Road Trip to Borrego Springs, CA
It is almost summer and the perfect time to hit the road and explore. One of our favorite road trips – that can be done in a day or over several – is a trip to Borrego Springs, CA. You are guaranteed to have plenty of sun, amazing landscape views, and plenty of pictures and stories to tell. Check out our recent trip to Borrego Springs to help you plan your next adventure.
How To Get There
The drive to Borrego Springs is a quick two-hour drive from San Diego through the Cleveland National Forest to the Anza Borrego State Park. This route will take you through the small town of Ramona - where you can stop for wine tasting at one of the local wineries - and continues through Julian, where can get a delicious slice of homemade pie from the Julian Pie Company.
Click here for directions from San Diego to Borrego Springs.
Things to Do
Hike the Slot in Anza Borrego
The largest gem in Borrego Springs is the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California and open to hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, photography, bicycling, and more year-round.
One of our favorite hikes in Anza-Borrego is a 2-mile trail called The Slot (aka Slot Canyon). This trail is one of the most popular in the area for its dramatic canyons – some as deep as 40-feet – and narrow passageways.
The canyons, formed by flash floods, offer a fun and accessible way to explore the desert and is a popular destination for travelers. Although a relatively flat and short distance, The Slot is challenging during the warm parts of the day.
Be prepared to arrive early to avoid the heat and to beat the long lines of cars, and make sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen. We went on a late-morning (11:30 AM) day in May, and it was over 90 degrees at the start. The temperature was 97 degrees when we finished an hour later. September thru May is considered the best time to hike this trail.
There is a parking lot at the trailhead, and it costs $10 to park. You can pay with cash or via a QR code listed on a sign. There are clean restrooms filled with bees, but they shouldn’t sting you. Also, dogs are not allowed on the trail.
Click here for directions from San Diego to The Slot in Anza Borrego.
Ashley catching some sun in the canyon with a can of cactus fruit, agave, and jalapeno kombucha by Nova Kombucha.
Explore the Galleta Meadows Sculptures
Galleta Meadows is a privately owned desert estate open to the public that features over 130 large and unique metal art sculptures. The landscape is dotted with dinosaurs, elephants, and the world’s largest hand sculpted snake. The serpent, measuring 350 feet, looks like something out of a sci-fi movie scene from Mars.
The T-Rex dinosaur is one of our favorite sculptures at Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs, CA.
The sculptures were created by Southern California artist Ricardo Breceda on commission from Dennis Avery, the owner of Galleta Meadows and heir to the Avery label company. Described as an eccentric, Avery purchased the land partly for conservation and to house his growing obsession with Breceda’s sculptures.
Avery arranged his collection by theme, with prehistoric animals as the largest. Other articles have a connection to the desert environment in which they are located, and one of our favorites is the scorpion facing off a praying mantis and the elephants.
Incredible sculptures of a scorpion facing off a praying mantis by Ricardo Breceda.
Visit the Art Institute
Borrego Springs is also home to an Art Institute, which features a gallery, a pottery studio and workshop, ArtFarm gardens, and a KidsArt program. The gallery has a regular show schedule that you can view here.
Final Word
Desert hiking, jeep tours, and lounging by the pool are very popular activities in Borrego Springs. If you have not been to Galleta Meadows or Anza-Borrego State Park, we highly recommend both.
One word of advice: check weather conditions BEFORE traveling as weather conditions can change rapidly. Take precautions and bring lots of water and sun protection, especially if traveling there in the summer.
Have you been to Borrego Springs? What are your favorite things to do?
Relaxing with our thoughts in the Anza Borrego State Park.