In late-February and March, millions of flowers bloom in the Southern California desert parks, most notably in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, carpeting the desert floor with all kinds of colors, from white and yellow to purple and blue.
These Anza-Borrego Desert State Park wildflowers are a stunning sight to see, an annual spectacle that attracts huge crowds of campers, hikers, photographers, and day visitors.
Guide to the Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflower Bloom 2024
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Although the bloom often starts halfway through February, mid-March is typically the best time to see wildflowers in the Anza-Borrego Desert. If it’s been a particularly wet winter, which it has been thus far, the blossoms could even last well into April.
According to the folks over at DesertUSA, “it should be a good wildflower year,” mainly thanks to abundant rainfall in the fall and the beginning of the year.
The number of people that visit Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to see the wildflowers bloom is staggering. Desert roads, which I image are all but empty most of the year, are filled with cars in late-winter and early-spring
Long traffic jams slow vehicles down to walking speed. From noon to late-afternoon, police officers are necessary to direct traffic and keep things running somewhat smoothly. Mornings, on the other hand, are gorgeous, comfortable, and relatively quiet.
Millions of Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers
Walking through the Anza-Borrego Desert feels like walking in a botanical garden. Except, of course, that this is an entirely natural landscape, where flowers have bloomed for millennia.
Millions and millions of wildflowers cover the landscape around Borrego Springs, the small and main town in the heart of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.
Borrego Springs is the center of tourism in the area, home to restaurants, cafés, accommodations, grocery stores, and gas stations.
I recommend that you make this area your base during your visit to the Anza-Borrego Desert. It’s where you’ll find most services and facilities.
The Anza-Borrego Desert Visitor Center and a nice state park-managed campground lie just west of the town center, while scenes of sprawling Borrego Springs wildflowers are just a quick drive away.
Some of the most common wildflowers you can see in the Anza-Borrego Desert include the following:
- Cryptanthas (Cryptantha ssp.)
- Desert chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana)
- Desert lavender (Hyptis emoryi)
- Desert lily (Hesperocallis undulata)
- Desert sand verbena (Abronia villosa)
- Desert sunflower (Geraea canescens)
- Desert woolly star (Eriastrum eremicum)
- Flatbud prickly poppy (Argemone munita)
- Fringed onion (Allium fimbriatum)
- Lupines (Lupinus ssp.)
- Palmer’s Indian mallow (Abutilon palmeri)
- Pancake prickly pear (Opuntia chlorotica)
- Trailing four o’clock (Allionia incarnata)
- Wild heliotrope (Phacelia distans)
- Yellow tack stem (Calycoseris parryi)
This is, however, just a very small listing of all flower species in the Anza-Borrego Desert. There are more than a thousand!
You can see the full list of wildflower species here.
Where to See the Wildflowers in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in 2024?
Anza-Borrego Desert wildflowers are found all around—and even in—Borrego Springs.
The best areas to see a variety of those Borrego Springs desert flowers are along Henderson Canyon Road, around the Visitor Center and, my personal favorite, in Borrego Palm Canyon.
What Is the Best Hike for Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers
The best way to experience the Anza-Borrego wildflower bloom is on foot. Strap on some sturdy hiking boots, grab your camera, and bring plenty of water. Go for a hike, preferably in the morning and/or late-afternoon.
There’s nothing like a long walk to get to know a place and, most important, to get a different perspective on its fauna, flora and geology.
There are many fun and short hiking trails to the west of Borrego Springs.
My personal favorite Anza-Borrego wildflowers hike was the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, a three-mile roundtrip hike to a California fan palm oasis.
When you head out for a hike, do so in the morning. Sunrise is the most beautiful and coolest time of the day in the desert. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife. It’s not only about the Anza-Borrego wildflowers here; there are numerous animals around as well.
Always watch where you step, as rattlesnakes inhabit the area, too.
Other animals that you might spot include bighorn sheep—borrego is the Spanish name for these hardy, desert-adapted sheep—black-tailed jackrabbits and antelope squirrels.
Mountain lions and coyotes also call the Anza-Borrego Desert home, but you most likely won’t see them. If camping in the park, you will most likely hear the latter at night, though!
This is a fantastic destination for nature photography, offering everything from seasonal wildflower blooms to wildlife and spectacular desert scenery.
You can find more excellent self-guided trails in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park here on the website of the the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Always check current conditions and if there are any trail or road closures beforehand!
When Do Flowers Bloom in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park?
Although there are different bloom cycles for different plants, the greatest burst of Anza-Borrego Desert wildflowers happens in March and may last into April.
Often, though, you’ll be able to enjoy quite the Anza-Borrego wildflowers spectacle from as early as mid-February.
You can get almost-daily Anza-Borrego Desert wildflower updates and flower reports here. Additionally, the Anza-Borrego Foundation also provides wildflower updates here. You can also call the Wildflower Hotline for current information at (760) 767-4684.
