I was excited to find a new place to have a picnic and see wildlife in our area. We packed our…read morepicnic basket and drove the 5 minutes to check it out. There is a Facebook page and the government has a website with information about the Fig Lagoon. It's very easy to follow the map they provide. They explain that the lagoon is a unique habitat for the creatures in the area. They give a list of the animals you can find there-including the vermillion flycatcher, whose numbers have decreased seriously some places but is fairly common in the Imperial Valley where Fig Lagoon is located. In fact, we see them daily around Drew Lake-on the opposite side of the lake from Fig Lagoon. We followed the map, and it was on our GPSand even saw one sign for Fig Lagoon. Unfortunately, there was no sign at the turn but the GPS signaled we were there. We pulled in the drive and saw an old mattress and other things dumped on the side of the road. We got closer to the parking area where we were considering parking to see the water...until another car zips in and parks in front of us. We weren't that excited about the view so decided to leave and go somewhere else. We were very disappointed with Fig Lagoon. It is a dirt driveway that blows dust as you pull in. The view is nice at the end but the garbage you see alongside the road makes the idea of a picnic less appealing. It would be a good spot to view wildlife but not the lagoon picture that I had when I first read about it.

Nice park, nice lake and man made water body too…read more A little walk, also playground for the children and a water park. Path goes round the lake.

This park is conveniently located a couple blocks from Fourth Avenue and Highway 8 in El Centro and…read moreone of the most popular parks, especially during the holidays. Luckily, if you get here around 5am or so, you can get a decent area with trees and shade. This particular holiday, some people had set up as early as the day before! We came here for a birthday party and the shade provided by the trees and tents made the warm day easy to manage! Although I love the sun and heat, humidity is a different beast - luckily it was a calm breeze that swept through the day before the heat wave arrives. There is 2 bathrooms, sadly one was closed and the other seemed to have plumbing issues, because as soon as you walk in... you walk in to a pile of water (me hoping it was just water). There is a playground and plenty of parking around the Park. This park is not fenced off, so a lot of the areas are next to the streets. I guess this is the place to go for party's as it is big and holds bigger groups. Don't forget to bring some bread to feed the ducks, pigeons and geese that roam the ponds! No swimming, and honestly you wouldn't want to either.

We came here to hike a section of the PCT. I'm going to be fair that typically developed camp…read moregrounds like this aren't our groove. You're not really camping you're in the middle of a neighborhood and there was a lot of people crammed in here. The hiking was great the camping...we I'd never come here if not for the trail. All of the facilities worked so... it is what it is.

This place was very disappointing. Showers cost ,,,$1.25 ,in quarters…read more The bees were every where. Super annoying. Worst than Nats. And the sand fleas are horrible. Even got into my camper. No Wi-Fi. No TV channels. Only 1 Radio Station A Relgous Station. Like likely to camp here again. I was here 7 Days. The Stores here charge double the Normal Price. In my Opinion it was a waste.. of $200.00.

Beautiful great hiking trails and amazing vistas. Lots of birds and flowers…read more Painted Desert Trail is a relatively easy hike with lots to learn about the desert along the way

For a stayca-getaway, we rented a cabin for 3 days. It's a great way to unwind and reset, mentally…read moreand physically, while having the basic amenities of a household. Of course, the military base nearby offers up 24/7 laundry machines, as well as a grocery store and gas station. The nature center down the road offers nice hiking trails. Consider securing a cabin (or a RV spot) 30 days out to avoid any hassle.

I did an internet search on places to picnic & fish and found Lake Moreno. We finally decided to go…read moresee what was there. I was surprised to find that Lake Moreno was 3,000 feet and would be 68 degrees for its high today. Lake Morena is the highest in elevation and the most remote of the San Diego's reservoirs. You go through the guard gate and stop at the Ranger Station to pay for day use parking, fishing and boat rentals. If you bring your own boat or float tube, they do a check for, the invasive, zebra mussels. You can also get a card for entrance to all county parks. There are restrooms and a really nice little museum at the ranger station that is worth stopping to see. You drive into the park and pass a cute little children's playground and a youth area. It would be a fun place to let kids play at the lake. You see the lake as you drive farther in. You can see the darkened area on the dam where the water level was so much higher in the past. The dam dates to the late 19th century and, when it was full, the lake had a depth of 157 feet. San Diego (and all CA are in a huge drought causing serious water shortages) withdrew 2.1 billion gallons water from the reservoir causing the lake to drop to its current 83 feet. As you drive, you pass an lower boat launch where the water level is now and a upper launch where it prior, you can see how different the lake is today. There are cabins to rent and many other camping areas nearby the entrance to the Lake. The cabins are really barebones-you need to even bring a air bed or topper for the wooden frames to both the double bed and the bunk bed in each cabin. They are cute and would be fun to stay. Lake Morena is one of San Diego's reservoirs holding water for the city. Not sure if it's true but-they reduced the lake water level to half to fill a lake for the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, I was told by someone who's camped here for years. The lake is below 50% level and this caused it to get warm and cause an algae bloom. Fishing is not great except for carp and maybe catfish. Boating was fun although since the lake is down, it's much smaller leaving less places to go. The boat launch has many row & motorboats to rent. The lake was extremely green. Maybe a spring turnover or algae bloom. You can't swim-and I wouldn't if I could! I still recommend Lake Morena- Reservoir very much for a day to be on the water or just relax or spend a few nights where it's cooler than being in the desert!

