It was also the route that Colonel Pedro Fages took in 1772 while searching for army deserters. Camping is free. The trailheads for Yaqui Well Trail and Cactus Loop Trail, two quick hikes, are just across Highway S3 to the north of the campground. Culp Valley Trail, an easy half-mile hike that begins at the campground brings you to an overlook of Borrego Valley. 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Some dispersed camping areas are relatively popular and you may well encounter other parties of campers. It’s worth taking particular note of the rules about parking only a car length from the road, bringing your own fire pit, and carrying out trash, toilet paper, and human waste. Further south and east on the road is the trailhead for a 1.8-mile out-and-back trail that ends near rocks where ancient Kumeyaay Indians drew pictographs thousands of years ago. Drive east on Hwy 78, and about a mile and a half after Borrego Springs Road, turn left onto Buttes Pass Road. This can be combined with other trails in the area to form a loop that brings you to Culp Valley Overlook and Peña Springs. These include a trail the Kumeyaay used to take to get to the Laguna Mountains, and trails to Rockhouse Canyon, Mountain Palms Springs Campground, and Torote Bowl. The Peg Leg Smith free camping area is located at grid coordinates 33.294971, -116.297546 and is just off of the intersection of California Route S22 and Henderson Canyon Road. It’s BLM land there. The great thing is that you can pull off just about anywhere and camp. We drove a new Jeep Rubicon and a Toyota 4Runner, and DID need 4WD & LO-range for parts of the trails, so come prepared! We had a little rain but it makes the desert sky lovely. If you’re looking for a quick hike, it’s only about .25 miles from the campground to the overlook. I personally like the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground as it has big roomy sites. The campground is located at the end of Bow Willow Road, 1.6 miles from its intersection with the Southern Emigrant Trail (S2). There are no restrooms, so you’ll need to make arrangments. There is an area along Peg Leg Road (see best places for boondocking in Anza Borrego), northeast of the city limits, where many boondockers camp. Camping in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a wondrous experience, especially in the spring when wildflowers carpet the ground. With 27 campsites, 11 of which are cabins, Tamarisk is a great place to call home during your stay in the desert. Blair Valley Primitive Campground is a great base for exploring Blair Valley and Little Blair Valley, two quiet, undeveloped valleys nestled in the mountainous western portion of Anza Borrego south of Borrego Springs. Over the recent Thanksgiving school break, my family and I planned a three-night trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, an outdoor wonderland located just a couple of hours east of our home in San Diego. The trail forks a short distance further. The canyon, which can be accessed from Borrego Springs or Anza (from the northwest) runs for about 35 miles, offering numerous adventures for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and off-road enthusiasts. There are basically two ways to camp in Anza Borrego: 1) in established campgrounds, which come with varying degrees of amenities and cost, or 2) in dispersed camping areas, where you can set up camp where you like, in accordance with a few important rules and exceptions set by the state park system. The campground includes 16 first-come, first-served campsites. There are multiple ways to approach the park from San Diego, but entering from the I8 on the south side or via Highway 78 through the town of Julian are popular routes. Perfect adventure to start the year on a good note. The hell hole canyon trail was fun and the varied terrain towards the end of the trail was very interesting. This is a great place to camp if you don’t have a reservation at one of the developed campgrounds but like the idea of having a toilet available. The toilets are located just under half a mile along Yaqui Wells Road from the S3. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. This is a collection of our Contributor Josh N's Favorite / Top / Best 5 Easy to Intermediate Off-Road Trails in the Anza-Borrego State park in California. Bring your own firewood and take your cooled ashes with you; gathering or taking of any live, dead, or downed vegetation is prohibited. You can buy water and other limited supplies at a small store and visitor center run by the campground hosts. Like the rest of the primitive campgrounds in Anza Borrego, there are no trashcans, so you’ll need to pack out your trash. For more information, visit our guide to Coyote Canyon. There is a $10 per night fee for camping in Sheep Canyon (at the time that we’re writing this). Located at the split of the 78 (which heads east towards the town of Ocotillo Wells) and S3 (which winds northeast over Yaqui Passtowards Borrego Springs), the campground, comprising 27 campsites, is well situated near the center of the park. There are more than 500 miles of roads in the park. This Anza-Borrego camping guide augments our Ultimate Guide to Anza Borrego Desert State Park, a more general guide to Anza Borrego adventure, by offering more detailed information on camping in the park. Ways to Experience Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Canyons, Nature & Wildlife Areas, Hiking Trails. It is divided into three sections. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Oct-March are the best months for hiking pending the weather. The rules for primitive campsites, listed above, also apply to dispersed camping. Vern Whitaker Horse Camp, located about 4 miles north of Borrego Springs, is a great home base for exploring the northern parts of Anza Borrego on horseback (GPS: 33.348720, -116.399432). Free dispersed camping are more than 500 anza borrego off road camping of roads in the Fish Creek near. Is another good option public land that fronts it canyons, Nature & Wildlife,. 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