updated October 2026

Experience Borrego Springs and the Desert Symposium 

FAQ: 

1. What is the Desert Symposium?

From the dedicated Desert Symposium website:
"The Desert Symposium is a relaxed and friendly gathering of scientists and lay people interested in the natural history of arid lands. The meeting consists of two days of scientific presentations followed by a two-day field trip. Recent meetings have been held at the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx, CA, on the edge of Dry Soda Lake, the terminus of the Mojave River.

Oral and poster presentations are given, and a keynote lecture is presented. Student papers are judged with the best being awarded prizes, and an annual grant is given to a promising student. Traditionally, geology has been the main emphasis. Field trips are lead by professional scientists and often require 4WD vehicles. On the field trip, we may camp overnight far away from the meeting location. The Desert Symposium and its field trip take place annually, usually in April. Each year the Desert Symposium publishes a proceedings volume including relevant research papers and a field trip guide built around the annual theme."
Desert Symposium Mission Statement:  The Desert Symposium stimulates, reports, documents and disseminates new research on arid lands. It promotes scientific research and educational excellence by holding a themed annual meeting, leading field trips and fostering student involvement in research. Topics include but not limited to geologic sciences, life sciences and ecology, climate and hydrology, desert culture, history and arid lands management.
2. Where and when is the Desert Symposium 2027 being held?
The 2027 symposium will be held from March 18-22, 2027 in Borrego Springs, CA, in the heart of the beautiful Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  Borrego Springs is a small desert town with a population of about 3000 year-round residents. In season, many thousands more people come to Borrego as snowbirds, seeking respite from the cold up north. Information about the town of Borrego Springs can be found at Experience Borrego, on the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce website .​ The Anza-Borrego Foundation's  official website Experience Anza-Borrego well as the ​ Visit California website, have lots of info and photos of Things to Do in the Park. 
3. Will the 2027 Desert Symposium be different​ from past ones? 
Yes, beyond the change in location, there will be some differences for the Desert Symposium 2027.
  • The symposium will have 2 days of presentations/posters and a keynote speaker, as previously. Additionally there will be a Meet & Greet on the evening of Thursday March 18, as well as a banquet on the Friday evening March 19. However, the field trips  (March 21 and 22) will have a different structure from those held in the past in the Mojave, simply due to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park's sheer size (it is California's largest state park at over 600,000 acres) and the numerous possible sites to visit.  The field trips will consist of shorter day-long or half-day excursions, with a return to your Borrego Springs base camp/lodging at night. 
  • There will be an official symposium hotel, the Borrego Springs Resort, offered at a special rate. If you would prefer to stay elsewhere, many other hotels, motels, camping sites and vacation rentals abound. See the Lodging page.

4. What sort of a name is Anza-Borrego? 

The park is named for the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and "borrego" is a Spanish word for lamb or sheep. It refers to the Peninsular Desert Bighorn Sheep that roam the Park. 

Fossils, Art, Flowers, Field Surveys and more.
Scenes from ABDSP