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.

Department of Water Resources • September 8, 2026

Some Like It Hot: DWR Scientists Endure Extreme Heat

Specially-trained California Department of Water Resources staff members Vanessa Velasco (left) and Nicholas Burgos (right) support California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff member Sharon Keeney to set and collect traps for pupfish during a survey conducted by CDFW at a drain north of the Salton Sea in Riverside County

Summer temperatures at the Salton Sea in southeastern California frequently exceed 110° F, making any time spent outdoors hazardous, let alone doing anything strenuous. Even so, DWR scientists Vanessa Velasco and Nicholas Burgos routinely brave the heat as they study one of the region’s most fascinating creatures, the desert pupfish.

“The Salton Sea basin gets brutally hot at this time of year, but this is the peak of the breeding season for the pupfish and that’s when our research surveys are crucial,” said Burgos. “It’s a pretty harsh environment for most creatures, which is why their ability to survive here is so remarkable.”

The Salton Sea’s only endemic fish species, the desert pupfish can tolerate an extreme range of environmental conditions: salinity levels ranging from fresh water up to almost double ocean water salinity; water temperatures as high as 108° F and as low as 40° F; and low levels of dissolved oxygen.

Once abundant in the Salton Sea basin’s shoreline pools and creeks, the desert pupfish now occupies only a fraction of its historic range. Since the Colorado River breached an irrigation canal in 1905, the resulting “accidental” lake periodically shrank and expanded, but since the early 2000s it has been steadily evaporating, losing between one and two feet of surface elevation each year. By the 1980s, the desert pupfish habitat had become so restricted the species was listed as endangered and would have completely disappeared if not for the intervention of concerned scientists and citizens.

Burgos and Velasco received training to conduct the pupfish surveys from California Department of Fish and Wildlife fishery biologist Sharon Keeney as part of DWR’s Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project, an aquatic habitat restoration project that will restore approximately 9,500 acres of shallow and deep-water habitat at the southern end of the Salton Sea.

“Historically, pupfish populations have been found in the sea itself and in drains at the north and south ends of the lake, plus various tributaries and artificial habitats such as former marinas,” said Keeney. “An important part of the training is learning what locations are particularly favorable for pupfish. Some of the drains are quite turbid with high velocity flows and little vegetation, and those are poor conditions for pupfish which like slow velocity or stagnant water, especially for spawning.”

Keeney emphasizes that although desert pupfish are very tolerant of extreme conditions, they do not tolerate handling well, especially juveniles, and can easily die if not handled properly. “During the training, I stress the need to minimize exposing the fish to the air, especially in hot weather, and we only use nets and buckets, and never touch the fish directly with our hands,” said Keeney.

The release of water into the first two ponds of the SCH in May 2025 increased habitat for desert pupfish by roughly 2,010 acres. DWR’s surveys will show how well the fish are taking advantage of this expansion, and project managers are already seeing encouraging signs.

“We’re looking at filling the rest of the ponds this year and next, which will bring us to about 9,500 acres,” said Salton Sea Restoration Office Section Manager Vivien Maisonneuve. “As soon as we open some water, the pupfish will come. We are very happy to see that they start colonizing the new ponds very quickly.”

Keeney has also helped establish a desert pupfish population at the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert where one of the new ponds is named after her. Desert pupfish relocations become necessary when a pond or drain dries up, often due to tamarisk overgrowth. It’s a task Keeney introduced Burgos to during a recent survey.

“In the heat, it’s hard enough just doing the surveys,” Keeney recalled, “but doing the rescue as well was very tough; 9-to-5 and no shade at all. But I know Nick found it rewarding and we felt we had really accomplished something that day.”

For Burgos and Velasco, the pupfish survey training program is the first step toward obtaining a Scientific Collection Permit required by CDFW for research, educational, or management purposes that involve handling protected wildlife. “It’s kind of a big deal to be certified to be a permit-holder for an endangered species,” said Burgos. “The hope is that as the Salton Sea Management Program does more restoration projects, we will be able to provide this kind of service throughout the Salton Sea. Desert pupfish may be tough and resilient, but they’re still going to need our help.”