Will There Be a Superbloom in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in 2024?
How many wildflowers bloom in the Anza-Borrego Desert greatly depends on the winter weather conditions. This is, after all, a desert environment and plants need water and sufficiently high temperatures to be able to grow flowers.
So, anytime a particularly wet winter occurs, combined with warm spring weather, there’s hope for a so-called Anza-Borrego Desert superbloom.
These superblooms are not common, though, and generally occur once every decade in southern California.
The last two superblooms in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park were in 2017 and 2019.
The deserts of southern California did get unusually large amounts of rainfall last fall (remember the massive storm damage in Death Valley?), while it’s also been a relatively wet winter. However, whether or not there will be an actual wildflower superbloom will be determined by spring temperatures or other weather conditions.
At this point, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park officials do not anticipate a full-blown superbloom in 2024.
This is not to say, however, that there won’t be any wildflowers to enjoy in the park. Rather the contrary, in fact, this park has an abundance of beautiful flowers every spring and it’s looking like it might be an above-average wildflower season in 2024.
Just because there’s no superbloom each year doesn’t mean Anza-Borrego Desert isn’t worth visiting. Even during an “normal” spring wildflower season, I guarantee you’ll be impressed by both the variety and sheer abundance of wildflowers throughout the park.
Anza-Borrego Desert Visitor Tips
- Recommended campground: Borrego Palm Canyon Campground
- Best Anza-Borrego wildflower hike: Borrego Palm Canyon Trail
- Best areas for wildflowers: Henderson Canyon Road, Anza-Borrego Visitor Center and Borrego Palm Canyon
- Best time to visit Anza-Borrego: March and early-April
- Don’t miss: The remarkable Borrego Springs Sculptures by Ricardo Breceda along Borrego Springs Road
- More information: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Further exploration: Nearby Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park are absolutely worth visiting as well. Both those parks usually also have an amazing wildflower season in early-spring.
Visit Responsibly
Like a number of other desert parks in California and the Southwest, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has experienced a huge increase in visitor numbers in recent years. A couple of superblooms have made this place “Insta-famous.”
This basically means that each year, thousands of people descend on these slopes and desert plains. Unfortunately, many of them show virtually no respect for the fragile environment they’re visiting.
Therefore, I need to stress the importance of staying on the designated trails. Don’t just walk through the wildflowers and don’t go lying down in them. And it should go without saying, but please don’t pick any flowers!
It might seem that one person’s footprints would barely leave a mark in this huge park, but multiply one pair of feet by tens of thousands of (often-careless) visitors and you end up with a completely destroyed landscape.
Again: always stay on the official trails!
I encourage you to read and follow the Leave No Trace guidelines while enjoying the gorgeous Anza-Borrego Desert wildflowers.
Borrego Springs Accommodation
If you’d like something fancier than a campground, there is plenty of accommodation in Borrego Springs that puts you well within reach of the most abundant wildflower displays.
Here are a few suggested places to stay in Borrego Springs.
Borrego Valley Inn
Located on Palm Canyon Drive, the Borrego Valley Inn is just a quick drive from the wildflowers of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This top-rated accommodation has a wide range of high-end amenities.
Guests can enjoy the inn’s 2 spa tubs and 2 outdoor pools, while there’s also a library, garden and picnic area. This is a great basecamp for adventures in the state park and exploring Borrego Springs itself.
Check Borrego Valley Inn Rates and Availability Here
Borrego Springs Resort and Spa
Modern amenities abound at the Borrego Springs Resort and Spa, ranging from half a dozen tennis courts, a fitness center and a spa to free WiFi, two outdoor pools and 18-hole golf course. Accommodation is available in cabanas that surround the pool.
After a day of admiring the Anza-Borrego Desert wildflowers, you can relax with an appetizer and drink at the fireside lounge before enjoying Southwestern-inspired cuisine at the Arches Restaurant.
Check Borrego Springs Resort and Spa Rates and Availability Here
La Casa del Zorro Resort
Only a 10-minute drive from Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, luxurious La Casa del Zorro is a resort you won’t find in many other places.
Free WiFi and soft bathrobes are provided in each room, which also comes with a fireplace, a private bathroom, a furnished patio or balcony, and a flat-screen TV.
You can hang out at various terraces on the property, but the real attraction of this particular accommodation is its 4 spa tubs, 5 outdoor pools, 6 tennis courts and 18 holes of golf. The Fox Bistro serves international food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Additionally, a croquet court and life-size chess games are available as well. For some more adventure, you can book four-wheel-drive desert tours at this resort.
Check La Casa del Zorro Rates and Availability Here
You can find many more accommodation options in Borrego Springs here!
Carroll Craigg
Sunday 23rd of February 2020
Borrego Palm Canyon may be closed due to a recent arson event. Call before going there!
Bram Reusen
Monday 24th of February 2020
Thanks for the update!