Over 150 businesses support up to 10,000 visitors a day in the Anza-Borrego Desert in a major wildflower event during high season. Most of the time, the community of Borrego Springs is a sleepy little desert village with little traffic (not even one traffic light).  Quiet and peaceful, it is a wonderful place to vacation, and a perfect place to retire.  Many international visitors on tour prefer visiting during Shoulder or Summer Season to take advantage of lower accommodation rates.  Many photos available under Trip Reports at my Anza-Borrego Resources page

Website and photos (unless otherwise noted) by Kat Gibson, POB 147, Borrego Springs, California 92004  All Rights Reserved.  Update 03/22/2006

Borrego Springs, California
The Community

Borrego Springs, California, is located in San Diego County, between the Salton Sea and the Pacific Ocean; just 40 miles (as the local ravens fly) from the border of Mexico.  Surrounded by the Santa Rosa (8,000 ft), San Ysidro (6,500 ft) and Vallecito (3,600) mountains, Borrego nestles in the heart of the largest desert state park in the United States. The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park boundaries encompass over 600,000 acres of breathtaking natural beauty and is San Diego County's only low-desert community offering tourist services.

AGRICULTURE
Over 2,000 acres of citrus, primarily grapefruit, with some lemon, lime and orange, are grown in Borrego Springs. Perfect citrus growing weather and plenty of water from the Borrego Valley's aquifer produce table quality citrus that is shipped all over the world. Viewed from the Montezuma Grade lookout point, carefully tended groves embroider the north end of the Valley.

ANNUAL EVENTS
The Circle Of Art is a juried art show held in March... Musical entertainment and wine tasting are features of this annual event. The Pegleg Liars Contest.. is held when the moon is full and rising in the West. Every April Fools Day (or sometime thereabouts) the biggest liars in the country gather to tell the truest tales they can get away with about Pegleg Smith and his lost gold mine (located right here in the Borrego Valley). OK, so sometimes the stories are not about Pegleg, but about lizards and rattlesnakes, or mayhem and playhem, or fools and their money, in the Anza-Borrego Desert area.  Cinco de Mayo.. is celebrated as close to May 5th as a Saturday event allow.   Specialty dance groups and Mariachis from Mexico and California perform at an all day picnic at Christmas Circle Park. Dancing and singing, family and friends celebrate the event. Traditional Mexican food, including local tamales, is available. Our Grapefruit Festival,  first held in 1990,.. celebrates the spring citrus harvest in April. This festival includes special events such as live musical entertainment, dance parties, a tennis tournament, picnic, classic car show, youth games, horseshoe tournament and interpretive programs at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The Borrego Days Desert Festival.. is held during the last weekend of October and marks the official kickoff of the tourism season. Activities include a parade, the Miss Borrego pageant, dance parties, live music, art and craft exhibitions and sales, and installation of the honorary mayor of Borrego Springs. Borrego Days has been celebrated for over 30 years.

Annual Events

ART
Borrego Springs is well on its way to becoming San Diego County's newest art colony.   The clear desert air, rosy mornings, golden afternoons and wide open spaces produce the perfect environment for artistic endeavors.  We have several art shows during the season, including a premier event, The Circle of Art, which is a juried art show produced by Jenny Wright.  Soroptomist International of Borrego Springs produce the Borrego Days Desert Festival Arts and Crafts Show in October, and the Borrego Springs Art Guild produces smaller, public art shows and classes.   Palomar College offers classes from local and guest artists.

BIKING
From mountain biking to miles and miles of scantly traveled flatlands, the Borrego Springs area is a bikers dream. There are over 500 miles of roads in the State Park open to bicycles. Contact State Park headquarters or Carrizo Bikes for details.    Carrizo Bikes is a local outfitter for serious bicycle enthusiasts

CAMPING
The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® is one of the few parks in California that permits open camping in most of the available 600,000 acres. Two developed campgrounds are available in the park: Borrego Palm Canyon has 117 sites and is located near the park headquarters, just 2-1/2 miles from the village of Borrego Springs; full hookups, large tent sites, campfire center, telephones; Tamarisk Grove Campground, located at County Road S-3 and State Highway 78, has 27 sites for rigs up to 21 feet. Both campgrounds offer restrooms with showers, shade ramadas and campfire programs. There is also a small campground at Bow Willow and a Horse Camp located at the mouth of Coyote Canyon.

