arrow-down arrow-left arrow-right arrow-up play-button plus tab-indicator dots close menu search facebook google-plus instagram pinterest rss twitter youtube rss-two heart Check FeaturedBadge linkedin minus apps placeholder linkedin

San Diego East County Deserts

A kaleidoscope of colorful flowers & more

Year-round, San Diego's East County Desert areas offer views of badlands, hikes to palm oases and slot canyons, relaxation at resorts and sightings of wildlife. But once a year, the ground erupts in a patchwork of colorful flowers that overwhelm the eyes with their unforgettable beauty.

Wildlife, Wildflowers & Hidden Treasures

The Anza-Borrego Desert is a place of ancient hidden treasures, subtle charm, epic wilderness and stunning silence, the antithesis of the highly manicured Palm Springs. 

Wildlife 

Heading east on Interstate 8 through the pretty mountains leads to the 600,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, one of the richest and seemingly boundless living museums in San Diego county. This massive state park is home to roadrunners, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer, bighorn sheep, desert iguanas, chuckwallas and four species of rattlesnake. The desert garden just outside the Visitor Center building provides an overview of some of the vegetation in the park.

Wildflowers

Springtime in the park is a magical affair as the dry, rugged landscape is transformed by winter rains into a kaleidoscope of colorful wildflowers with splashes of bold colors across the desert dunes, creating a spectacular floral display. The annual desert spring wildflowers come in a variety of species from tiny flowers with mere sparkling bits of color no larger than the head of a pin to the majestic ocotillo with its fiery spines of scarlet that pierce the skyline.

Hidden Treasures

The desert resort community of Borrego Springs is a quiet funky corner in the world with a handful of restaurants, shops and places to stay. Cozy up in a casita at La Casa del Zorro, play Tom Fazio golf at Ram’s Hill Golf Course, nosh authentic Mexican eats at Carmelita’s or enjoy burgers, beer and karaoke at Carlee’s. There are also bed-and-breakfast inns, motels and several vacation rental condominiums and houses.


Follow this link to discover more about California's deserts.

Find a place to stay

Book online or call 1-800-350-6205 to speak with a local expert

Related Articles and Features

Deals just for you

Restaurants

Show Your Badge & Save at LAVO Italian Restaurant

LAVO Italian Restaurant
Valid: Jul 26, 2022 - ongoing

Present your same-day Convention Center badge and receive 15% off your bill at LAVO Italian Restaurant. Offer valid all day Sunday-Thursday, and before 7pm Friday-Saturday. Only available for parties...

Venues

Happy Hour at the Food Hall Bar!

Little Italy Food Hall
Valid: Aug 10, 2022 - ongoing

Specials on select local draft beer, wine, and cocktails!    Join us for Wine Wednesday. 1/2 off select bottles of wine all day!

Accommodation

Days for Dogs Package

Days Inn By Wyndham San Diego Hotel Circle
Valid: Jan 3 - ongoing

YOUR PUP DESERVES A VACATION TOO!  Treat your four-legged family members to extra-special pet perks at the Days Inn during your next getaway. Your pup has been used to having you...

Events to check out

Event

San Diego Crew Classic

Mar 31 - Apr 2, 2023

Regarded as the first major regatta of the year, the San Diego Crew Classic brings together thousands of athletes from more than 100 universities, clubs and high school programs across the United...

Event

La Jolla Half Marathon & Shores 5K

May 20, 2023

The La Jolla Half Marathon is one of America's most picturesque and beautiful point-to-point races. Starting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, the course follows a scenic coastal route before reaching the...

Event

San Diego Restaurant Week

California Restaurant Association San Diego County
Mar 26 - Apr 2, 2023

San Diego Restaurant Week, hosted by the California Restaurant Association, returns with over 100 restaurants across 30+ neighborhoods for eight days of dining.

Stay in touch

Sign up to receive the latest news, events, and updates about San Diego. Our monthly and weekly newsletters will keep you informed about the latest and greatest happenings in the destination.

Sign Up

Partners

Explore

Plan

Stay

Follow Us

Language:

English | Change Language

Select your country or region

China FlagChinaGermany FlagGermanyGreat Britain FlagGreat BritainJapan FlagJapanMexico FlagMexicoKorea FlagKoreaSwitzerland FlagSwitzerlandBrazil FlagBrazilFrance FlagFranceAustralia FlagAustraliaCanada FlagCanada USA

Or use Google Translate

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Croatian Czech Danish Deutsch Español Estonian Filipino Finnish Francais Galician Greek Haitian-Creole Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Nederlands Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Swahili Swedish Telugu Thai Turkish Ukranian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish