Printer-friendly version
Wildflower Hike Planned April 16.
April 1, 2009 (Borrego Springs) – It’s not too late to see Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in bloom. As we move past the peak flower time, the show is moving from the desert floor to canyons and higher elevations, where there are a wide variety of plants just beginning to bloom. Anza-Borrego Institute will offer a full-day hike among the flowers on the Pacific Crest Trail on Thursday, April 16 from 8:00 to 4:30, for $45 or $35 for ABFI members. Visit theABF.org for more details. If you’re interested in venturing off the pavement for other hiking opportunities, here are prime locations to find blooms:
Along Highway 78
Cactus Loop Trail, across from Tamarisk Grove Campground near the junction of Highway S3 (Yaqui Pass Rd) and Hwy 78, find clusters of Fishhook and Barrel Cacti in bloom. Also look for Poppies, Whispering Bells, Wishbone, Ghost Flowers, and Bigelow’s Monkey Flower. In addition, the easier Yaqui Well Trail, also located across from the Campground, has lovely displays of flowers.
Plum Canyon, west of Tamarisk Grove Campground on Hwy 78, offers large multi-color displays of Wishbone, Chuparosa, Chicory, Viguiera, Fiddleneck, Phacelia, Desert Rock-Pea, and Popcorn flowers.
Gorgeous displays of Brittlebush, Desert Lavender, Dandelions, Chuparosa, Pincushion, and Cholla cactus can be found along Mine Wash Road, a dirt road located east of Tamarisk Grove Campground off Hwy 78.
Narrows Earth is a short trail with Poppies, Chicory, Phacelia, Chuparosa, Whispering Bells, California Evening Primrose, and Pincushion, located off Hwy 78 east of Tamarisk Grove Campground.
Near Visitor Center
While at the Visitor Center at the west end of Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs, wander around the pupfish pond and beyond to find Brittlebush, Chuparosa, Desert Dandelion, Little Gold Poppy, Cheese Bush, Phacelia, and Desert Lavender in bloom.
Hiking up Borrego Palm Canyon, you may see Apricot Mallow, Rock Daisies, Brittlebush, Chicory, and Desert Lavender. For a change of scenery, hike out of the canyon using the alternate trail to spot Phacelia, Rhatany, and Fagonia. Consider hiking in the early morning to avoid crowds at this popular, and often crowded, hike to the palm oasis. The trailheads are located at the west end of the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground.
Hellhole Canyon and Culp Valley, located just west of Borrego Springs on Hwy S22, are both beautiful with flowers, bushes and cactus in bloom.
Contact Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s Wildflower Hotline (760-767-4684) to get information about the bloom, updated weekly. For a map and other Park information visit Anza-Borrego Desert State Park online at parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page _id=638. To learn more about events throughout the month go to Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute’s website: www.theABF.org.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is California’s largest state park and is the largest state park in the contiguous United States with more than 600,000 acres. It extends into three counties: San Diego, Imperial and Riverside. From just above sea level to more than 6,000 feet, the Park has unique and diverse landscapes and environments, and provides habitat for many endangered and rare species including Peninsular bighorn sheep, least Bell’s vireo, Borrego bedstraw and Arizona Carlowrightia. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the first State Park to develop a sister park relationship across the world. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in Mongolia were officially recognized as sister parks in September of 2008.
The mission of Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute is to promote conservation in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the surrounding ecological region through land acquisition, education, interpretation and scientific studies. Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute (ABFI), founded in 1967, is a non-profit educational organization which believes conservation of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is reached through educating Park visitors and others. Anza-Borrego Foundation operates Anza-Borrego Institute, a field school which provides high quality, in-depth educational courses to over 1,300 visitors each year. In addition, ABFI has a growing member/donor program with approximately 1,400 members. To generate funds to support Park programs and projects, ABFI sells an extensive selection of educational materials to visitors in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s Visitor Center and at ABFI’s website www.theABF.org.
Recent comments