By

Contents
  1. 1. Day 1 (Fri, Mar 15)
  2. 2. Day 2 (Sat, Mar 16)
  3. 3. Day 3 (Sun, Mar 17)
  4. 4. Itinerary

This content was automatically generated by gpt-4o-mini (No human review). The original post is in Chinese.

Last weekend, we went camping for two nights in the Borrego Desert (Anza-Borrego) east of San Diego. Due to the heavy rainfall in Southern California this winter, the Borrego Desert is vibrant and green this spring, with a variety of wildflowers blooming in rich colors. Here’s a summary of our itinerary.

Day 1 (Fri, Mar 15)

On Friday afternoon, we drove from San Diego to the desert. We reserved a campsite for Friday night at Vallecito County Park, which cost $29 per night and had flush toilets and hot showers (coin-operated). Unfortunately, when we arrived in the desert on Friday afternoon, it started pouring rain, so we couldn’t hike. Back at the campsite, the rain stopped for a while, and we even saw a double rainbow, but less than half an hour later, it started pouring again and continued for over two hours until after 8 PM. We had to spend time hiding in the car. We were glad we had just installed Window Visors on the car, allowing us to crack the windows for ventilation during the rain. I played the flute in the car for over an hour; the only downside was that it was a bit loud, which made my ears uncomfortable.

When we went to sleep on Friday night, it was mostly dry, but it felt particularly cold. I slept in the car while Cuihao slept in the tent.

Day 2 (Sat, Mar 16)

Saturday morning finally brought clear skies. We first hiked the Hornblende Canyon Trail, which was quite challenging. The trail was filled with thorny plants, requiring careful route selection to avoid damaging our clothes or injuring our skin. Additionally, there were many places where we had to climb over rocks, with height differences of about 2-3 meters. We could either climb carefully or choose to go around, but the paths weren’t very clear. There were many bees along the way, and the predominant wildflower was the Desert Apricot, which resembles cherry blossoms.

In the afternoon, we drove to the State Park, paying a $10 fee to access the parking lot at the The Slot trailhead. Although this trail is short, the scenery changes. It starts inside Slot Canyon, which is a much less impressive version of Antelope Canyon. The colors are lighter, and the lighting isn’t as beautiful. However, we eventually emerged from the Slot and saw some wildflowers, including many Desert Lilies, before needing to climb a steep slope to return. At this point, it started raining again, and we were caught in the rain for about 30 minutes, getting our clothes and pants wet. Eventually, the rain intensified, and we had to quickly run back to the car. Who would have thought we would get rained on for two days in the desert?

Next, we visited the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center to gather some information, wandered around a bit, and had dinner at the picnic area there. Before heading back to the campsite, we stopped by Henderson Road to see the wildflowers. We arrived just after 6 PM, just before sunset, and the scenery was particularly beautiful, so we took some photos.

On Saturday night, we camped at the Peg Leg Smith Historical Marker, which required no payment or reservation. We just found a spot to park, and there was a pit toilet that was reasonably clean. After sunset, there wasn’t much to do, and it was very cold outside, so I played the flute for a while, and we looked at our tablet in the car before going to sleep around 9 PM. The campsite on Saturday night was quite peaceful, and overall, I would give this wild campsite a good review. In comparison, the campsite on Friday night didn’t feel worth the $29.

Additional note: On Saturday morning, we first went to June Wash to see the wildflowers, but we were disappointed as there was nothing there, not even as many flowers as those growing by the roadside. After that, we returned to the campsite to pack up the tent, which was still damp, and only after that did we go hiking.

Day 3 (Sun, Mar 17)

Waking up on Sunday morning, I opened the car door and lay in bed watching the sunrise, which felt great.

On Sunday morning, I went to Henderson Road again to see the wildflowers, casually walked around and took some photos, then drove to Coyote Canyon for a hike, first taking the dirt road to the First Crossing loop Trailhead. This trail was also very interesting, with many cacti along the way, various wildflowers, and I even saw three Black-tailed Jackrabbits. At first, we walked on flat ground in the desert, then gradually made our way to the foot of the mountain, walking along the base for a while before needing to climb up. It was often hard to tell where the trail was, so we had to adjust our route using the GPS on our phones, and there were also many prickly cacti to be careful of. The most challenging part was finding the route down into the canyon. Once we were in the canyon, it was easier to walk, and we eventually returned to the flat desert.

After the hike, we went to a nearby park for lunch at Borrego Springs County Park. This park had great public facilities, and the restrooms were very clean. After lunch, we drove back home.

Overall, I felt that this desert camping and hiking experience was very good. The desert is beautiful this season; in fact, it is the most beautiful desert I have ever seen. Previously, I had only visited Joshua Tree National Park in winter (around Thanksgiving or Christmas), which has many rocky hills, cacti, and Joshua Trees, but no wildflowers, and the plants weren’t as abundant or green. The hiking routes didn’t seem as interesting as this one. I highly recommend going for a walk in the Anza-Borrego Desert recently.

Itinerary

Friday

  • Drive
    • SD -> Vallecito County Park (1h50min, 90mi)
  • Camping
    • Vallecito County Park, Site 5

Saturday

Sunday

iNaturalist

Contents
  1. 1. Day 1 (Fri, Mar 15)
  2. 2. Day 2 (Sat, Mar 16)
  3. 3. Day 3 (Sun, Mar 17)
  4. 4. Itinerary