Photos of Palm Canyon Hike at Anza Borrego

For those of you contemplating a Palm Canyon Hike at Anza Borrego, my best advice to you is just DO IT. You will NOT be disappointed. Anza Borrego is the largest state park in California. This blog is about the Super Bloom of 2019 in Anza Borrego State Park, and all of the photos were shot on March 19, 2019.

We approached the Palm Canyon Hike trail at Anza Borrego State Park and saw a sign recommending that we carry at minimum 1 gallon of water per person. That seemed a bit excessive to my uniformed mind of how I would feel after hiking 3 miles over rocks, up steps, boulders, rough terrain and 6 river crossings on rocks. Good deal that my husband brought an entire portable bladder of water in his backpack because I ran out of my one liter of water on the way back.

And I am not a big water drinker.

Almost the entire hike was unreal. You simply cannot believe what your eyes are viewing. Toto, we are not in Sacramento anymore. Wildflowers explode everywhere. This is the Super Bloom that happens once every decade or so when seeds lie dormant in the desert, waiting for several years of hard rain in order to sprout. I thought Fonts Point was fascinating but the trip just kept getting better.

Although the trail starts out simple enough, soft sand and fabulous views, it quickly turns into narrow walking paths and the need to scramble over boulders.

Below are photos of the Palm Canyon Hike at Anza Borrego Desert State Park. You will see a road runner sitting on a pile of rocks. Visual evidence of tectonic plate thrusts. Beautiful yellow evening primrose flowers. A spiny granite lizard sunning himself. Desert sunflowers. A white-lined sphinx moth caterpillar near purple heliotrope. Stunning white ghost flowers. Pink Bigelow’s monkey-flowers. Purple canterbury bell flowers.

A couple of costa hummingbirds. Family of Big-Horn sheep on the ridge. Apricot mallow. Several Palm Canyon hike oases at the end of the loop. Ending with a photo of me in front at the Palm Canyon Hotel restaurant, exhausted and ready for lunch. Well worth the hike. Tremendous wildflower blooms and interesting wildlife.