Exploring Anza-Borrego: Recommended Reading

Photo of the steep canyon walls of Split Mountain Gorge
Split Mountain Gorge

Books abound that will enhance your desert exploration experiences. Listed below are just a few of many titles available at our Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association Borrego Desert Nature Center at 652 Borrego Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs.

As a benefit of membership, the Association mails to its members a copy of The Sand Paper, a five times a year newsletter. The Sand Paper includes articles on myriad Anza-Borrego subjects including trails, history, Native Americans, plants, birds, animals, and more.

For general desert exploring, The Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to the State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert, by Lowell and Diana Lindsay, is a must. Those who are new to desert exploration, should carefully read the first three chapters. Details.

Hiking

Hiking in Anza-Borrego: Over 100 Half-Day Hikes, by Robin Halford. The title says it all. The walks are easy and not-so-easy, but meant to be brief, and Halford includes a few trails the others do not. Details.

Weekender's Guide: Points of Interest and Walks Along the Paved Roads of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, by Paul Johnson. Unfortunately out of print, but worth trying to find a used copy or borrowing from the library.

Afoot & Afield in San Diego County, by Jerry Schad. Highly recommended for peak-bagging and backpacking. Details.

Wildflowers

Colorado Desert Wildflowers: A Guide to Flowering Plants of the Low Desert, Including the Coachella Valley, Anza-Borrego Desert, and Portions of Joshua Tree National Monument, by Jon Mark Stewart. A basic plant identification book. Arranged by flower colors. Details.

Introduction to California Desert Wildflowers, by Philip A. Munz, revised edition, edited by Diane L. Renshaw and Phyllis M. Faber. A basic plant identification book, more comprehensive than Stewart. Arranged by flower colors. Details.

San Diego County Native Plants. By James Lightner. Second edition January 2006. A plant identification book arranged by plant families, with comprehensive photographs. Details.

California Desert Flowers: An Introduction to Families, Genera, and Species, by Sia Morhardt and Emil Morhardt. A plant identification book covering 24 of the most spectacular plant families. Comprehensive text and photographs. Details.

The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern California. Bruce G. Baldwin et al., editors. A bible for botanists and serious amateurs. Not for neophytes. Details.

Desert Wild Flowers, Revised Edition (1941), by Edmund C. Jaeger. A classic, long a favorite. Plant names may be out of date, but the anecdotal information is always interesting. Arranged by families. Black and white drawings. Details.

Geology and Paleontology

Geology of Anza-Borrego: Edge of Creation, by Paul Remeika and Lowell Lindsay. Geology and paleontology-oriented tours of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert: The Last Seven Million Years. Edited by George T. Jefferson and Lowell Lindsay. Details.

The Rise and Fall of San Diego: 150 Million Years of History Recorded in Sedimentary Rocks, by Patrick Abbott.

Geology and Geothermal Resources of the Imperial and Mexicali Valleys, edited by Lowell Lindsay and William G. Hample. Tour roadlogs for the Imperial Valley and Mexicali Valley in Mexico.

Birding

Guide to Birds of the Anza-Borrego Desert, by Barbara W. Massey. Details.

San Diego County Bird Atlas, by Philip Unitt. Details.

Native American Rock Art

The Forgotten Artist: Indians of Anza-Borrego and Their Rock Art, by Manfred Knaak. Details.

Desert History

Old Time Cattlemen and Other Pioneers of the Anza-Borrego Area, by Lester Reed. Details.

Borrego Beginnings: Early Days in the Borrego Valley 1910-1960, by Phil Brigandi. Details.

Anza-Borrego A to Z: People, Places, and Things, by Diana Lindsay. The companion to The Anza-Borrego Desert Region.