Travel Blog

Borrego springs desert

Anyone planning to go to Borrego Springs can follow these directions. To get to Borrego springs take highway 10 E. from Palm Springs, Los Angeles, or the other Desert cities and then take Highway 86 S. towards Borrego springs. You will see the turn off on Highway 86 for the road towards the town of Borrego springs. This road takes you through the Badlands in the desert which are some of the pictures shown above and below.Tthis is a beautiful area of the desert and there’s lots of off roading opportunities in this part of the desert.

The trip to Borrego Springs California is a nice drive taking about an hour to two hours depending on where you are coming from and also how often you stop like us to take pictures. There are also specific locations for those people in RV’s to pull off the road and spend the night with no services. There is also an RV park in Borrego Springs California where you can park for the night and also obtain some services for your RV. It is within easy walking distance of the town of Borrego Springs California as well, although some people might want to take the  car or bike into town.

Borrego Springs California – Views

The view on the road to Borrego Springs California is absolutely beautiful if you enjoy the desert. There is a small golf course, a nice housing development and several small hotels. There are not many services such as bars and restaurants. This is a place to chill out and relax in the pure desert air. There are also lots of places to hiking, there is a desert museum and interpretive center as well to visit.  Anyone planning to stay in Borrego Springs California, should plan on spending a very quiet vacation.  If you need to go shopping for major groceries, or other items, plan on taking the entire day to drive into Indio or one of the other desert cities in the valley.

For more information about Borego Springs California, click here.

The Salton Sea, California shown in the distance is located in southern California. It is south of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The Salton Sea is actually below seal level. The largest land locked sea in the USA. Unfortunately it is not a place were you would want to spend a lot of time going to the beach or swimming in. There are few nice beaches and the water level has been declining for the past few years. Which has become a concern to local residents as well as local farmers.

Salton Sea  – Swimming

Chemicals foul the water. Most people will not even put their boats in the water. It remains a beautiful sea to look at in the middle of the desert. When sea levels were higher and the land was actually lower. The water level is continuing to get lower due to the extensive evaporation.

This picture was taken from the parking lot of the Red Earth Casino. It is a small Indian Casino along highway 86.  click here for more information. For more information about Borego Springs California, click here.

Save

We have been to Borrego Springs in California several times on day trips and have enjoyed every visit. We stay in Palm Springs and drive south along I10 until you come to Cal 86. Take this highway and stay on it until you come to Borrego Salton Seaway. Turn on to this road, you will see the signs. The scenery is truly fantastic with lots of spots to stop along the way. Observe the huge vista’s as well as the ravines where off road vehicles race each other along the bottom of the ravines.

As the picture shows on the left, traveling to Borrego springs allows you to see huge vista’s that are very impressive. Whether you are renting a home, staying in a motel or camping in the Borrego Springs campground you will enjoy the scenery, the solitude, the hiking and the fresh air! We like to go to the Borrego Springs museum or visitors center. You can learn all about the area, how it came to be and the local wildlife that exists in the area.

Borrego Springs Campground California – Hiking

Hiking Path

There are short paved hiking paths were you can walk into the desert. Experience the feeling of being in the dry desert without actually having to hike too far. This is suitable for those people who may not be able to walk that far. Or need paved surfaces for wheel chairs and motorized chairs. The entire visitors center is set up so that people who have difficulty with steps can see the entire indoor and outdoor exhibits. We really enjoyed the exhibits and learning about the area and how it originally got started.

What to Bring to Borrego Springs

If you do plan to go to the area, always take along a hat, sun tan lotion and a bottle of water. It can get pretty hot on some days. You do not want your trip curtailed because you forgot to bring a hat or water to drink while hiking in the area. The trail that begins at the visitors center winds its way through the desert for about 1 mile. It ends at the Borrego Springs Campground. It appears to be suitable for both camping in tents as well as  it can accommodate RV parking as well.

There is also a golf course in the area with homes that back onto the golf course. We have driven through the area and found them well manicured in terms of landscaping and watered lawns. There is a grocery store and several restaurants in the area. Visitors should be aware that this is a small village that does not have all of the things that you might expect to have in a larger community.

Driving to Borego Springs

The picture below is an example of the pristine desert that you walk through. Hikers are asked to stay on the walkway to avoid damaging the environment. They also avoid encountering snakes and other wildlife.

The drive to Borrego Springs as we already mentioned is spectacular.  There are many ravines that crisscross the desert. These ravines are washed out areas that have been formed by flash floods that occasionally occur in the desert. They have flat sandy paths that are now used by off road vehicles. They are for people who are looking for some excitement and to get a taste of a different part of the desert.

Visit the area in the spring time. The flowers are spectacular. If you can time your visit in the March time frame or just after a winter rain storm there is a good chance you will see lots of flowers. Also some years are better than others in terms of flowers. However as always the desert is beautiful in it’s own way with very different plants and fauna that you do not see anywhere else.

We plan to go back to this area again in the spring of 2013 and will provide another update . For more information about Borrego Springs California, click here.

Save