Anza Borrego Dessert or San Diego Wild Animal Park in Dec?

We will be spending 5 days in LA and 2days in Palm Springs in Dec. We have an extra day to fit in between those 2 stops. Would you recommend a drive through the Anza Borrego dessert with a stop for hiking-we will not have a 4 wheel drive , or a stop in Escondido to see the Wild Animal Park?. Or could you recommend doing something more interesting? We are interested in nice scenery . We have been to San Diego.

Anza Borrego Dessert or San Diego Wild Animal Park in Dec?

Hi friend,

I am quite familiar with both those places, and in Dec. I would probably not go to Borrego, it is not blooming yet.The Wild Animal Park is much more %26#39;entertaining%26#39; and I would recommend that between the two; it is a very wonderful park and very centered around African scenery.Not a dissapointment!

Are you going to hike at Indian Canyons while in Palm Springs?That is a wonderful hiking spot as is the Tasquitz (not spelling it correctly, sorry) canyon area, you hike past lots of rocks but eventually get to this very tranquill pool of water.Take the route that leads to the right; trust me.It is much prettier, shorter, less bees and rocky places that a three year old will fall, and notice the pipes that they put in to give water to the Indians...

What kind of scenery do you like?

I am a fourth generation Californian and an artist, but not a sports type; travel is one of the things I love to help people with, because %26#39;no plan is a plan to fail.%26#39;

With love, Chris

Anza Borrego Dessert or San Diego Wild Animal Park in Dec?

Hi Chris, Thanks for your reply. I too love helping people with their travel plans, so I think we have something in common. I could use some help in tweaking our trip plan. We are going to spend 3 nights in LA, 2 nights in Pasadena and 2 or 3 nights in Palm Springs for sure, doing all of the guidebook highlights in those areas. If you have any off the beaten track favorites for those places, I%26#39;d like to know what they are. My main question though is concerning your recommendation of hiking the Indian Canyons. We will be spending one full day at Joshua Tree NP doing some hiking there. Is the Indian Canyon scenery and hike different from what we will see at Joshua Tree, and is the Dec. scenery at Anza Borrego different from Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. I know the flowers are not in bloom in Dec., but read about a nice hike in Anza Borrego about one mile from the visitor center. . Considering that the drive ito Anza Borrego is about 2 hours each way from Palm Springs, do you think we can do just as well by skipping Anza Borrego on this trip, and hiking the Indian Canyons instead.We love desert scenery and hiking, as it is quite a novelty for us. We also , like spending time viewing art which is one of the main reasons we are spending 5 nights in LA and Pasadena. You are so lucky to have such wonderful art museums near you. Any tips on moderately priced good restaurants in those areas wouild be appreciated and any other tips to make our trip better would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Our family is actually in Palm Desert right now and I hope to hike IC this week.There is no way I would venture out to Borrego, but the reason IC appeals to me is that there is a huge collection of palm trees and historical structures from Indian days.Joshua Tree is more rugged terrain and rock formations, but I appreciate the more %26#39;oasis%26#39; atmosphere that I have seen in photos of IC.

Borrego is very removed and remote, it is pretty in the pre-spring when the ocotillo are blooming (late Feb.).

Your trip sounds wonderful; while in Pasadena, especially, I could give you recommendations about restaurants.What kind of cuisine appeals to you?Be careful of where you stay in Pasadena as there are areas where one would not want to be, that an outsider would not know.Ask me, I was born in Pasadena.

I thought I responded to your post last night very late, but I can%26#39;t find that I sent it so if I am repeating myself, I am so sorry.

How I love this Palm Springs area, it is really growing and the area is changing.I wish I owned something here, but we like the Marriott Shadow Ridge villas as we don%26#39;t want to go out for most meals.We do treat ourselves to a couple really fun spots.I feel like I am repeating myself, forgive me if I am!Chris

While in Pasadena you must visit the Huntington Library! It has extensive botanical gardens, museums and library collections and is truly a pleasure to see. The hours are kind of limited in off-season, so check their website huntington.org for hours of operation. Half a day visit should be enough. They have a very nice afternoon tea if you want to splurge.

In Palm Desert you must go visit the Marriott Desert Springs resort hotel for cocktails and dinner. Quite the place.

Enjoy your trip!

Janna

Chris, Did you hike the Indian Canyons? what did you think? We are staying at the Comfort Inn on Colorodo Blvd. for 2 nights. Any restaurant recommendations near there.? We like Thai and Mexican food as well as Asian fusion cuisine. janna-We are definitely going to Huntington Gardens. We went there during our last trip, and thought it was just beautiful. Have you toured the Gamble House in Pasadena. It looks neat, but I do not know if it is worth the time and trouble of getting tickets. They only sell them on the day of the tour, and theysuggest getting there much earlier than when the tours start, to buy them.

I have not been to the Gamble HOuse but I think it looks like it%26#39;s worth a visit sometime. I believe it has it%26#39;s own website, so you may want to google it. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your trip!!!

Palm Springs in one of our favorite destinations. We will be there DEC 14-21. Yahoo!!!

Cheers,

Janna

I was in San Diego last christmas and just booked airfare and a car for this year for 10 days and am thinking about staying in Borrego Springs. We did a day trip out there last year after being in San Diego for a couple of weeks. I tell you, I enjoyed the desert peace and quiet and was glad to get away from the hustle and bustle. We really enjoyed it. On the way back to San Diego the sun set over the desert was one of the best I have ever seen. Purple, Yellow. It was awesome...We decided that this year we would go to the desert. I have never been to Palm Springs so I am considering that too. We also liked the desert because it was so much warmer in the day time away from the coast....I was wondering if anyone can tell me the warmer place in the desert / Palm Springs area? That is where I want to be...........WARM......... I loved Anza Borrego and we saw a lot of wildlife. Goats, Coyotes Hawks. It was great and I would do it again.....IT IS DESOLATE though. So don%26#39;t expect any entertainment other than mother nature.