Henderson Canyon Road

Wildflowers!  Lots of them.  When the conditions are right, Henderson Canyon Road explodes with fields of wildflowers.  It is amazing! 

And there are different flowers that bloom in different locations.  For instance, on the road’s eastern straightaway you’ll find fields of bright yellow desert sunflowers.  But just before reaching Hwy S22, there’s a small yet dense patch of purple sand verbena and white dune primrose.

What is the difference in locations?  It’s all about the soil and drainage.

That large field of desert sunflowers is on flat, open desert and is made up of soil that’s been eroded and washed down from a nearby mountain.  This type of soil (commonly known as creosote bush scrub) is well- drained and is often part of a sloped alluvial fan or bajada.  Desert sunflowers prefer flat and fairly sandy soil so conditions along this stretch of Henderson Canyon Road are perfect for them.

With the other patch of wildflowers, their names give you a hint as to the type of soil they like.  The purple sand verbena and white dune primrose are located right where sand is deposited by the wind as it blows against the Coyote Mountains.  The base of these mountains is located right at the edge of this flower patch so that rainwater from the mountainside drains down into these small sand dunes.  This creates the perfect place for these wildflowers to thrive.  This location also sits on top of the Coyote Creek Fault which traps and pools ground water.

Henderson Canyon Road also takes you to the area where there are some nice desert plant nurseries.  At different times, we’ve seen two or more nurseries open for business.  One that we’ve always seen open is located on the end of Borrego Valley Road, just north of Henderson Canyon Road.  As of 2016, this nursery is called Roadrunner Tree Farm & Casa del Zorro Nursery.  If you are there at the right time and the nursery plants are in bloom, it is a very impressive flower display.

Henderson Canyon Road also passes through large groves of citrus trees which are a great place to look for fresh fruit stands.  Common ones are located at the end of Borrego Valley Road (next to the aforementioned nursery) and at the intersection of Henderson Canyon Road and Di Giorgio Rd.  If you like fresh citrus fruit, especially grapefruit, you’ve got to check these places out.  See the What to Know section below for more information about the fruit stands.

Henderson Canyon Road can be reached from either end and its total length is 5.5 miles (8.8 km).  It is the most northern west/east through road running through Borrego Springs.  On the east side of Borrego Valley, it connects with Hwy S22 near Clark Dry Lake.  On the west side, it turns into Borrego Springs Road.

The easiest way to access Henderson Canyon Road is to head north from Christmas Circle on Borrego Springs Road.  About a mile past the iron serpent of Galleta Meadows, Borrego Springs Road turns right and becomes Henderson Canyon Road.

If you are approaching Borrego Springs from the east via Hwy S22, turn right onto Henderson Canyon Road and take it all the way to Christmas Circle.  You can also take this route in reverse, starting at Christmas Circle.

Here are some details on where to find the different sites along Henderson Canyon Road:

• The large patch of desert sunflowers (when they are blooming) is on the north side of Henderson Canyon Road, either 2 miles west of Hwy S22 or 3.5 miles west of 3.5 miles east of Borrego Springs Road.
• The patch of sand verbena and dune primrose is about one mile west of Hwy S22, between two curves in the road.
• The nursery and fruit stand is on the end of Borrego Valley Road, 0.7 mile north of Henderson Canyon Road.  The junction with Borrego Valley Road is located 3.2 miles west of Hwy S22 and 1.8 miles east of Borrego Springs Road.

See directions to Henderson Canyon Road on Google Maps

If you’ve come to see the wildflowers, they typically bloom in the late winter which can be anytime between February and March and sometimes early April.  It all depends on when the rains fell, how much rain fell and how hot or cold it gets after the flowers begin to bloom.  The best way to know when a bloom is happening is to monitor one of several websites that publish wildflower updates [Google search – https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=anza-borrego+wildflower+update].

Of course, the citrus fruit grown around Henderson Canyon Road is also seasonal.  Grapefruit is the most common and popular and we’ve seen it for sale from late December until April.  We’ve also noticed that some fruit offered at the stands does not come from the Borrego Springs area.  So, if you want to purchase authentic citrus fruit from Anza-Borrego (which is the best), make sure to read the bag before purchasing.  Fruit stands can also be found along Christmas Circle.

One more thing about the fruit stands.  They are self-serve, only take cash and use the “honor system”.  In our experience, bags of fruit range from $2-5 so, if a bag of grapefruit costs $3, you must deposit $3 cash in a collection box.  No change is available so before visiting the fruit stands, be sure you have plenty of dollar bills with you.