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There are sloths, camels, and a giant serpent in the Anza-Borrego Desert! And I explored them as the Galleta Meadows metal sculptures on one of my trips.
You might have seen some of these dotted around the area and in California. They are unique pieces of art and intricately made.
Come with me as I share what to know when visiting, what to see and expect, and tips.
Getting to the Metal Sculptures at Anza-Borrego
From Los Angeles, I traveled on the I-15 East most of the way to get to the park. In Temecula, take the CA-79 South to Borrego Springs.
It takes about 3 hours to drive through Southern California. The destination is in San Diego County.
The artwork is on the outskirts of the state park, but it’s hard to tell where the borders are. When you look up the address, it’ll show that they’re in Borrego Springs.
To find them, you’ll drive along Borrego Springs Road, north and south of Christmas Circle.
Visiting the Anza-Borrego Metal Sculptures
The art sculptures are also known as the Galleta Meadows metal sculptures.
It’s a good idea to stop by the visitor center and grab a map. You can view them at any time, since there’s no gate. But you’ll want to have some daylight.
The sculptures are part of an open-air gallery named Sky Art and created by artist Ricardo Breceda.
It’s open to the public, but on private land. You’ll see signs and gates by the Galleta Meadows estate where vehicles are prohibited.
To get to some of the sculptures, you’ll need to drive through sandy roads.
There are 130 structures to see, and I’ll show you a few I took pictures of.
Camels
What a surprise to see a camel in the desert right? You might see them in other deserts around the world, and in California?
Well, at least in metal form. Actually, these are called Camelops, and they were around millions of years ago.
In fact, I saw some other huge creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago, including dinosaurs and mammoths.
And you’ll also see current wildlife such as horses and elephants. They’re galloping and standing around on the land.
Cricket and Scorpion
When I found the giant cricket and scorpion, people were having a photoshoot. I’ll add that it is a popular place to take stunning pictures.
I didn’t want to interrupt their photo session or filming. But hey, I had to get pictures too.
It looks like the two massive creatures are having a face-off or maybe a friendly chat? But look at the wings on this cricket and the details on both of them.
You can see how huge these things are. If you look at both pictures of the people by the cricket, they’re much smaller.
I know they’re not right next to them, but you get the idea. And the van is in the distance, and it’s way smaller than these sculptures.
Farm Workers
Down the way from the scorpion and cricket, you can drive down the road. You’ll find men picking grapes. I think this was a very interesting exhibit.
Well, California is known for its vast grape fields. This area has a history of grape farming.
It’s not as popular as it once was, but it’s still a part of the agriculture.
There are several men working in this exhibit, with vine posts spread out. I had to take time to study the intricate work on these sculptures.
Sloths
Prehistoric sloths, apparently, back then, could grow to 20 feet tall. It must have taken some time to get all the details.
This one is crawling along. I don’t know if it’s on its last leg or it’s going to take a snooze.
Look at the hairs on this thing and all the details.
And this other one, I don’t know if it’s a little sloth or anteater, but it’s very cute. It’s also very smooth compared to the hairy sloth.
Serpent
Down Borrego Springs Road, the sun started to drop behind the mountains. But the serpent during golden hour was a sight to see.
This was the most popular area, with many people gathered around. The serpent starts on one side of the road and ends on the other.
It’s huge and is full of intricate details. It has all the lines and scales you’d find on a reptile.
From the angle where I’m standing, you can see it going in and out of the ground. It looks like it’s really slithering through the sand.
This couple brought their kid over there to take pictures. He was so scared to get close to it and ran off crying.
On another note, a dog ran up to me out of nowhere and wanted to play! A friendly couple ran up and apologized.
Who wouldn’t be excited to see these exquisite metal sculptures?
Native Warrior
The Native Warrior sculpture was further down the road. In this area, you’ll have to park on the side of the road, as signs read that no vehicles are allowed.
But from a distance, you’ll be able to see the native warrior head. This represents the Native American history in the area.
Wow! I couldn’t capture how captivating this sculpture looked in the early evening. It has a golden face, which reflected the sunlight so beautifully.
The headdress has feathers that look delicate from a distance. The faded yellow desert plants surrounding this one made it stand out.
Turtles
Close to the Native Warrior, you’ll find giant turtles. If you’re facing the warrior sculpture, they’ll be on the left.
They look like they might get ready to cross the road. And after viewing them, that’s what I did.
Spanish Padre
On the other side of the road, more sculptures stood. You can park in front of the gate.
By this time, the sun dipped further behind the mountains. So, I didn’t have much light left.
The sculpture of the Spanish priest, Pedro Font, came into view. He had explored this area with his dog.
He’s carrying a huge wooden crucifix and rosary. It looks like the dog has a collar and a stick in his mouth.
Miner Panning
Following the sandy trail, I trudged through deep sand. So watch your step.
I wore my hiking shoes, and they helped. There was, what I thought, a horse in the distance.
Here I found a minor panning for gold. Wait, that’s not a horse with the long ears, that’s a mule!
And it was packed up with all of his stuff on its back. Pans, bags, and even hair, with great detail.
But that’s what people came to California for back in the 1800s. And this desert region had many hopefuls as well.
Willy’s Jeep
And the last sculpture for the day was the Jeep. On this one, you’ll see two men driving up some rocks.
This region is known for 4-wheelers. Hence, you have the Willy’s CJ-3A Jeep, made in the late 1940s.
It’s such a cool art piece with the men, tools, and wheels detailed in the vehicle. Look at their hair blowing in the wind!
And I can attest that you can have some fun adventures off-roading in this area.
As the sun left a glow on the mountains in the distance, the structures looked like giant shadows in the desert. Although they were difficult to see, this was still a unique view of them.
Travel Notes
I’d plan to spend at least an hour exploring the desert art. I was able to see most of the sculptures in this area.
Depending on the time of year, it can get very hot in summer. So if you go then, you might want to go in the early morning or evening.
During the winter, it can still be hot during the day, but manageable. The structures were beautiful during golden hour.
If you don’t have a 4-wheel-drive, you might park on the side of the paved road and walk to the structures. There were people in 2-wheel drives and motorcycles on the dirt roads.
Well, if you get stuck, I can say the area is well-trafficked. So maybe a nice person can tow you out.
By the way, signs from the Galleta Meadows LLC estate dot the area, and I took a picture of one to show you. The print on them state:
“Hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, photographing, bicycling—no motorized cycles, no camping allowed. User assumes all risk of injury in this privately owned desert estate. Permission to use is granted by owner and is subject to landowner control.”
Overall
Visiting the sculptures near Anza-Borrego was a fun experience. This is one of the many metal artworks you can see in the area and worth viewing.
In the future, I hope to cover those other ones too. If you like to stay in the desert, you might appreciate its interesting beauty.
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