For a photo-illustrated version of this article, click here.

News Provided By

Department of Water Resources

Learn More About Salton City & Salton Sea

>> Salton Sea Tales: A Potentially True Adventure is a speculative eco-thriller novel by Gabriel Wisdom

Borrego Valley & The Salton Sea – Ten Years From Now

By Gabriel Wisdom, Ram Media Foundation • September 5, 2026

The Future Sea Is Not Simply Disappearing. It Is Being Transformed Into Something Stranger

Future Scenarios - Borrego Springs & the Salton Sea

By By Gabriel Wisdom, Ram Media Foundation • August 29, 2026

What happens at the Salton Sea over the next decade will very likely have a large effect on Borrego Springs, both environmentally and economically. The biggest immediate concern is air quality. The biggest potential opportunity is economic and tourism spillover from a transformed Salton Sea/Lithium Valley region. Clearly, the downside Borrego should take most seriously is air quality. This isn't hypothetical. San Diego County's own Borrego Springs Community Plan specifically instructs the community to monitor the Salton Sea because windblown sand and chemical particulates can reach the Borrego Valley. California's Water Resources Control Board (CARB) says the retreating shoreline creates public-health risks because dust can be emitted from soils containing decades of accumulated agricultural and wastewater material. CARB is now funding research specifically to determine how much Salton Sea dust reaches surrounding communities, what chemicals it contains, and how climate change could alter those exposures. That makes successful Salton Sea restoration directly beneficial to Borrego Springs. The new Salton Sea Conservancy , launched this year, is particularly important because it creates a permanent state institution charged with restoration, habitat management and air-quality improvement. California is also filling portions of the Species Conservation Habitat project with water and expanding dust-suppression work. If those efforts stabilize significant areas of exposed playa, Borrego could receive an environmental dividend without spending Borrego groundwater to obtain it. Conversely, if Colorado River cutbacks accelerate the Sea's decline faster than restoration can cover newly exposed playa, Borrego could experience worsening regional particulate pollution. Research modeling the shrinking Sea has projected significant increases in regional PM10 as additional playa is exposed. While the future is always unknown, here’s where things get interesting. Lithium Valley could change Borrego economically. The Salton Sea is no longer simply an environmental-restoration story. It is increasingly becoming an energy, minerals and infrastructure story. Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) announced in March a $4.7 billion transaction intended to finance development of its Hell's Kitchen geothermal/lithium project. CTR is targeting 50 MW of electricity by 2028 and 25,000 metric tons of lithium annually by 2029. The technology still has to prove itself commercially, so those targets should not be treated as certain. Meanwhile, another part of the geothermal industry is looking increasingly toward supplying electricity to AI/data centers. If even a substantial portion of those plans materializes, southeastern California could develop something it has never really had before: a significant clean-energy/critical-minerals industrial cluster. Borrego could become the attractive western gateway to this emerging region. That potentially means more visitors, executives, investors, scientists, journalists, researchers, government officials and environmental organizations moving through the area. Some will want lodging, restaurants, meeting space and recreation without staying at the Salton Sea or an industrial operation. Borrego could offer precisely what the southern Salton Sea cannot: a beautiful, quiet desert destination next to a state park and protected landscape. Tourism could be the sleeper opportunity. There's another development that hasn't received nearly as much attention. California State Parks is developing a new long-term vision for recreation at the Salton Sea, potentially including more trails, camping, interpretation, wildlife viewing and other forms of public access. A draft general plan is expected in 2027. Combine that with Anza-Borrego and you could eventually have a much stronger regional tourism proposition. Imagine Borrego Springs, Gateway to the Salton Sea combining desert ecology, geology, energy technology, wildlife, water recreation, and dark skies. More to come as the Borrego Sun considers a number of plausible future scenarios. Read article #2: Borrego Valley & The Salton Sea – Ten Years From Now References Borrego Springs CP Salton Sea Program What one company’s shift towards data centers says about Imperial County’s lithium industry | KPBS Public Media More hiking trails, campgrounds could come to the Salton Sea