How big is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park?

More than 600,000 acres, or roughly 1,000 square miles. It is the largest state park in California and the third largest in the United States, spanning parts of San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties.

How much does it cost to enter Anza-Borrego?

Day use is $10 per vehicle, collected at the Visitor Center, developed campgrounds and several popular trailheads including The Slot and Hellhole Canyon. The park has no entrance gates and much of it can be accessed without a fee.

When is wildflower season at Anza-Borrego?

Annual wildflowers can appear from January through mid-April, with peak bloom most often between late February and early April. Timing varies year to year based on rainfall and temperature.

Is Anza-Borrego a Dark Sky Park?

Yes. The park was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2018 at Silver tier. Borrego Springs, the town at its center, has been an International Dark Sky Community since 2009, the first in California.

Do I need four-wheel drive at Anza-Borrego?

Not for the paved roads, the Visitor Center or the main campgrounds. The vast majority of the park's roughly 500 miles of dirt roads do require a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park open at night?

Yes, the park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. The Visitor Center is open daily 9am to 5pm October through May, and weekends and holidays only June through September.

Jake Hinton • October 30, 2024

In Memory of Arlene Diane Oakes

May 22, 1937 – October 1, 2024

Our beautiful Arlene Oakes passed away on October 1, 2024, at our home in Carson City with her husband, Jack, and their two daughters, Lisa and Linda, by her side.

Arlene and Jack met in 1957 in a geography class at Nevada Southern University, now UNLV, where Arlene was the first student-body president. It was her beautiful smile and blue eyes and her wonderful laugh that brought them together for the next 67 years. They married on a rainy Easter in 1958 in Las Vegas where they grew up. Arlene was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Orval and Charlotte Henson. She and Jack had three daughters, Lora, Lisa and Linda. They moved to Carson City in 1963 where Jack was a staff member for the governor. Arlene finished her teaching degree at University of Nevada, Reno and taught elementary school for many years in Carson City. Eventually the family moved to Incline Village where she taught middle school until retiring in 1982 to join Jack and their longtime friends and business partners, the late Gary Sheerin and JoAnn Sheerin, as the bookkeeper for their property investment partnership.

Arlene and Jack loved the outdoors, especially hiking and bicycling. They spent many hours hiking the Sierra’s. They bicycled across the United States, through Western Europe, Alaska and Vietnam. They also traveled the world going to Africa, China, New Zealand and Australia. Arlene always felt that each adventure was more about the people they met than the things they saw.

In 1985, they moved to Smith Valley where Arlene’s love and passion to be an activist took hold. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi and Soroptimist. She was instrumental in establishing a fun-run fundraiser in the community called the “Coyote Chase” which lasted for 20 years. She loved the mission of bettering the lives of women around the world.

Arlene and Jack began spending their winters in Borrego Springs, California where they could continue hiking, bicycling and enjoying the Anza Borrego Desert with their family and friends. Arlene always said that she had a wonderful life. What she loved the most though was her family. She would say, “We may not be a big family, but we are mighty!” She loved her husband and soulmate, Jack, her three daughters, Lora, Lisa and Linda, eight grandchildren, Kelly Shawn (deceased), Krystin, Jaime, Travis, Garrett, Daniel, Eric and Jenni, and eight great-grandchildren.

We wish you all could have met her. She will always be with us as we say our final goodbye to that beautiful smile and blue eyes and wonderful laugh.

In lieu of flowers, take a hike or a bike ride, smile, laugh and be kind to one another and our planet. She would like that!

Learn More About Borrego Springs

A Conversation About Community: Martha Deichler on Opportunity in Borrego Springs

By Andrea McKenna • August 30, 2026

Borrego Sun youth intern Mia Garcia talks with Martha Deichler about the Community Resource Center, the people it serves and what Borrego Springs needs for the future. When Martha Deichler first came to Borrego Springs about 20 years ago to work as an elementary school principal, she quickly noticed something that would shape much of her work in the community: opportunities and services readily available in larger cities were often difficult to access in Borrego Springs. Deichler went on to serve as superintendent of the Borrego Springs Unified School District. After retiring, she found she wasn’t ready to stop working for the community. “There’s just too much work to do,” she told Borrego Sun youth intern Mia Garcia during a recent interview at the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center. That work became especially urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic. As residents lost jobs and struggled to navigate unemployment, vaccinations and online government services, a local food distribution effort began growing into something much larger. Computers were made available to help residents access online services, and assistance expanded to include unemployment applications, English classes, employment resources and other programs. Today, the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center connects residents with a wide range of services and opportunities. Deichler said the center helps connect people with programs including CalFresh, Medi-Cal and CalWORKs, while also providing classes, community activities and access to visiting county services. But for Deichler, the impact is best understood through individual lives. She recalled watching a local worker improve his English and advance from dishwasher to busser, then waiter and eventually cook. “That’s what we’re about,” Deichler said, “giving people the opportunities they need to go to the next step of success in their life.” Why Borrego? Garcia also asked Deichler what she loves most about Borrego Springs. Her answer came quickly. “I came out here to work because I love the desert,” Deichler said. “I knew nothing about the people, but I stay because I love the people.” She recalled another resident who once asked where she could learn English. With access to classes and continued education, the woman eventually learned enough English to work for the school district, drive a school bus and advance in her career. She later purchased a home, and her daughter went on to graduate from UCLA. For Deichler, stories like that demonstrate what community support can accomplish. “You can make a difference and you can see it,” she said. One Gift for Borrego Springs Garcia ended the interview with a bigger question: If you could give the Borrego Springs community one gift, what would it be? Deichler chose transportation. She envisions a reliable transportation system that would allow young people — and adults — to reach educational and workforce opportunities outside Borrego Springs, including College of the Desert and Imperial Valley College. Her concern is not simply helping young people leave Borrego. It is giving them the ability to gain skills and education and then bring those opportunities home. “You need to be able to get out, get what you need, but come back and live in this beautiful place,” Deichler said. For Garcia, the interview offered a firsthand look at how one community organization — and the people behind it — can help create opportunities in a geographically isolated town. It also underscored a theme that runs throughout Deichler’s work: sometimes helping a person take one next step can change much more than one moment in their life.