If you’ve never been to Borrego Springs, California, checking out the Galleta Meadows art sculptures is a must!
We visited over Veteran’s Day Weekend for the first time, and it was incredible. It’s not your typical tourist attraction, and working our way through the sculptures was fun. My son was a huge fan, and he got lots of exercise excitedly running from one sculpture to the next.
Our favorite sculpture unanimously was the dragon (serpent), followed by the scorpion, T-Rex, raptors, and eagles. However, they were all amazing, and if you have time, work through them all.
It took us almost four hours over two days to see all of them, but I was taking my sweet time taking pictures. You can visit all in a shorter amount of time. On a Friday afternoon, we only saw a couple of other people, and on Saturday, it was a little busier but not bad. We were usually able to spend some time on our own at each sculpture.
What are the Galleta Meadows sculptures?
The story of the Galleta Meadows sculptures began when Dennis Avery, a wealthy landowner in Borrego Springs, invited artist Ricardo Breceda to create metal sculptures for his property. Avery had inherited the Galleta Meadows Estate from his father, who had purchased the land in the 1960s.
Breceda began creating his sculptures in 2008, and over time, more and more sculptures were added to the collection. Today, there are over 130 sculptures spread out over the estate’s 3,000 acres, so it’s like a treasure hunt to find all of them. They’re made from scrap metal and range in size from small insects to a 350-foot-long dragon.
Even though they are on private land, they are free to check out.
How the heck do I see all 130 sculptures?
You’ve come to the right place to figure out how to see all the Galleta Meadows sculptures or as many as possible.
While researching before our trip, I saw lots of awesome maps with most of the sculptures, but what I really wanted was a map to show us how to work our way through them in some order.
So, after visiting, I did just that. I created a map that shows where the sculptures are located, mostly in walkable groups, and the order we saw them. You can change up the order, but the map will give you a good idea of how to navigate through the area.
Divide and conquer
When visiting Borrego Springs, you’ll see a large roundabout in the heart of town. This is Christmas Circle. We used it as a center point to divide the sculptures into two main sections: north and south of Christmas Circle. There are two more east of the circle, so squeezing those in whenever you go through town is easy.
The map below shows the general areas where we parked. The numbers are the order in which we visited the sculptures, and it lists which ones we saw at each spot.
How to get around
Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, driving to each location is easiest. You can park on the side of the road or drive up to most of the sculptures. Some are grouped, so you can walk around and check out a few before driving to the next.
Don’t wash your car before visiting – kids will be writing “wash me” on it by the time you’re done!
We have a four-wheel drive, and that’s recommended, but we did see sedans, and it appears they got around just fine.
Sculptures north of Christmas Circle
Here we go! First, we checked out the sculptures that were the farthest north, near the intersection of Henderson Canyon Road and Borrego Springs Road. Then, we worked our way back south towards Christmas Circle.
It took us a little less than two hours to get through all of the sculptures in this area.
You can check these out in any order, but here are the stops we made that helped us efficiently work our way through. These mirror the order I have in the map above.
First Stop: Tortoises, Indian Head, Padre, Prospector and his Horse (Miner), Cactus, and Jeep
Near the intersection of Henderson Canyon Road and Borrego Springs Road, you’ll find the Tortoises, Indian Head, Padre, Prospector and his Horse (Miner), Cactus, and Jeep. The Jeep is a little bit of a walk, so you could drive up to it if you prefer.
Second Stop: Elephants and Big Horn Sheep
Heading south on Borrego Springs Road, the Elephants and Big Horn Sheep are on the left side of the road before you get to Santa Rosa Road.
Third Stop: Camels, Llamas, and Dragon (Serpent)
From Borrego Springs Road, turn right onto San Ysidro Road to find the Camels, Llamas, and Serpent (Dragon). The Serpent is closest to Borrego Springs Road and extends to the other side.
Fourth Stop: Harlan’s Ground Sloth
Harlan’s Ground Sloth is on the left side of Borrego Springs Road before you get to Big Horn Road.
Fifth Stop: Warthogs, Dogs, Tapir, Sabertooth Tiger, Peccary, Nursing Camel, and Gomphotheres (ancient elephants)
On the corner of Borrego Springs Road and Big Horn Road, there are a bunch of sculptures, including Warthogs, Dogs, Tapir, a Sabertooth Tiger, Peccary, and Gomphotheres (ancient mammoth/elephants).
We were getting hot, so we opted to do a quick drive-by through all of these, but you could easily walk through them.
Sixth Stop: Scorpion and Grasshopper
Turning left onto Big Horn Road leads you to the Scorpion and Grasshopper.
Seventh Stop: Breceda’s Vineyard (Farm Workers)
Keep trekking down Big Horn Road, and Breceda’s Vineyard is right before you get to Di Giorgio Road.
That’s a wrap for seeing all the sculptures on the north side.
Sculptures south of Christmas Circle
After lunch at Big Horn Burgers & Shakes on Saturday, we set off to see the remaining sculptures around 1 p.m. and finished by 2:30 p.m.
Once you get out to these sculptures, you can see all of them in the distance. If there are lots of people at one location, you can head to the next and circle back.
We passed the Eagle on our way in and stopped at the dinosaurs first. Then, on the way back, we saw the Eagle before crossing to the other side of Borrego Springs Road.
First Stop: Spinosaurus
Heading southeast on Borrego Springs Road from Christmas Circle, make a right onto Anzio Drive. This road continues a short distance before you start driving in the sand. After a few minutes’ drive, you’ll arrive at the Spinosaurus sculptures.
Second Stop: Allosaurus and Carnotaurus
From the Spinosaurus, head west to the battling Allosaurus and Carnotaurus.
Third Stop: T-Rex
A little further down the road is the T-Rex and Raptors
Fourth Stop: Raptors
Fifth Stop: Eagle with prey
As you return to Anzio Drive, the Eagle with its prey is hard to miss on the left.
Sixth Stop: Elephants
Cross Borrego Springs Road from Anzio Drive, going north to see the Elephants.
Seventh Stop: Horses
From the Elephants, continue on to see Horses and an Eagle with eaglets.
Eighth Stop: Eagle with Eaglets
Ninth Stop: Artifact of Attraction Arch
After the Eagle, cross back to the south side of Borrego Springs Road to the Arch and Saberwolves.
Tenth Stop: Saberwolves
Sculptures east of Christmas Circle
These two can be squeezed in when you check out the Christmas Circle or have lunch nearby at Red Ocotillo or Carlee’s.
Juan Bautista de Anza and Velociraptors
Juan Bautista de Anza is in front of the Chamber of Commerce at Palm Canyon Drive and Stirrup Road.
When you head to the back of the Chamber of Commerce building, you’ll run into the vicious Velociraptors.
Other things to do around Borrego Springs
Places to eat
Activities
- Slot Canyon Trail
- Palm Canyon Trail
- Witness the wildflowers in the spring
- Wind Caves Trail
- Take a day trip to the Salton Sea
Where to stay
Related posts to help you plan a trip to Borrego Springs
- How to Have the Best Weekend in Borrego Springs, California
- Wildflowers in Anza-Borrego – A Bucket List Worthy Experience!
- La Casa Del Zorro: Your Ultimate Borrego Springs Retreat
- How to Hike the Slot Canyon Trail in Borrego Springs
- Hiking Borrego Palm Canyon Trail: What You Need to Know
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