Ocotillo Wells SVRA

California State Vehicular Recreation Area Discovery Center

General Info| Maps | Pumpkin Patch  Blow Sand Hill | 4 X 4 Training Area
Devil's Slide | Gas Domes| Arroyo Salado | Video | Little People

California State Parks' Ocotillo Wells SVRA has over 80,000 acres of magnificent desert for off-road exploration and recreation, including a 4X4 training area. Outside its boundaries, to the south and east, large tracts of BLM land 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-road recreation, but open to exploration by highway-legal vehicles along established primitive roads.

Riding in both the new Truckhaven addition north of S-22 and the area east of Poleline Road is restricted to roads and trails only. Much of these two areas is actually federal or state land which Ocotillo Wells SVRA is allowed to manage, so this policy is essential for continued OHV access here. These two parcels are not open riding areas and this policy is enforced.

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.

 

Ranger Station - Visitor Services

OWSVRA Discovery Center

You’ll find ample parking and a shady deck as you pull up at the OWSVRA Discovery Center. Once inside, the diverse world of Ocotillo Wells opens up. Live animals mingle with stuffed ones. Geology, history, and ecology exhibits unmask the desert’s “dirty” secrets. At the center of it all is a huge 3-D map. Consider this your front-line information center dispensing maps, weather reports, trail updates, OHV regulations, and more.

Outside, accessible cement walkways lead to ocotillo- inspired shade ramadas and the amphitheater, which hosts weekly stargazing programs, as well as special events. You can even rest your seat on a giant horned lizard! Check the nearest bulletin board for current activities

Soens Youth Track

Behind a fenced enclosure and lined with protective hay bales, the Youth Track provides a safe riding area for children to build their skill sets. It is for riders 12 and under on 70cc engines or less. This track is dedicated to Harold Soens, who worked tirelessly to open up the world of OHV to kids.

 

• No fees are collected for camping or day-use.
• Open camping is permitted throughout the unit for up to 30 days per calendar year.
• Geocaching Policy
• OHV Registration
• Red Sticker Season- Open:October 1 - May 31 Closed: June 1 - September 30
• Nonresident OHV Use Permits
• Chemical toilets, shade ramadas, picnic tables and fire rings are located in the Quarry, Main St. and Holmes Camp areas. See Map for more locations.
• Water is not available.
• Trail Maps
• A waste-disposal station is located on Ranger Station Road.
• OHMVR Frequently Asked Questions
• Telephones
  Ocotillo Wells Ranger Station: 760-767-5391
  e-mail owinterpretation@ parks.ca.gov
  State Park Dispatch: 911
• HOSPITAL
  Pioneer’s Memorial Hospital: 760-351-3333
  Brawley, CA
• FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
  Ocotillo Wells
  State Vehicular Recreation Area
  P.O. Box 360
  Borrego Springs, CA 92004
  760 767-5391

Off-road center Ocotillo Wells.

• Vehicle repair shops, fuel, telephones, groceries, and restaurants are available in the neighboring small town of Ocotillo Wells and along Hwy. 78 where it borders the park. Not open in the summer months.
• There are resorts, hotels and motels in Borrego Springs, with something for every taste and price range.
  

Watch video on the park.

 

 

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