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THINGS
TO DO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Borrego Springs
California
Road Trip
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By Matthew Martz. |
Reminiscent
of early Palm Springs with its natural beauty, resort
style accommodations and perfectly manicured golf courses,
Borrego Springs is an excellent choice for a weekend retreat
or inexpensive family getaway.
Borrego Springs is located 90 miles northeast of San
Diego and 150 miles from Los Angeles, and is situated
in the extreme western Sonoran Desert completely surrounded
by the 600,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Five hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas
and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with a unique
opportunity to experience the wonders of the California
Desert.
This desert oasis offers many rewards no matter what
the time of yea you visit. But keep in mind that the
summers are usually the warmest, with temperatures soaring
into the triple digits. The key is to plan your outdoor
activities in the early morning or early evening, and
be sure to bring lots of water, and sunscreen.
As you enter the park on your way to downtown Borrego
Springs you’ll pass magnificent desert vistas
and variety of plant and animal life, including the
Ocotillo plant, the Cholla cactus and maybe even a colorful
array of wildflowers if you should be visiting in the
spring. Every now and again a roadrunner will dash across
the road, as well as the black-tailed jackrabbit or
occasional Iguana sunbathing on the warm asphalt.
If you look close, you may even spot some Borrego sheep
(Spanish for bighorn sheep), along the mountain ledges
surrounding the valley floor.
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Galleta Meadows Estates Borrego Springs |
There are
also many remains of the area’s early history scattered
throughout the park where stagecoaches drove the first intercontinental
mail. Visitors will see old wagon roads as well as stations
where the stagecoaches stopped and replenished horses and
supplies. Hiking trails take you to these and other sites
such as waterfalls, historic monuments and old settler houses.
Entering downtown is truly like stepping back in time.
A sleepy little desert community set against the brown
hues of the nearby San Ysidro Mountains. You won’t
find the any big box or chain stores along the main drag,
but what you will discover is an uncomplicated pace, with
a many things to see and do like golf, shopping, hiking,
biking, swimming, and more. There are several lodging
options so you won't have to camp out – unless you
want to.
The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has a multitude of
camping opportunities throughout its 600,000 acres. The
busy season is Nov – March and most weekends get
full pretty fast. Camping is site-specific, so it’s
a good idea to have a particular campsite in mind when
you call for a reservation.
Before venturing off into the park, be sure to visit
Galleta Meadows Estates. There you will find a collection
of original, welded-steel sculptures which now number
in the hundreds and include extinct animals, farm workers,
saints and cactus. You can see them from a couple of main
highways around the town of Borrego Springs.
Guests can obtain campground and detailed activity maps
of the area from the Anza-Borrego Park Visitor Center,
just a couple miles from downtown Borrego Springs. The
center is open weekends and holidays only, from 9:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Inside there are various types of exhibits
as well as a park ranger to answer any questions about
camping or other outdoor recreational activities. There
are also several guided hikes and nature walks that depart
daily from the center.
One of the more interesting aspects of the area is the
traces of Native American’s past that lie hidden
in a variety of pictographs that can be found etched on
numerous desert canyon walls. One particular site known
as Indian Hill is a few miles south of Ocotillo Wells
in the Valecito Mountains.
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Spring wild flowers Borrego Springs |
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park |
There is an old trail that connects Little Blair
Valley with Smuggler Canyon. This area is also dotted with
seasonal prehistoric village sites, which are identified
by ancient morteros and grinding slicks. Along the trail
is a large isolated granite boulder bearing about three-dozen
images painted by the Kumeyaay between 200 and 1,000 years
ago.
Mixing history, the rugged outdoors and the comforts
of home. Borrego Springs is a great choice that offers
many rewards for either the casual tourist, or outdoor
adventurer, especially when you consider the savings over
more developed desert destinations.
A good side trip while you’re in the area is the
nearby mountain community of Julian, a small historic
gold mining known for its apple pies and cider. The town
is located just 20 miles west of Borrego Springs on the
edge of the in the mixed pine-oak woodland of the Cleveland
National Forest.
The downtown district is only about three blocks long
and four blocks wide, which makes walking the best way
to see it. As you stroll along Main Street through the
town’s many historical buildings ---some dating
back to the post-Civil War period when the town was founded—
you’ll pass by a variety of shops in ranging from
tacky tourist to normal small-town fixtures like hardware
and drug stores, antique malls, book boutiques, and restaurants
– including an ice cream parlor with a turn-of-the-century
style soda fountain.
Kids will enjoy the Candy Mine downstairs in the Miner’s
Diner, and the historic comedy skits that are staged three
times each weekend afternoon during the summer out on
the town's Main Street.
At 4,235 feet, Julian’s high elevation
provides clean air, blue skies and average summer temperatures
in the 80s, making it a perfect summer getaway for couples
and families.
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Death
Valley One of the hottest and driest
place on the surface of the Earth. |
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China
Ranch is a working date farm near Death
Valley National Park. |
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