Borrego In 3 Days
Day 3 in the desert and it becomes clear how large this park really is. Start your day with a bike ride and end up looking at possibly 2,000-year-old rock art. Be sure to pack a lunch when driving to the southern part of the park. Have a picknick surrounded by rock art and ancient trails. Listen to the quiet desert and watch the birds. End your trip climbing into the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves, located deep in the southern section of the Park.
Rent an off-road bike
Whether your idea of biking is to ride a five-mile loop around town or a 100-mile route through the badlands, Borrego Springs has some of the finest winter road biking in the United States. Roads are generally wide, traffic is low, and the scenery is amazing. The terrain is whatever you want; there are lots of gently rolling routes in the Borrego Valley and many quiet and easy routes to visit the sculptures or though the agricultural lands north of town. For the expert crowd, there is the world-class Montezuma Grade, 3,368 feet of vertical in just ten miles.
Or take an E-Bike Guided Tour
All of their tours are fully guided and include a Rad Rover electric assist fat tire bike. Electric bikes give the rider a helping hand—or push—creating an easy reach for riders with varying levels of fitness and experience. It’s a fun, eco-friendly, and memorable experience. The group sizes are kept small for an intimate experience between you and the surrounding desert.
Discover the markings of long-gone native artists
The Native American tribes that once lived in the Anza-Borrego Desert left a legacy of petroglyphs and pictographs on boulders and cliffs throughout the park. These early artists drew human and animal figures, sun circles, stars, and other more abstract designs. Many of the drawings mark sacred locations where they celebrated rites of passage and held ceremonies. The easiest place to see some rock art is on the Pictograph Trail in Little Blair Valley. Passenger cars can manage the dirt road to the trailhead, and the easy hike leads to views of a boulder embellished with red and yellow zigzag lines and diamond shapes, were painted by nomadic Kumeyaay Indians, possibly as much as 2,000 years ago.
Kumeyaay village site on the ‘Ehmuu-morteros Trail
The ‘Ehmuu-Morteros trail is a short but fascinating path through the site of a former Kumeyaay Native American seasonal village. The nomadic Kumeyaay would spend winters in the Anza-Borrego region, and from this location, they would collect and process pinyon nuts, mesquite beans, and desert agave. This is one of three short, easy trails along the southern portion of Blair Valley. To make the most of your trip to this area, hit Ghost Mountain and Pictograph trails, mentioned above, while you’re out there.
Visit the geographical wonder of the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves
Located deep in the southern section of the Park, the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves are one of the most popular attractions. A geographical wonder of the Anza-Borrego desert, deep caves created by flowing silt from an ancient lake bed, eroded by wind and rain. They’re big enough to walk into and climb through. Some have room-sized caverns. You can also crawl to the top of the prehistoric geological formation and from the elevated summit, scan the desert horizon for miles around.
Click on “Things to Do” for hikes recommended by locals. For a comprehensive online guide to the hiking trails in the Park see the All Trails website. The State Park Visitors Center and in downtown Borrego Springs the Anza-Borrego Foundation and Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association stores all have excellent inventories of trail guides, books, maps and plenty of “insiders” advice on great places to hike.