Activities:
Ranger-guided tours, lectures and campfire events are scheduled on a daily basis throughout the winter and spring seasons. Campgrounds are available is some areas.

Anza-Borrego is more than just a bit off the beaten. In parts, it is quite possible to feel like you are the first human to discover this unique wonderland. Whether you chose horseback riding, bicycling, camping, hiking or 4 - wheel driving, you'll find abundant outlets and a range of difficulties.

Attractions:
The Desert Garden just outside the Visitor Center building offers a look at some of the vegetation in the park, with each species identified. The garden also includes a pupfish pond.

Wildflowers usually begin blooming in January and reach their peak in March. The success of each year's wildflower bloom is dependent on a variety of factors, including rainfall, temperature and winds.

Dramatic sunsets, majestic mountain vistas, and unexpected bursts of color are the kinds of things that have always inspired man to record his surroundings. It is no wonder that Borrego Springs is the home of a thriving artists' community.

Events:
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park publishes these Guidelines for its visitors:

DESERT SAFETY

• Carry water AND Drink it. Saving your water for the hike back has led to death in Anza-Borrego. Drink water before you leave home, while you hike, and on the return route. If you feel thirsty, it is already too late. Drink lots of water and drink often.
• Make sure your vehicle is desert-ready. Equip your vehicle for the desert. You should always carry extra water, a shade tarp, a shovel, a tire pump, and extra food.
• Prepare yourself. In addition to carrying water, you should have protective clothing, sunscreen, a hat, a good map, food, and a first aid kit.
• Have a plan. Leave all your trip information with a friend. Tell him/her your destination, the route you intend to follow, your expected return time, a description of your vehicle, your license plate number, and a time by which he/she should notify park authorities in case you don't return.
• Don't split up the group. Stay together. Never leave anyone behind to rest.
• Leave snakes alone. Many venomous snakes live in the desert. If you threaten them, they may strike. It is illegal to harass, catch, or kill any snake within Anza-Borrego. If bitten, remain calm and seek immediate medical attention.
• When emergencies happen: Stop. Stay calm. Seek shelter. If you are with your vehicle, remain there; do not leave it. Signal with mirrors, white cloth, and put your hood up. It is much easier to find a vehicle in the desert than a person.

RECOGNIZING A HEAT EMERGENCY
Heat Cramps are painful cramps in the legs and abdominal muscles, along with faintness and excessive sweating. To treat heat cramps, move the patient to a cool place and give him/her cool water, or a sport drink to replace lost fluids.

Heat Exhaustion commonly occurs during strenuous exertion in a hot environment. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, headaches, change in skin color, and disorientation. Place patient in a cool place and help him/her drink 1-2 liters of water, or a sports drink to replace lost fluids.

Heat Stroke is a very serious condition and is a medical emergency. Heat stroke occurs when the patient loses control of his/her body temperature. Symptoms include subjective sense of warmth, confusion, staggering, headache, convulsions, and eventual loss of consciousness. In most cases, sweating is reduced or absent. Body temperature is very high. Call 911 immediately and move the patient to a shady place, apply cold water to the skin, and fan skin to facilitate cooling. This condition can result in death; seek immediate medical attention.

TEMPERATURES IN SUMMER CAN EXCEED 120 DEGREES. EVEN IN THE FALL AND SPRING, IT IS EASY TO MISJUDGE TEMPERATURES AND THE BODY'S LOSS OF FLUIDS. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND WATCH FOR SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION SUCH AS HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, AND NAUSEA. WEAR A HAT AND SUNSCREEN WHEN OUTDOORS. ALWAYS CARRY AND DRINK WATER AND/OR JUICES.

May through September:

• Walk: Discovery Walk in Little Surprise Canyon
• Talk: "Desert Birds" A Quiz
• Walk: Early Morning Bird Walk
• Talk: "Snakes and Lizards - What's the Difference?"
• Talk: "Who Eats Who for Dinner?"
• Talk: "Not Just Another Cuckoo in the Desert: The Roadrunner"
• Campfire: "Bears in Parks"
• Talk: "So You Came Out Here in the Summer"
• Talk: "Who Are These People and What Are They Doing?"
• Walk: Hike Borrego Palm Canyon in the Summer

The Salton Sea International Birding Festival is held in February in Imperial County.