The Salton Sea is really unbelievable. Haven't really ever heard of it before my mom moved to La…read moreQuinta 14 years ago. But after hearing the stories, I had to go. Recently, it finally came true. When you finally get your sights on it, it's more unreal. The lake is about 15 by 35 miles at its widest and longest. So, it's HUGE, and there's a hell of a lot of water. Sure, it's getting smaller, but still. If you go, you should decide to go on the West or East side...because it's very far to go all around. My mom and I went east, but I think there's more to see on the west side (which has Salton City, Desert Shores, Salton Sea Beach). What we did see was a few "campgrounds", former structures, and the highlight -- Bombay Beach, an little town with some artistic endeavors, but mostly low income and off-grid living. It's just not healthy to live nearby this. It has a little market and an old motel, the Ski Inn, that is now a coffee shop and dive bar. It wasn't very smelly on a 75 degree day, but I'm sure it is in the heat of summer. It's both marvelous and a engineering disaster. I asked Siri a million things while driving, but I'm left with more questions than answers.

It's my second time to visit this desolate place in two years because of its art installations. The…read moreart is amazing and quirky that makes Salton Sea Beach a nice getaway spot and admiration. Unfortunately, the sea is receding fast, nevertheless its environment is breathtaking! As long as interesting and quirky art installation continues, Salton Sea Beach will never be a desolate place.

It's a great river swim with the family…read more However be very careful.. I feel in a whole in Sept 5th,2022 and twisted both ankles. Which I'm still suffering pain from Two month in my injury. My family had lots of fun( I didn't since I was in pain but since it was 2hr drive I suck it up for them). My toddler love it.. we went when LA hit over 100* heat... it very nice in the water!! Many ppl with floating I do suggest to make sure everyone know how to swim as its now drag ppl down the stream..

I could see this being a 3 or 4 star hike depending on the season and weather conditions you do the…read morehike in. I hiked it on 2/24/19 and found the conditions to be ideal for my enjoyment! Location- it was only about a 30 minute drive for me since I spent the night after attending a party at a family member's house in El Cajon (suburb of San Diego); I jumped on the 8 East and as the elevation reached 3,000 ft I could begin seeing snow on the hills near the fwy and I got even more excited for this hike- took Exit 47 for Sunrise Hwy and the trailhead parking was about 2 miles away from the fwy and there was a large lot on the side of the hwy to park Trail- you access the trail by walking across the road and going to the right of the metal barrier...the snow was the deepest on this portion of the hike for about half a mile and the first part of the hike is where the trail is the narrowest with portions where you have to bend over and get low to continue past low branches; at about 3/4 of a mile you will get down to creek level and make a left to get to the waterfalls...I carefully climbed up to reach about 4 parts of the waterfall and it was flowing really well with all of the recent precipitation of this winter and it was a pleasant surprise to find this so close to the city of San Diego; it is about 2 miles RT and not anything too extreme in the way of incline and I loved having the trail/falls all to myself for the nearly 2 hrs I was there *I used microspikes just to be safe but I could see it being fine with just hiking shoes

The Salton Sea is a large and hyper saline lake with high concentrations of minerals and salts…read more While many fishes no longer survive here due to increasing salinity, the primary fish species that currently inhabit are tilapia and the native desert pupfish. I have to say it's very smelly in this area, and the lake has a distinct rotten egg odor.

i love everything about the salton sea. usually not busy at all which makes for a nice peaceful…read morearea. understanding the history and how the salton sea became what it is today is a true tragedy, but there's beauty in that. 10/10

I took the drive from Palm Springs (where I was staying) to Bombay Beach last week and it was…read moresomething I've wanted to see for a very long time. This desolate and erie town is a skeleton of what it once once and has one of the strongest and strangest smells I've ever experienced pulling into a new place. The marina here is pretty massive and is absolutely full of all kinds of "art" or whatever you would like to call it from mannequins being tortured, recliners with blood, funny signs about cars getting stuck, religious areas, and a million other things that only pictures can really do justice. I was able to get out of my car and walk a little bit around but didn't go too close to the water for various reasons. This place is fascinating for so many different reasons and I truly do hope to come in the future. Overall, this place is completely going to be a different experience for literally everyone. For me? It was kind of eye opening in a strange way, as I still don't actually know what I saw here, but hey, I think I'll have to come back one day and just figure it out again.

This place is totally unexpected. It seems like a city in a movie…read more There are sculptures scattered on the sand by the shore of the Salton Sea. Very unique! The town itself seemed unreal. There are houses and also there are many abandoned houses that were used as art installations. They even have a drive-in (art installation). It was really nice to see something like this in the middle of the desert.

Went to the lake today for the first time and it was much bigger than I expected. It was nice and…read morepeaceful and it was a nice change of scene. My only complaint is that I did not see any trash bins nearby so people seem to leave bottles behind. Also there is a lot of broken glass on the floor. Besides that, would go back again to get some relaxing views by the water.

Keep in mind Lake is off the main road and you take a dirt road, so expect your vehicle to get…read moredirty. It's a great spot for fishing though.