we began out vacation in Anza-Borrego State Park by ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ in this desert canyon of wonder. There is alway more to come so stay with us by performing a few easy but important exercises: COMMENT, LIKE. FOLLOW and SHARE. We are wearing some PBTA Adventure Wear in the photos get yours at SHOP APPAREL. If you peruse the menu above you will see that the deserts of San Diego are but one type of adventures enjoyed by PBTA. The menu is categorized by location and sometimes by activity each of these locations throughout this great West of ours is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure