6 Easy Hikes in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

This guide to easy Anza-Borrego hiking trails will touch on a few relatively short and mellow hikes. It’s not comprehensive but meant to highlight some of our favorites and provide trails that will be of interest to hikers with kids or just looking for a low-key trek.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California is 915-square miles in size and can be explored via numerous hiking trails that bring you to high mountain peaks, deep slot canyons, and desert oases.

Part of the larger Colorado Desert, Anza-Borrego is home to more than 200 species of wildflowers and numerous desert plants, including ocotillo, cactus, and yucca. Wildlife is plentiful and includes bighorn sheep, coyotes, lizards, rattlesnakes, foxes, bobcats, cougars, and many species of birds.

Short & Easy Hiking Anza-Borrego Hiking Trails

The trails below are located near Borrego Springs or on the western side of the park in Blair Valley or Fish Creek Wash.

Marshall South Trail Guide – Anza-Borrego

Marshall South Home Trail is a 1.3-mile round trip hike in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park that brings you the erstwhile outpost of Marshal South, who homesteaded in this remote desert…

Anza-Borrego Slot Canyon Trail Guide

The Slot Canyon Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, known simply as “The Slot,” is an easy out-and-back hike.

Anza-Borrego Pictograph Trail Guide

Pictograph Trail is a mellow 1.6 mile out-and-back hike in Anza-Borrego to a boulder covered in Native American pictographs

Anza Borrego Palm Canyon Trail Guide

Borrego Palm Canyon Trail winds through a rugged Anza Borrego canyon to a lush stream-fed oasis.

Anza-Borrego Wind Caves Trail Guide

Anza Borrego Wind Caves Trail is a short hike to a wind carved sandstone formation with amazing views.

Hellhole Canyon Trail Guide

Hellhole Canyon Trail is a moderate 3-mile out-and-back hike located in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California.

See Also

For more information on visiting Anza-Borrego, including areas the visit and camping, check out the following guides, also found on OutdoorSoCal.com.

The Ultimate Anza-Borrego Adventure Guide

Posted on February 14, 2022

Guide to lodging, restaurants, hiking, camping, off-roading, and other outdoor adventures in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California

Anza-Borrego Camping Guide

Posted on February 1, 2022

Find the best campsites with this guide to Anza Borrego camping, including developed, primitive and off-the-grid camping.

Borrego Palm Canyon Campground Guide

Posted on August 3, 2020

Insider’s guide to the best developed campground in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

Yaqui Pass Primitive Campground Guide

Posted on January 4, 2022

Yaqui Pass Primitive Campground is a no-frills mountain campsite in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Tamarisk Grove Campground Guide

Posted on November 28, 2020

Tamarisk Grove Campground is one of four developed campsites in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California.