The Anza Borrego Desert area of Southern California is a true gem of a destination for so many reasons. While we humans love to make experiences for one another, nature is still the best at it so probably the number one reason to visit Anza Borrego is the Anza Borrego geology. 

While some feel that the desert is a wasteland of nothing, this is not the case at all. The unique life and topography of the desert make it its own peaceful, incredible place to stay. But there is a ton of stuff to do here as well. 

First of all, let’s start with Ricardo Breceda and the over 100 metal sculptures placed all over the desert here. 

Ricardo Breceda sculptures

Breceda basically started his career in metal sculpture quite by accident. Originally a boot craftsperson, Breceda created a pair of boots for a customer who couldn’t afford to pay him for his work. But that customer did have a welder and so the customer got a beautiful pair of boots and Breceda got a welder. 

Breceda’s daughter asked him to craft a dinosaur out of metal and, never having worked with metal before, he just did it. And it was incredible. So he started doing more. And now the sculptures are famous so not only are there 130 of them in the Anza Borrego desert, but they’re all over the world as the artist has found willing buyers who travel near and far to take this unique artwork home. 

But you can enjoy some enormous metal sculptures for free as they are placed around the town of Borrego Springs just off the main roads. 

The Borrego Springs visitor center can clue you in on the best way to see the sculptures and you can start right in their own front yard where you’ll see the first of many. 

Should you find yourself hungry, and you should, a visit to Carlee’s is something you just do here. Carlee’s has this huge menu of all sorts of items at fair pricing and everything I ate was good. I got to share a number of dishes with some fellow travelers and friends who live in the area. 

Friends in places

And speaking of friends who live in the area, my path with Denny Duvall has crossed on so many occasions as we both share the same passion for vintage cars. Denny is a local character whose family has been postmaster, sheriff and shopkeepers in the area since almost the turn of last century. 

Denny drives a 1950 panel truck known as Henry the Panel truck who actually has a byline in the local Borrego Sun newspaper and on the Curbside Car Show Calendar website. But this is no ordinary panel truck as it has a new heart it’s known locally not to mess with Henry. 

Anyhow, Denny pointed us to a corner of Peg Leg Road and Henderson Canyon Road where we, and a lot of Canadians, enjoyed some free camping. The boondocking was free and we gathered ‘round the campfire one of the nights we were there and made our famous chili dog wraps while our friend Steve played some wonderful tunes on his guitar with my always questionable accompaniment on washboard. 

There’s another free boondocking site on the corner of Rockhouse Trails and the Borrego Salton Seaway which is, apparently, significantly larger even than the one we occupied. 

In addition to the incredible sculptures, Anza Borrego is known for its off-roading and Steve and Sandy took us in their four-wheel-drive to a number of hidden spots including the Borrego Badlands, which Peggy describes in her article. 

Gee - geology

The Geology of Anza Borrego is incredible and it’s worth showing-up with a four-wheel-drive vehicle and exploring those wonderful spots this incredible landscape has to offer. 

But if you don’t bring a four-by, you’re fine as there are a number of companies who will gladly take you to the hidden gems of the area. Since we had our own we didn’t take advantage of this, this time, but we will when we go back and we absolutely want to go back. Soon. 

Another reason to visit the area is the incredible night sky. This huge State Park is a dark sky designate so you’ll see people here at night with all manner of peering devices checking out the incredible view of the stars. Unless you’ve been in a dark sky area it’s difficult to overstate what an experience it is and finding someone whose telescope you can look through is a wondrous thing. 

And people with telescopes are often more than excited to let you look through them. We also came across a company that does Night Sky tours so that’s another way to experience nature. 

In spring, particularly after a good rainy season, the desert can explode with color and Anza Borrego goes from a sleepy little spot in the shadows to a Mecca of people from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties who want to share the wonders of the desert with their followers on social media. 

Wildflower season is generally in spring and can vary in color and scope and when it happens based on the rains and weather. If you choose to go during wildflower season the quiet expanses of unpopulated desert won’t be so unpopulated but the flowers are pretty. You can find out more at Anza-Borrego Botany’s website. 

Given the geology and nature of why people visit the area, there are a number of companies that serve tourists and do a good job of it. There are off-road tours, night sky tours, bicycling adventures and more. I found the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce’s website to be a good starting point to finding these services. 

Another good resource is Visit California’s website which has a pretty extensive page about Anza Borrego as well. 

We absolutely plan to make this one of our typical go-to spots, especially since we plan to stay in the warmer climate areas in winter. With the plentiful boondocking and friendly shops and services along with incredible natural scenery and just the serenity of the California Desert, this instantly became one of our favorite places to visit.