Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (A-B DSP)

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Five-hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the California Desert.

The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish name borrego, or bighorn sheep. The park features washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and sweeping vistas. Visitors may also have the chance to see roadrunner, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer and bighorn sheep as well as iguanas, chuckwallas and the red diamond rattlesnake.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
200 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs CA 92004-5005
Visitor Center: 760-767-4205
Park Headquarters: 760-767-5311

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® is located on the eastern side of San Diego County, with portions extending east into Imperial County and north into Riverside County.

Many visitors approach from the east or west via Highways S22 and 78. From the coast, these highways descend from the heights of the Peninsular range of mountains with spectacular views of the great bowl of the Colorado Desert. Highway S2 enters the park from the south off of Interstate 8.

Visitor Center - Hours & Days:
9:00am to 5:00pm
Open Thursday - Monday October through May
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
Open weekends only June through September

Links:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park – State Web site: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park org site: http://www.abdsp.org/

Web site for making camp site reservations (Reserve America): http://www.reserveamerica.com/campgroundDetails.do?subTabIndex=0&contractCode=ca&parkCode=anza

Maps!
1. Google map of the area: http://www.parks.ca.gov/lat_long_map/default.asp?lvl_id=278
2. Detailed park map showing major trails & washes: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/638/files/ABDSPmap.pdf
3. Palm Canyon Campground map showing campsites: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/638/files/AnzaBorregoDesertPDF.pdf
4. General park map: http://www.borregospringschamber.com/abdsp/map1.htm
5. Map showing 6 major sections of A-BDSP: http://www.borregospringschamber.com/abdsp/map2.htm

Here's another alternative for camping in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Ocotillo Wells area:

Stagecoach Trails Resort
7878 Great Southern Overland Stage
Route Of 1849
Julian , California - 92036

Latitude: 33.0603
Longitude: -116.4245
Phone: Local: (760) 765-3765
Fax: (760) 765-3265
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.stagecoachtrails.com
Regular Rate: $30.00*
Passport Rate: $15.00*

Passport America membership appears to be $44.00/year.
http://www.passport-america.com/Campgrounds/CampgroundDetails.aspx?CampgroundId=451

Thanks for good information.
I hope I can visit there in few weeks!!

iPhone app not just for ABDSP - apparently this is for all California State Parks!

"Casey over at Modern Hiker recently reviewed a great new app for the iPhone called CalParks. Being a bit of an iPhone fanatic I immediately downloaded the free app to check it out.
What is nice is that the CalParks app will use the iPhone's built-in GPS to locate California State Parks close to your location. According to the app, Anza Borrego is 52 miles away from my location and appears in a nice sorted list with other State Parks."

More info and screen shots here:
http://www.anzaborrego.net/Travel/A...Borrego-State-Park-Guide-for-your-iPhone.aspx

Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert [Paperback]

According to a review on Amazon, "Why pay almost $10 for a map when you can get the map and the book on Amazon for only $12.21. For less than $3, you get so much more with the accompanying guide book by Lowell and Diana Lindsay. Considering the price differential, I cannot recommend the map as a stand alone. Get both the book and map, and then go enjoy this spectacular springtime park."

Book and map:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0899974007/?tag=fordraptorforum-20#_