A turn on Route S22 near the Salton Sea leads you on a 21-mile trek to Borrego Springs on what is also called Erosion Road. The first scenery along this roadway is riddled by fractures and faults, dramatic evidence of earthquake motion. Along this route, you enter the vast confines of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest desert state park in the continental United States. Encompassing nearly 650,000 acres and containing more than 500 miles of dirt roads, much of the park area is untouched true wilderness. In fact you might not see cars for a little while, especially in the off season. So plan your trip accordingly, so that you aren’t out in the middle of the desert in the blazing sun.
GALLETA MEADOWS ESTATE
In the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park visitors will encounter more than a dozen large free-standing metal sculptures of prehistoric animals such as mammoths, giant birds and saber-toothed cats at the Galleta Meadows Estate. Most of the sculptures depict animals of the desert and prehistoric wildlife. Most of them weigh about 800 to 1,000 pounds each and were commissioned by the late millionaire Dennis Avery. Visitors are allowed to “trespass” to admire the open desert art museum.
There are several routes available that you can drive in your own vehicle that can serve as self-guided tours. A map with the GPS locations of all the sculptures is available at the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association desert store, which is one block west of downtown’s Christmas Circle. And that location(Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association desert store) is exactly what I would put in your phone GPS to find the location. You will see signs for the sculptures when you head into town, but I suggest getting the GPS map before you drive out into the desert to check them out. There will be places on the side of the road to pull over and jump out to take pictures. We spent about an hour driving around looking at all of the different sculptures. This can be a day trip in and of itself, or as an add on to Julian or the Salton Sea. Be sure to have lots of water on hand and gas in the tank during your trip, as you really are out in the middle of the desert.
There are several routes available that you can drive in your own vehicle that can serve as self-guided tours. A map with the GPS locations of all the sculptures is available at the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association desert store, which is one block west of downtown’s Christmas Circle. And that location(Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association desert store) is exactly what I would put in your phone GPS to find the location. You will see signs for the sculptures when you head into town, but I suggest getting the GPS map before you drive out into the desert to check them out. There will be places on the side of the road to pull over and jump out to take pictures. We spent about an hour driving around looking at all of the different sculptures. This can be a day trip in and of itself, or as an add on to Julian or the Salton Sea. Be sure to have lots of water on hand and gas in the tank during your trip, as you really are out in the middle of the desert. GPS map before you drive out into the desert to check them out. There will be places on the side of the road to pull over and jump out to take pictures. We spent about an hour driving around looking at all of the different sculptures. This can be a day trip in and of itself, or as an add on to Julian or the Salton Sea. Be sure to have lots of water on hand and gas in the tank during your trip, as you really are out in the middle of the desert.
