Shaped by an ancient sea, wind, water and seismic forces, Anza-Borrego (https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638; vehicle $10) is California’s largest state park, with hundreds of miles of established roads and endless possibilities for backcountry camping under a shockingly starry night sky. The land was traditionally occupied by the Santa Rosa Band of the Cahuilla tribe and the Kumeyaay people, and still bears the marks of their lives in the petroglyphs and morteros (mortars) visible today.
Anza-Borrego’s high season runs from mid-February through March, when the wildflowers suddenly paint the desert in splashes of yellow, pink and magenta. The park’s diminutive hub of Borrego Springs can quickly overflow with photo-hungry visitors when blooming peaks, but its all-season allure lies in its folded badlands, hidden oases, slot canyons and desert plains graced by joyous outdoor art.
