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Picacho State Recreation Area, Winterhaven, CA

Photo: Shortride, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Picacho State Recreation Area

A remote desert park beside the lower Colorado River, popular for fishing, boating, hiking, and camping.

Winterhaven, CA

About Picacho State Recreation Area

This state recreation area sits on the eastern edge of California near the Mexican border, along about nine miles of the lower Colorado River. It occupies the site of Picacho, a former gold mining town. Visitors come for water sports, angling, hiking, and desert camping. The landscape includes cactus, wild burros, bighorn sheep, and large numbers of migrating waterfowl. Access is by a long road from Winterhaven, mostly unpaved, and drivers should carry extra water and supplies. Some areas may be restricted, so check the park page before visiting.

  • #desert
  • #river
  • #fishing
  • #boating
  • #camping

What's around here?

The closest stops to Picacho State Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Museums

    Cloud Museum

    Under $25

    A private collection of vintage vehicles, tools, and household gear built up by a Bard resident since 1989.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing

    Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

    Under $25

    A preserved 1870s territorial prison ruin on a bluff above the Colorado River, with nearby Quartermaster's Depot buildings.

    21 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums

    Museum of History in Granite

    Under $25

    An outdoor museum in Felicity, California, where human history is engraved and etched into granite panels and monuments.

    21 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area

    No admission fee

    A National Heritage Area along the Colorado River in Yuma with historic parks, riverfront trails and restored wetlands.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    21 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Salvation Mountain

    No admission fee

    Walk around a three-story painted hillside in the desert, covered in murals, Bible verses and the words God Is Love.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    52 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Shopping

    Imperial Valley Mall

    Check prices

    Single-level indoor shopping mall in El Centro, California, with retail, dining, and a cinema.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    56 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

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