Fonts Point at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Fonts Point located in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California is the location of our latest adventure. Most people are familiar with the large metal sculptures that are found around the town of Borrego Springs, but if you really want to see something special you’ll need to get off the pavement and into the dirt trails. That’s right, the only way to reach Fonts Point and view its spectacular scenery is driving over dirt and sandy roads.

My wife and I love going on day road trips. Anza-Borrego is only about 2.5 hours from Orange County and a little less than 2 hours from San Diego. Its such a large area with so many dirt roads and trails to explore, so we decided to visit only Fonts Point on the northern section of the park and then have lunch in the nearby and only town of Borrego Springs.

Once we arrived at the town of Borrego Springs, we stopped by the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park visitor center and got a map of the area. I’d suggest anyone going to go there first. Mainly because the majority of dirt roads and trails are listed and will tell you if you need a 4×4 vehicle or a two wheel vehicle to drive through it. Check the dirt road conditions on the day you plan to go, it can be downloaded at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park website, look under the “Safety Tips” section for a link to download the list. Only street legal vehicles are allowed on the dirt roads, so you will only see cars, trucks and street motorcycles in the park. ATV’s and other such vehicles are not allowed.

The start of the dirt road is located off Fonts Point Trail Junction off the Borrego Salton Seaway (S22). There is a small marker, so you may miss it. If heading East on the S22, the marker will be on your right. The dirt road is really just a dried up wash, and can get pretty sandy, so I recommend a vehicle with 4 wheel drive, otherwise you may get stuck in the sand. We were in a Toyota 4runner with 4×4 and high clearance so were fine. We drove for about 15 minutes or so, not long, it was maybe a couple of miles of sandy dirt road. Just stay to the right and you will get there. Then you come to a point where there is a sign that directs you to go left, go that way and you will come to the round about circle that is the end and you can park and a short walk to the Fonts Point.

The photo above shows you the view from Fonts Point looking out to the Anza-Borrego Badlands. The person on the upper right hand, on that cliff is my wife. It gives you a good perspective of the size of this place. We went during the day but I’m sure sunrise and sunsets have pretty cool views. After this we headed back to Borrego Springs for lunch, it was the perfect day.