Desert Symposium 2027

Desert Symposium 2027
Colorado Desert Time Machine: Exploring the Past, Discovering the Future
March 18-22, 2027 ~~~ Borrego Springs, CA

Updated October 2026

Registration: Cost and Link to ABF Blackbaud

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Venue
Our primary meeting venue will be the UCI Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center .

Other locations relevant to the symposium are shown below:
Borrego Springs Resort, the Stout Research Center (Paleontology),
the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center and the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground.
Christmas Circle (park) is an excellent landmark for orienting yourself when in Borrego Springs.

Lodging

Participants are welcome to stay wherever they choose. There are many options available, including hotels, motels, camping (single and group) as well as vacation rentals.

The official hotel of Desert Symposium 2027 is the Borrego Springs Resort, for which we have negotiated the special price of $149/night.

coffee, sweet rolls and fruit will be served here before the beginning of the daily symposium activities
there will be rooms available for posters/discussions
free day passes are being offered for family members - bring your (grand)kids!
it is a 6-minute, 2.3 mile-drive between the Borrego Springs Resort and the Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center

Other Hotels, Motels and Vacation Rentals:
Numerous accommodations are available throughout Borrego Springs. Check out the website GoToBorregoSprings for a well-organized, comprehensive list of alternative places to stay.

UCI rooms ????? How to handle this? We reserve? Students ??? tie to registration ?

Camping:
Experience Anza-Borrego your way—from developed campgrounds to designated primitive camping areas or permitted backcountry camping within the Park. Or stay at one of the RV Parks in Borrego Springs.

The ABF-recommended website OutdoorSoCal has an excellent discussion of all types of camping in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. In particular, it has helpful maps of the campgrounds themselves, as well as their locations within the park. Keep in mind that the Park is very large and some of the sites are a considerable distance away from the center of the activities; the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground is the Park's closest developed site to the center of town.
Campsites can be booked through the CA State Parks Reserve California website: https://www.reservecalifornia.com/
Private RV Campsites near to the symposium activities are:
- Palm Canyon Hotel & RV Resort
- The Springs at Borrego
Boondocking for RV's and tents is allowed in the Park, if vehicles are parked no further than one car length off the road (no fee, no permit, no reservation required).
Dry Camping is allowed in Borrego Springs itself, off of Christmas Circle, on Avenida Nordeste and Sureste.
Cars and Vans can camp on the cement at UCI Steele/Burnand, for a fee of $13.50 per night.
Camp Borrego ?? - cement pads/dirt, 2 pit toilets.

Where to Eat

Thursday night's Meet & Greet will consist of ??????? Morning coffee, fruit and sweet rolls will be served at the Borrego Springs Resort from ??? hours. Attendees will be responsible for their own lunches. The optional Friday night banquet can be chosen during registration. PRICE?? Attendees may wish to pack their own lunches during the Sunday and Monday field trips.

The website GoToBorregoSprings has a list of restaurants, both casual and upscale. Note the corrected link for the restaurant Michael's here.

Groceries can be bought at the Center Market, the Desert Pantry and the Dollar General. The gas stations also sell various food items. In season, there is also a Farmer's Market in Christmas Circle on Friday mornings.

Getting to Borrego Springs

Flying by Commercial Airline
The nearby commercial airports are:
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), San Diego International Airport (SAN), McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad (CLD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). All have rental car offices. Driving distances and times are given by Google Maps, below.