up early here 2:13am
going to be leaving for Borrego in a couple of hours
my friend in Borrego has a Jeep
one can spend many fun hours
exploring Ocotillo Wells
wishing for all a blessed day
from
Mountainman
Ocotillo Wells SVRA
Welcome to Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area!
General Plan Public Workshops
As part of the Ocotillo Wells SVRA General Plan Update, public workshops will be held on February 18 and 19, 2012. The purpose of these workshops is to share work that has already been completed for the General Plan Update and to collect your input on draft goals to be included in the General Plan.
Download the workshop flyer for times and locations or visit
www.PlanOcotilloWells.com.
More than 85,000 acres of magnificent desert are open for off-highway exploration and recreation within the boundaries portrayed on the park map are operated by California State Parks. Outside the boundaries, to the south and east, large tracts of BLM land (U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management) are also open to off-highway vehicles. The western boundary and part of the northern boundary connect with the half-million acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is closed to off-highway recreation, but open to exploration by highway-legal vehicles along established primitive roads.
The rangers and staff of Ocotillo Wells are dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable desert riding environment, and to ensuring that a quality experience remains available for future generations.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
If interested, please contact Ranger Brittany Veater at (760) 767-0166 or
bveater@parks.ca.gov
No fees are collected for camping or day use. Open camping is permitted throughout the unit for up to 30 days per calendar year. Vault toilets, shade ramadas, picnic tables, and fire rings are located in the Quarry, Main Street, and Holmes Camp areas. Water is not available. Vehicle repair shops, fuel, telephones, groceries, a motel and restaurants are available in the neighboring small town of Ocotillo Wells and along Highway 78 where it borders the park.
Vehicle Tours
Self guided tours are available. Check the nearest bulletin board, or visit the Ranger Station to find out about current activities.
Below is a suggested self-guided tour for off-road vehicles with high-clearance and 4-wheel drive capability, or all-terrain vehicles. The tour can take anywhere from a few hours to all day depending on your pace. If you have limited time, save the remotely located Pumpkin Patch and Gas Domes for another day.
BLOW SAND HILL
Wind-blown sand is a highly effective agent of abrasion, as anyone who has been in a sandstorm will agree. Wind is one of the few agents that can and do carry material uphill. Here, the wind carries sand for miles before piling it up into this huge dune. Perhaps the most popular spot in the park, Blow Sand is illuminated by a circle of headlights on many weekend nights.
DEVIL’S SLIDE
This 200 foot-high granite and sand island is named for the challenge it presents to the OHV enthusiast. It is actually an ancient decomposing mountaintop. A dark coat of desert varnish covers the rocks as a result of exposure to sunlight. There are several old hidden mine shafts along the mountainside. The mines are said to be haunted. People have reported seeing flickering lights near the mines at night after a rainfall.
BARREL SPRINGS
These mesquite sand dunes are an oasis for wildlife. The springs seep from the ground, especially after a heavy rain. Coyotes often dig holes to drink. Part of the area is designated as a cultural preserve. Archeological investigations indicate that several Native American groups and early settlers used the area. The shade and availability of water made it a convenient spot to rest, to meet, and to trade goods. Some of the dunes have been fenced to allow for natural restoration. Please do not ride close to the edge of the dunes as this kills the mesquite roots. Without these shrubs, the sand dunes would blow away.
SHELL REEF
Park beneath the reef and examine the soil. You will find not rock or sand but fragments of fossilized oyster shells. Look closer and you will find entire shells and even pieces of the reef which have fallen down the slope. The reef is estimated to be 4 million years old! It was pushed out of an ancient sea during a time of tremendous upheaval when the distant mountain ranges where formed. Please help preserve the reef. Find other “hills” to climb, and encourage others to do the same.
GAS DOMES
To reach this natural phenomenon, you must exit the park on the Gas Dome Trail east of Pole Line Road. These mysterious, volcano-like mud pots of bubbling liquid are located approximately one and one-half miles into the public lands of the Bureau of Land Management. Cold to the touch, the gray water releases large bubbles of gas. For information about recreational opportunities and attractions in the BLM area, contact the El Centro office (619) 353-1060.
PUMPKIN PATCH
This unique landscape is the result of wind and water continuously eroding the surface soil and revealing these globular sandstone concretions. Such concretions are believed to be formed by the natural cementing of sand particles to a small object such as a piece of shell, a grain of sand, or even an insect. Please help preserve the Pumpkin Patch and the nearby ridges where new pumpkin-size desert “pearls” are emerging.
LOST PERSON
If a member of your party becomes lost, don’t panic. Make a note of where the person was last seen and at what time. Locate a Ranger either in person or by telephone. The Rangers know how to conduct search and rescue operations.
A lost person is usually found fairly quickly when Rangers are promptly notified.
INJURED PERSON
It is usually best not to transport an injured person away from an accident scene before medical personnel arrive. Moving a victim improperly can make an injury worse, particularly when the injury is to the head, neck, or back areas. If possible, send someone to find a Ranger. Most business establishments in the Ocotillo Wells area know how to contact a Ranger quickly. Park Rangers are the closest source of help, and are usually the first professionals to arrive at an accident scene.
CAMPING
Ocotillo Wells is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Open camping is available throughout the park for up to 30 days per calendar year. Camping is not permitted at the Shell Reef, Devils Slide, and Blow Sand Hill areas. If you are in a self-contained vehicle with holding tanks, fill your tanks before you arrive—water filling stations are not available. Also, the park does not have a dump station for your waste water disposal.
Vault restrooms and limited shade ramadas are located in the Quarry, Cove, Main Street, Holly Road, and Hidden Valley areas. Pay showers are available only in Holmes Camp and Ranger Station Road. The pay showers accept quarters.
Vehicle repair shops, restaurants, and motels are available in the towns of Borrego Springs, Salton Sea, and Ocotillo Wells.
Borrego Palm Canyon is the third-largest palm oasis in California, and was the first site sought for a desert state park back in the 1920s. It’s a beautiful, well-watered oasis, tucked away in a rocky V-shaped gorge. The trail visits the first palm grove and a waterfall. A longer option takes you exploring farther up-canyon. In winter, the trail to the falls is one of the most popular in the park. In summer, you’ll have the oasis all to yourself. Watch for bighorn sheep, which frequently visit the canyon.
California Overland Desert Excursions
California Overland's Back Country Wine-Tour
Temperature is also critical. Warm days are a good indicator of a full bloom ahead. If the sun gets too hot though, (over 85° in February / March) the seeds may become parched and seedlings scorched. Cool nights can assist flower seedlings by slowing the growth of competitors like grasses and mustards. However, very cold temperatures mean bad news for blossoms. 
Desert Golf Courses 
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