The drive from LA to Anza Borrego State Park is about 3.5 hours, but there are two main routes to drive and many places to stop. On my way in, I left early Saturday morning driving down the coast to San Diego before heading inland through the mountains. There was a heat wave this weekend so it was very very hot. Heading to the desert, I figured going to a swimming hole on the way would be perfect. After some research, I found Green Valley Falls on the way to Anza Borrego. The drive to Green Valley Falls in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was about 2.5 hours from LA. Since I left early, I parked around 9am and it was already almost 80 degrees out so I hiked the 2ish miles there from where I parked. Green Valley Falls Trail in AllTrails is very short starting from Green Valley Campground, but the Campground is closed and blocked off January to March. So you have to find the closest parking and hike up through the trails or along the road. I parked in a large parking lot just off the road about 2 miles up from the campground and took the trails.

After enjoying the swimming hole by myself for a while (the perks of starting early), as people started to trickle in, I headed back to my car and on my way. The trail out from the swimming hole follows the creek for a while to another interesting rock structure the water runs down, but not deep enough to swim. Getting back to my car and driving another hour down almost 3,000ft elevation into the Basin before the Salton Sea where Anza Borrego State Park sits. The drive down is windy and beautiful as the trees and rolling green mountains transform into rocky mountains overlooking the colored desert floor. Visiting Anza Borrego State Park in Winter after some rains is my favorite because there are beautiful wildflower blooms all around the park as well as water flowing through the Borrego Palm Canyon Loop Trail.

After enjoying the wildflowers and grabbing a burrito in Borrego Springs, I headed to go camp. There are many places to off road and car camp, some small parking lots like Peg Leg Legal RV Boon Docking Site, and others farther down dirt roads with a bit more privacy. Also, driving down towards the Salton Sea has a lot of off roading trails to go camp on with a view of the Salton Sea in the distance.

Driving back up the hill out of Anza Borrego, I stopped in the town of Julian, which is just under an hour drive. Julian is a former mining town, with lots of cute stores and things to do. MY favorite thing to do there is go to Mom’s Pies! I picked up some slices for my roommate and I and drove the other 2.5 hours back to LA trying to escape the heat as it was going to get above 100 degrees that day. Always rememnder to check the weather, be aware of potential changes and prepare with enough water, proper clothing and sun protection.