Palm at Anza Borrego
The Palm Canyon hike gently slopes upwards along a mostly dried out river, leading to a secluded palm grove and a waterfall visible in spring. The hike is so popular, that the campground parking lot may be full. On your hike, you could encounter big horn sheep, which are an endangered species and you will see many fascinating formations.
How to get there
Once in the park, follow S3 to Borrego Springs. At the roundabout, follow the signs toward the visitor center on Palm Canyon Drive. Turn right at this intersection and follow the road to the campground parking lot.
GPS position
Palm Canyon Parking:
Palms:
How to photograph Palm Canyon in the Anza Borrego Desert
Palm Canyon
One of the most important lessons I learned after I hiked the trail is to bring a small pocket sized Point and Shoot Camera on all my hikes. I can document the hike and everything I see along the way, without having to get my SLR out of the backpack. In the end, you can paint a much better picture and tell a visual story of the hike. Often the journey is as interesting as the destination.
Put a long lens on your SLR and keep it ready in case you spot Bighorn Sheep. Keep an eye on the cliffs above you. I have not been so lucky, but this is the territory of this endangered species and many people were lucky enough to spot them. Do not use a filter and set your camera to ISO 400. You may only get one shot and you do not want to make it a blurry one. If the sheep is still there and you realize that you can turn down your ISO to 100, you can always do so and get a better shot. The opposite scenario of you taking a noise free blurry shot and frantically adjusting while the animal turns away is a lot worse than having a bit too much grain.
I am using a LowePro Slingshot 300 AW to quickly get my camera out. This leaves my hands free for hiking and protects my camera should I fall. It also keeps it out of the desert dust. The last part of the hike requires a little rock climbing so tuck your camera away.
The main goal of the hike is the Palm Grove that you reach after about 2 miles. The palm trees cluster tightly around a water source that creates a small waterfall in spring.
The light conditions in the canyon are very challenging. The dynamic range is often too high to capture details in the canyon and in the sky. You can frame tightly to exclude the sky, as I have done here or you can invest a little bit more time and try yourself at creating HDR Photographs.
To shoot HDR photos, set your camera on a tripod and use aperture priority mode to ensure that you have the same depth of field across all photographs of a sequence.
Ask the ranger at the visitor center for recent information on bighorn sheep sightings and trail information.
Best Time of the Day and Best Season
Spring is the best time for a visit. A waterfall and pleasant weather make this hike very enjoyable. The summer’s heat makes it almost unbearable.
You will get the best light in the canyon when the sun is between about 100 to 130 degrees. From spring and fall, this means you should start your trek at around 9am so that you can photograph the palm trees during the late morning hours. During winter, you should already be at the canyon at 9am to have sunshine on the Palms.
If you come during June to November, you will increase your chances of seeing bighorn sheep and possibly also of getting a heat stroke. Bring enough water and a hat or umbrella if you dare to come here in summer.
Time required
You need at least two hours to hike the Palm Canyon trail while taking photographs. You need to plan three hours to have enough time at each location, on your way and at the palm grove.
Equipment
- Wide-Lens
- Telephoto Lens
- Polarizing Filter
- Tripod (HDR shooting)
- Sun Cream
- Water 1 liter (1 quart) per person
Fees
There is no entrance fee to the park itself. The day use fee at the Palm Canyon Campground is $6 per car. You can also park at the visitor center and walk here, but since it is often very hot, I would rather pay the fee.
Close Locations
For many visitors Palm Canyon is all they see when they come to Anza Borrego. The park is large and there are many more things to explore, especially if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
- Wildflowers at Anza Borrego
- Borrego Badlands and Carrizo Badlands overlooks
- Salton Sea
- Slab City and Salvation Mountain
- Palomar Observatory
- San Diego Wild Animal Park (in Escondido)
- Legoland California
- Carlsbad Flower Fields
Useful Resources
- Anza Borrego Park Website
- Tel: 760-767-5311
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2 Comments
How is access in the winter? Are the sheep around at that time of year too?
Access is good. It doesn’t snow here. Go to weather.com and look for “Borrego Springs, CA”.
I have no clue what the sheep are doing in winter. I think your best bet is to ask the rangers: +1-760-767-5311.