Anza-Borrego Desert State Park — Backcountry Open Camping

Anza-Borrego is one of the few places in California where a state park lets you pull off and camp nearly anywhere along its established dirt roads. You get badlands, palm oases, slot canyons, and some of the darkest skies in Southern California, with no hookups, no hosts, and no neighbors if you drive far enough. The rules are simple. Stay close to the road and don’t drive off-route to make camp. No ground fires. Fires are allowed only in a metal container, and you pack out the ashes along with everything else. Bring all your water. There is none out there.

Season is everything. October through April is prime. Summer regularly tops 110°F and will cook you and your rig. Spring wildflower weekends bring crowds into Borrego Springs. Sand washes like Coyote Canyon and Fish Creek can bog a stock 2WD, so air down and carry recovery gear. Check current road closures with the visitor center before heading out, because flash floods reroute washes.

Camp anywhere, cook nothing on the ground.