a sea of purple

Along the 8 and 10 freeways between Arizona and the coast of California lies the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. With it’s 500 miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and miles of hiking trails it’s the largest State Park in California.

Famous for: Anza-Boreggo is known for it’s beautiful wildflowers that bloom  every year during the spring. There are monkey flowers, ocotillo, California primrose and barrel cactus for your viewing pleasure. Bonus, there is also wifi access so you can post your pretty pictures to your facebook page if you are so inclined.

Admission: Day use fees for Anza-Borrego State Park vary. Fees for the developed areas are  $5-$15 and $4 – $8 for the undeveloped areas.

Families with young kids will like: Along with running amuck and exploring with their parents there are guided tours that teach young ones what is what in nature.

Other travelers will like: The miles of hiking trails and the horseback riding are just a couple of ways to explore the wildlife. You can even hike a little bit along the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s a little part of the 2,650 mile trail that spans the continent from Mexico to Canada. Not everybody can say they’ve been on that trail.

Best Places to Camp: Anza-Borrego is one of the few parks in California that allows open camping. What is open camping? It’s camping out in the open, not in a campsite. There isn’t a charge for this type of camping. There are a few rules that go along with open camping. i.e.  camp 100 feet away from water, bring a metal container to hold your fire, keep a clean camp and don’t trample the vegetation. I’d call that common sense camping.

If you’re  looking for a campsite in a campground then you’re in luck. There are 12 campgrounds with a variety of amenities.

Anza-Borrego park is about two hours from Palm Springs, San Diego and Riverside.

For more information on campsites check out the park’s website.

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