California parks too crowded? Go truly off the grid in the starry desert of Borrego Springs
LOS ANGELES — Is Borrego Springs the next Joshua Tree? Probably not.
The next Palm Springs? Nope.
But this lonely San Diego County desert town, about three hours southeast of L.A. City Hall and 50 miles from the nearest Starbucks, deserves the attention of anyone who really, truly wants to get away from it all. It's a desert outpost, home to perhaps 4,000 year-round residents, star-struck by night, startling at dawn.
The dark skies and aimless days are what draw many people. Also the wildflowers in spring (or in a rare occurrence, this winter). The occasional bighorn sheep. The stark Santa Rosa Mountains, glowing at dusk. Also the big metal sea serpent.
"The desert can be an addiction," said Steve Mollering, 62, a part-time Borregan who has been visiting since he was a child.
And lately, as Mollering and many of his neighbors have noticed, this corner of the desert might be changing a little. In a quiet evolution that looks nothing like the recent burst of growth and action in Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley and the Coachella Valley, the lodgings, restaurants and attractions here are doing some new things.
The old Anza Borrego Tennis Center — four courts, a pool and a clubhouse, basically — has been made over by a pair of Insta-savvy young designers, who have dubbed it the Courts, cultivated a cosmopolitan vibe and added a pair of rentable vintage trailers.
New owners are reinventing the Hacienda del