Town of Borrego Springs:

• Farmers Market every Friday at Christmas Circle, November through May
• Community Concert Series January through April at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center

February: Grapefruit Festival at Christmas Circle

March: Circle of Art at Christmas Circle

April: Peg Leg Liar's Contest at Peg Leg Smith Monument

May: Cinco de Mayo

October: Borrego Days Festival at Christmas Circle

Landmarks:
The town of Borrego Springs is an oasis in the midst of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, offering visitors stunning scenery, diverse wildlife and a wealth of activities. Located just two hours from both San Diego and Los Angeles, Borrego Springs is the tonic for a bustling lifestyle. It's the perfect getaway to renew your soul, restore your energy and leave you with a refreshed sense of well-being.

In Coyote Canyon, roads and trails follow the Native American Cahuilla's historic routes. Portions of the Pacific Crest Trail, the California Riding and Hiking Trail, and Anza National Historic Trail lead into this region.

Blair Valley boasts Scott's orioles, red-tailed hawks and American kestrels regularly; occasional visitors include golden eagles, prairie falcons and ferruginous hawks. Coyotes and rabbits are common, but mountain lions or bobcats are rarely seen. Blair Valley offers easy access to Box Canyon, which has a good view of the Southern Emigrant Trail and Oriflamme Canyon to the west, and Pinyon Mountain and the Pinyon Drop Off to Fish Creek to the east. This is a starting point for the climb to Whale Peak.

The Borrego Badland's Font's Point offers a 360-degree panorama of the northern half of the Anza-Borrego Desert. Down the eastern slopes is the Salton Sea, 235 feet (71.63 meters) below sea level, the lowest point in the Salton Trough. This is the best place in North America to view sediments of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs. During the Pliocene, Anza-Borrego was a receiving basin for the ancestral Colorado River as it carved out the Grand Canyon.

The Bow Willow Region is home to spectacular Canyon Sin Nombre that cuts through the Coyote Mountain Ridge. The San Diego and Eastern Railroad cuts through scenic Carrizo Gorge, and through 17 tunnels and dozens of wooden trestles, including the famous Goat Canyon Trestle. At is 633 feet 192.94 meters) long and 185 feet (56.39 meters high, it is one of the largest curved wooden trestles in North America.

Fish Creek is home to two of the park's rarest plants, the Elephant Tree and the Borrego Aster. Old Kane Springs Road near Harper Canyon is a favorite showplace for cactus lovers. Although Harper Canyon Road is known as Cactus Garden, it also is home to some of the slow-growing Desert Ironwood Trees. This area is home to Split Mountain Canyon, formed by an ancestral stream that divided the Vallecito Mountains from the Fish Creek Mountains. Sandstone Canyon sports some of the tallest walls and narrowest passages in the park.

Until 1968, when a paved road was completed through the San Ysidro Mountains and the Borrego Badlands, travel west from Los Angeles was impossible. With so little human intervention, a diverse plant community was able to thrive here. Rarities such as the Santa Rosa Sage, Parish's Larkspur and Elephant Trees flourish along side more common flora. Most of the park's Bighorn sheep live here, along with the Western Mastiff Bat and the Pocketed Freetail Bat, the Granite Night Lizard, the Desert Slender Salamander, and the Red-Spotted Toad.

Tamarisk Grove is home to a Kumeyaay winter village site, complete with the bedrock mortars this nomadic band used to grind foodstuffs. Scenic Jasper Trail descends into Grapevine Canyon, with stops at Angelina and Stuart Springs. Chaparral wildflowers such as Baby Blue Eyes, Goldfields and Creamcups decorate the area in late spring.

Museums and Exhibits:
Borrego Desert Nature Center sponsored by the Anza-Borrego Desert National History Association provides a presentation of the park's history. A slide show is provided on an hourly basis.