For off-road enthusiasts, the Ocotillo Wells California Vehicular Recreation Area provides more than 40,000 acres of magnificent desert for exploration and recreation.No fees are collected for camping or day-use  and open camping is permitted throughout the unit for up to 30 days per calendar year. Chemical toilets, shade ramadas, picnic tables and fire rings are located in the Quarry, Main St. and Holmes Camp areas. Water is not available. A waste-disposal station is located on Ranger Station Road.

CLASSES
Borrego Springs is a great place for on-going education. There are bird walks, basic pilot ground school, aerobics, Tai Chi, Spanish, oil painting, "Rattlesnakes & Other Venomous Bites," "Getting To Know Your Computer," belly dancing, line dancing, anthropology, archeology, history seminars, bridge and more; there have been and will be classes on anything and everything else of general interest. Just pick up a copy of The Borrego Springs Community Calendar produced by the Borrego Springs Civic Foundation published monthly, October through May. Palomar College Borrego Springs Education Center offers classes in subjects from computer basics, paleontology, and photography, to aerobics, watercolor and golf. The State Park has an on-going series of classes and seminars open to the public; Basketry, Acorn Grinding, Pottery Making, Children's Art Programs, Roasting Pit Demonstrations, and Agave Twinning classes will be available during the State Park's annual Native American Days celebration. Private art classes are available through the Borrego Springs Art Guild and from local artists.

CONCERTS
The Borrego Springs Community Concert Association,  A Nonprofit Civic Organization, presents four concerts per season in Borrego Springs. Contact Milly Hock, P.O. Box 1048, Borrego Springs, CA 92004, Phone: 760.767.3186.

GOLF
Borrego Springs Resort - 18 hole Championship course, open to the public, 6500 yards, each hole has 4 sets of tees to accommodate a range of golfing abilities, par 71, complete driving range, practice facilities, golf cart paths, clubhouse, pro shop. Cary Bickler design. Hotel and restaurant.  Club Circle Golf Course - Par 3 executive course, 9 holes, two sets of tees for 18 holes $10 honor system at #1 tee. Panoramic scenic views. Vacation rentals.  De Anza Country Club - 18 hole private course for members and guests only.  Rams Hill Country Club - 18 hole PGA Championship golf course (9 of 18 of new course available), open to the public, par 72, 6860 yards from Championship tees. Complete practice facility. Clubhouse, pro shop; on-site pro with lessons available. Golf packages available with local resorts.  Vacation rentals on-site are offered with standard golf privileges    New and resale homes available on the golf course.  Roadrunner Club - Par 3 executive course, 18 holes, 2450 yards, open to the public, except for Tuesday and Thursday until noon. $15 per round. Club rentals and pull carts available. Twilight golf.

HIKING
For details on Coyote Canyon, Cactus Loop Trail, Overlook Trail, Mud Hills Wash to Elephant Knees, and many more, contact the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® The park has periodicals, maps and books published on all the local trails.

TENNIS
Borrego Springs Resort Tennis and Fitness Club offers six tennis courts lighted for night play; tennis lessons and clinics from resident pro, rental of ball machine and racquets.  La Casa Del Zorro Desert Resort's courts and pro shop are also open to the public.  Rams Hill Country Club Vacation Rental tennis facilities are available in all neighborhoods.  Roadrunner Golf and Country Club has tennis facilities for their vacation rentals.

THEATER
Borrego Springs is quite proud of their little theater and all of our volunteers who "make it happen."  Tickets and information regarding the Performing Arts Center can be obtained at the Borrego Home Video store 760-767-5543.  Remaining  performances are as follows:   Man of La Mancha; March 8,9, 13, 15, 16, 20 & 23.  Guitarist Richard Smith, March 1 & 2.  Dance Recital, April 13.

SERVICES AND ORGANIZATIONS
The entire community of Borrego Springs helps to make our little desert village a wonderful place to live.

Back to Anza-Borrego Desert Resources - for links to our fair community.
Borrego Springs Business Telephone Directory - Listed by category.  Be sure, if you use this page often, to "Refresh" the site periodically, as I update as soon as I am notified of a change.
Directions to Borrego - A couple of maps that I have worked on for quite a while, plus driving directions from the four directions.