Anza Borrego or Joshua Tree
 

I am planning a trip to the San Diego area in February and have never been to the desert before. Should we do Anza Borrego or Joshua Tree? How far are they from one another? How far is each from San Diego?

Also, do you recommend any great hotels or resorts nearby either of the parks?

Thank you!

Dear Laura:

Hopefully someone with more experience with these areas will post. Check a map, but I believe Anza Borrego is much closer to San Diego.

Good luck with your trip.

MY

Joshua Tree is farther, but the scenery is better--big boulders, Joshua trees, etc. Play U2's album when you're there. :)

Anza Borrego's beauty is more subtle. It doesn't seem to impress people on the first look, but if you have never seen any southern CA desert, it's not bad. And it's not at all like the desert of Sahara--more scrubby, not sandy.

i would go to joshua tree if you have the time. there are several routes you can take out to palm springs so maybe go via the highway on the way there and then take the mountain pass coming home. spend the night in palm springs. it's about 2 1/4 hours san diego to palm springs.

With just a passenger car, Joshua Tree would be better. There is a nice resort nearer to Anza Borrego, however: Casa del Zorro. With Joshua Tree, you'll need to stay in one of the towns outside the park, and if you want "nice", that means the Coachella Valley (eg Palm Springs). La Quinta Resort would be my choice.

Anza Borrego is at its best when flowers are blooming. Both times I've been there in March. It is easy to do as a day trip from San Diego. Last time we went to A-Z was the spring after the huge wildfires. We had some interesting scenery near Julian.

Anza Borrego is closer to San Diego. I don't know how far apart Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree are from one another as I've only driven to each from LA on separated occasions. Both are quite enjoyable. I personally find Anza Borrego slightly more interesting but perhaps, as another poster suggests, it's not as initially impressive as Joshua Tree.

What do you consider a 'great' hotel? If you visit Anza Borrego, the nicest (in terms of most luxurious) place to stay is the Casa Del Zorro. If you decide to visit Joshua Tree, the 29 Palms Inn is a lovely, quirky little place with individual cottages. Certainly not luxurious but somehow the atmosphere is more fitting for a trip to Joshua Tree than staying at a resort in Palm Springs IMHO. The food is good too and my dog likes it there :)

I have never been to Joshua Tree so that should be considered but we LOVED Anza Borrego!!!! We were there in the spring. Casa del Zorro was just wonderful. An easy, scenic drive from San Diego. I fell in love with the desert on that trip. Have never recovered.

You can easily drive through both parks in a single day. Well, not all of them, but if you stay in Borrego Springs (in the middle of AB State Park), head east on S-22 to the "beautiful" Salton Sea, then north to Mecca and east to the southern entrance into Joshua Tree, it's only a couple of hours' drive. You won't see any Joshua Trees from the southern entrance until you get about halfway through the park, the trees are all in the northwest lobe of the park. AB and the southern bit of JT are in the Colorado desert, while the Joshuas grow in the Mojave Desert to the north.

If you are looking for a day trip from San Diego, go to Anza-Borrego. Joshua tree is a better day trip from Palm Springs. Do not feel like you have to go to Joshua tree for your desert experience. You will find plenty to see at Anza-Borrego if you have never been to the desert before. There are some interesting pictographs, morteros, fan palm studded oases, and varied topography. I have been to both parks multiple times and you will not see but a fraction of Anza Borrego even on a day trip. February will probably be a bit early for the best wildflowers, but you will probably find something in bloom. I suggest you get an early start and go to the visitor center first. The desert scenery is best at daybreak and dusk. Four wheel drive is not necessary to visit, although would be recommended for some areas of the park. I strongly suggest you get out of your car and take a hike or two. If you hike take plenty of water. Also fill your gas tank before you leave the main highway unless you really want to see high gas prices. You will be amazed how quiet and solitary the desert can be. I personally prefer the Doors to U2 when cruising desert highways.

If you do go to Palm Springs from San Diego, be sure to skip the interstate route and take the "Palms-to-Pines" route over the mountains. Absolutely spectacular as you descend into the desert. Check road conditions first, as a small chance of snow/ice.

Absolutely agree about the Palms-to-Pines route--it is spectacular. Perhaps you can also include the town of Julian in your drive.

Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego are both fascinating, but for some reason we keep going back to the latter but not the former.

La Mancha Resort Village in Palm Springs might be what you're looking for.