Salton Sea State Recreation Area
State Park · Mecca, California
Salton Sea State Recreation Area lies on the northeast shore of the Salton Sea in the Colorado Desert, in Riverside County near the small community of Mecca, with Imperial County at the lake's southern end. The sea is often described as California's largest lake: a shallow, salty, shrinking body of water created when the Colorado River broke through an irrigation canal in 1905 and flooded a desert basin about 227 feet below sea level. It is also one of the most important stops on the Pacific Flyway, and the birdwatching is the real reason to come. A visitor centre (confirm hours), a campground and a boat launch (confirm) serve the north shore. Be honest with yourself about the downsides: summer heat can pass 110 F, the water can smell of sulfur when it turns, fish die-offs happen, and dust blowing off the exposed lakebed is an air-quality concern. It suits birders, photographers and curious road-trippers, and disappoints anyone who pictures a swimming lake.
100225 State Park Rd, Mecca, California, 92254, United States
California State Parks has generally kept the recreation area open daily for day use from about sunrise to sunset, with the campground open around the clock for registered campers - confirm the posted hours and any seasonal changes. The visitor centre is staffed on a limited schedule, usually shorter in the hot months, and may be closed on some weekdays, so confirm before you drive out. Summer afternoons are punishing and services can run thin, while the cool season from late fall to early spring is when staff, birds and visitors are all at their most active. Wind can raise dust at any time of year, and a heat or air-quality warning can change what is sensible to do, whatever the gate says.
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