California's first IDA-certified state park DSP — 600,000 acres of desert dark.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 Colorado Desert, CA🌑 Bortle 2🚗 Fly into San Diego, then drive about 1.5–2 hours east to Borrego Springs.📅 International Dark Sky Park designation.
About Anza-Borrego
Anza-Borrego is California's second-largest state park, and it sits next to Borrego Springs — the world's second International Dark Sky Community. Together they make up one of the most accessible serious dark-sky destinations in Southern California.
What you can see in the sky
The summer Milky Way rising over desert badlands, with minimal light pollution from surrounding communities.
Best time of year
Fall through spring around new moon; summer desert heat is extreme.
Why this site is worth the drive
Designated International Dark Sky Park
Borrego Springs, the neighboring town, is itself an International Dark Sky Community
Huge park area means you can find a quiet, open spot away from other visitors
Practical tips for Anza-Borrego
You don't need a special permit to find a dark spot — just get away from Borrego Springs' business district and street lighting
Bring layers; desert nights get cold fast even after a hot day
Live 48-hour forecast
Tonight's verdict above is a build-time snapshot. For the full
hourly view — cloud cover, transparency, seeing, smoke, humidity,
moon altitude and a Bortle-aware tonight score by observing mode
(visual, deep-sky, planetary, astrophoto) — open the live forecast:
The live page combines Open-Meteo weather, US-AQI wildfire smoke,
moon math and Bortle-scale darkness into a single tonight score
(0–100), updated continuously.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anza-Borrego good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Excellent (High confidence). 11h of clear sky (≤30% cloud) during tonight's astronomical night, mean cloud 0%.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Anza-Borrego?
Fall through spring around new moon; summer desert heat is extreme.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
Fly into San Diego, then drive about 1.5–2 hours east to Borrego Springs.
What can I see in the sky here?
The summer Milky Way rising over desert badlands, with minimal light pollution from surrounding communities.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Anza-Borrego sits at Bortle class 2 on the 1–9 dark-sky scale, where 1 is a pristine wilderness sky and 9 is an inner-city sky.