ANZA BORREGO HORSE CAMP Information

	VERN WHITTAKER HORSE CAMP
	Equestrian Trail Information
	Mountains, Rivers, Forest, Sequoia Trees		Current Weather
	California Trails Main

Vern Whittaker Horse Camp, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Trailhead Coordinates: 33.34861, -116.39951

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is California's largest state park, and second largest in the United States, spanning 600,000 acres. It is tucked into the southeastern corner of California, bound by the rugged mountain of the Santa Rosas on the north, the Jacumba Mountains on the South, and the Vallecito and Pinyon Mountains on the west. To the east, the Borrego Mountains taper into the Carrizo Badlands before falling away into the Salton Sea Trough. The Park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza, who entered the area over 200 years ago, and from the Spanish word Borrego meaning Bighorn sheep.

The Vern Whittaker Horse Camp is reserved for equestrian only. For the horse camper or day user this camp provides a great horse camp. The campground has 10 sites, 40 corrals, and solar powered heated showers. This campground is the staging area for many miles of riding trails.

Riding during the summer months is not recommended. Temperatures range from 110 - 120 degrees F. from June through September.

All designated jeep roads are open to horses.

Vernon Whitaker Horse Camp is located 8 miles north of Borrego Springs.

Wildflowers usually start blooming in late February or early March, with varieties of cactus blooms growing. The blossoms range in colors from red to yellow and green. Each season the blooms change due to the temperature and rainfall throughout the year.

Coyote Canyon where the horse camp is located is a great spot for nature observation. Spanning 18 miles, the canyon reaches nearly 4,000 feet to the north, with heavy rainfall. The floor of the canyon is dry with virtually no rainfall, as is a common home for wildlife because of a year round running stream. You may get to see a roadrunner, golden eagle, kit fox, mule deer and bighorn sheep as well as iguanas. The red diamond rattlesnake is in the area, so please be cautious as you explore.

Directions: From the Visitor's Center take Borrego Springs Rd. to horse camp signs just past Indian Head Ranch Rd.

Horse Parking and Camp Directions:

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Information on horse trails, horse camps and camping and hiking paths for horseback riders, and hikers at Vern Whittaker Horse Camp near Borrego Springs, California

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