Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert [Paperback]

Diana Lindsay (Author), Lowell Lindsay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2006

Now in its expanded 5th edition, The Anza-Borrego Desert Region offers complete coverage of the over 1 million acres of desert lands, including Anza-Borrego State Park, Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (OWSVRA), parts of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and adjacent BLM recreational and wilderness lands.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Diana and Lindsay Lowell have been desert naturalists for over 25 years and have written and edited several books including: Our Historic Desert; Ansa-Borrego A to Z: People, Places, and Things; Marshal South and the Ghost Mountain Chronicles; Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego; Geology of the Anza-Borrego; Edge of Creation; and Geothermal Resources of the Imperial Valley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Press; Fifth Edition edition (February 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899974007
• ISBN-13: 978-0899974002
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Food & Lodging > Parks & Campgrounds

More About the Author

Biographer and historian Diana Lindsay has been writing about the Anza-Borrego region of southern California since the 1960s. Her master's thesis in history and geography from San Diego State University was published as OUR HISTORIC DESERT: THE STORY OF ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK by Copley Books and the Union-Tribune Publishing Company in 1973. It was followed in 1978 by THE ANZA-BORREGO DESERT REGION--an area guidebook co-authored with Lowell Lindsay and published by Wilderness Press that is now in its fifth edition. Several other publications followed over the years including ANZA-BORREGO A TO Z: PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS and MARSHAL SOUTH AND THE GHOST MOUNTAIN CHRONICLES.

An award-winning photographer, her images have appeared in print in several monthly publicaitons and books. Her investigative reporting skills were developed while working at the Texas tri-state newspaper, the Amarillo GLOBE-NEWS, where she also wrote a popular hot-line column for many years.

Her latest publication is RICARDO BRECEDA: ACCIDENTAL ARTIST, a lavishly illustrated book abut the metal sculptor who has created ober 120 life-size sculptures in Borrego Valley surrounded by the magnificent Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fifth Edition is the Best Yet., May 6, 2006

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert (Paperback)

For someone who really enjoys mountain trails, I seem to spend a lot of time in the Anza-Borrego Region. This ever-growing state park and surrounding public lands offer some of the best off season recreation in southern California and one cannot find a more comprehensive guide to the area than this book by Lowell and Diana Lindsay. With a huge map, sharp photos, and new updated GPS coordinates (using UTM and traditional lat/lon locations) this book is simply a must have for anyone who wants to spend time in the southern deserts.

Like previous editions, and unlike most Wilderness Press books, the focus of this guide is off-road vehicle travel and auto-touring. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the adjacent BLM lands (and Ocotilla Wells State Vehicle Recreational Area) cover such a large area that auto touring is simply the best way to explore the region. (The "Desert Driving Techniques" section of the introduction is almost mandatory reading for any would be RVers. The authors' humorous descriptions of what happens to weekend road warriers are plenty sufficient to keep me and my little chevy out of many of the areas they describe.) Still, the guide does feature many nature walks and dozens of longer hiking options, including a few backpacking trips. It also lists the many camping opportunities in the region.

Finally, like all Wilderness Press Books, this one is heavy on natural and cultural history. Readers will be treated to the story of Pegleg Smith and his legendary lost gold mine, the destruction of Oh My God hot springs, allegedly for health reasons but actually a concerted effort by citizens of Salton City to rid the area of nudists, the history of Ghost Mountain and poet Marshall South, and a description of the recent (September, 2004) flood of Borrego canyon that uprooted hundreds of Palm Tress (the bowls of which can still be seen some 20 feet above water level) and forever changed the canyon. This all makes for enjoyable reading and adds immensely to one's appreciation of the desert as you explore it. I cannot recommend this guide highly enough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fifth Edition is very good but with room for improvement !, November 21, 2007

By 

Richard Zmasek (Winterthur, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert (Paperback)

I visit the Anza Borrego regularely and have used this book since many years.
The book is essential for everybody who wants to take a closer look at this area, be it hiking, camping, off-roading, whatever.
It covers history, geology, botany, hiking and off-roading in an interesting way. The structure of this book is something one has has to get used to first, but afterwards it becomes indispensible.
The only negative comment I have to make is on the pictures, they always were and still are inferior.
What I did not find in the book was a reference to the map-datum used. Maybe I did not read everything carefully enough, but I could not see whether NAD-27 or WGS-84 (nearly the same as NAD-83) was used for the map and for indications of Latitude and Longitude
Nevertheless I would not visit the Anza Borrego without this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly the Best, March 31, 2010

By 

Gary Standke (West Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anza-Borrego Desert Region: A Guide to State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert (Paperback)

With both a guide to the region and a very detailed map, this is the main book you need for the park. The locals in the area seem to agree as it is available to buy at the Ranger Station and all the surrounding gift shops. The book had the park divided by regions and details of hikes and road trips are provided in detail. We used it for our week long trip and could not have asked for more information.