Anza Borrego Desert State Park is a little known, but photographically wonderful area just outside San Diego, CA. Crammed into the backside of the coastal range is one of the most diverse desert environments in California.

Spring is cactus blooming time in Anza Borrego. What we'll get is wholly dependent upon the winter's rainfalls. Some years there is very little activity, other years the desert floor springs to life with flowers everywhere. Moreover, the actual timing is very sensitive to recent rainfalls. I've seen Anza go from no flowers to full triggered by little more than a one-hour sprinkle the week before. Thus, we won't have much control over how much flowering we see. Still, there's plenty to shoot besides flowers. A short list: slot canyons, palm oasis, badlands vistas, a wide variety of non-flowering cacti (see left), big horn sheep, desert washes, unique rock formations, dunes, and more.


Anza Borrego is a very large park, and almost impossible to explore in a three-day workshop. I'll try to give you a flavor of the park as best I can, but suffice it to say I've been here many times and am still finding new photographic opportunities. Due to the location, the park is best shot at sunrise, so we'll be rising early. Good sunsets are a little harder to come by here, but not unknown. We'll be staying in the town of Borrego Springs. This small desert town is likely to be a bit unique in your travel experience: there is yet a single national chain to be seen. There is no McDonald's, no Walmart, no anything you'd recognize. This is a quiet oasis that is what Palm Springs once offered Angelinos--secluded, away-from-it-all scenery.

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