Anza Borrego Desert State Park is the largest recognized California park, spanning across a large section of the Eastern part of Southern California. I have camped here twice, once in the summer and once in the winter – with great weather both times (not too hot, not too cold). This past weekend, we headed out an hour and a half from San Diego to the campgrounds around the little remote town of Borrego Springs…
The campsite that I stayed at last time was fully booked due to the three day holiday weekend, but a ranger was kind enough to redirect us to Culp Valley campgrounds about ten minutes away. After following the road that snaked past several RVs and tents, we parked the car and set up our tent next to some trees to shield us from the wind. This area is not only free of charge and of designated site limitations, but it also has gorgeous scenery. We used my French press and a pocket rocket stove to boil water to make dinner, then spent the night staring at the stars….
In the morning, we woke up inside the tent to a still, sunny morning and spent some time reading, making breakfast, and brewing coffee. Then we decided to explore the surrounding area and found the tallest boulder in the area to climb, discovering a breathtaking 360 view of the different terrains – even reaching to the Salton Sea. It was well worth the chill of the persistent winds to sit there on top of the world. After a while, we headed back across the fields and packed up all of our gear to head towards hiking Slot Canyon.
Breanne Burnell 