Southern most of protected forest lands in California includes 430,000 acres of San Diego, Orange and Riverside divided into three distinct areas. Comprises of conifer woodlands and chaparral.

Palomar Mountain State Park
Palomar Mountain State Park features spectacular views of the Pacific, camping, picnicking, hiking, and fishing (trout) in Doane Pond. Coniferous forests cover much of the 1,862 acres, in contrast to the dry lowlands surrounding the mountain. This is one of the few Southern California areas with a Sierra Nevada-like atmosphere.

Heber Dunes State Vehicle Recr Area - Heber CA
343 acres area located south of El Centro. It is primarily used for off-road recreation, however, camping, picnicking, and baseball are also popular activities in the park.

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recr Area - East Borrego
42,000 acres of desert terrain, from below sea level to 400 foot elevations. It is a motorcycle, four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle, and dune buggy use area. The wash-and-ridge terrain includes a butte with dunes and a sand bowl, a blow-sand dune, springs and a camp on a former homestead site. The park has pay showers, picnic tables, shade ramadas, fire rings and a dump station available.

Tour Borrego Springs
Borrego Springs is certainly one of the most scenic desert resort areas of California. The desert valleys are bordered by 9,000 foot mountain peaks. Some have said that Borrego Springs is what Palm Springs was 50 years ago - peaceful, quiet, relaxing. There are no stoplights in Borrego.

Tour Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
600,000 acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in the contiguous United States and voted the #1 state park in California by National Geographic. This area was first traversed by Spanish explorer Juan Batiste de Anza in 1774. Visitors can traverse canyons full of desert palms, ancient pictographs, majestic cactus and early spring wildflowers.

Salton Sea State Recreation Area
Located along the northeastern shore of the Salton Sea since 1955 and offering an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities. Salton Sea boasts great fishing - game includes croaker, corvina and tilapia.

Cibola National Wildlife Refuge
Cibola NWR is located in the floodplain of the lower Colorado River and surrounded by a fringe of desert ridges and washes. The refuge encompasses the historic Colorado River channel and several important backwater areas that are home to many wildlife species. Because of the river’s life sustaining water, wildlife here survive in an environment that reaches 120 degrees in the summer and receives an average of only 2 inches of rain per year.

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge protects wildlife habitat along 30 miles of the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, including the last unchannelized section before the river enters Mexico. The river and its associated backwater lakes and wetlands are a green oasis, contrasting with the surrounding desert mountains.

Imperial Valley Recreation:
Ocotillo Wells Quad Rentals - Ocotillo Wells, CA - offroad vehicle rental center located adjacent to Ocotillo Wells SVRA.

Carrizo Badlands
Fossil Beds, Desert Trails, Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves, Open Camping area.

Imperial Valley Equestrian
Kenner Horse Ranch - Borrego Springs - Riding, Discovery and Horsemanship Development Center

Imperial Valley Bicycle Rides:
Shadow Tour Century Ride - 100 mile bikerides on roads less traveled - Ocotillo (Jan) - Salton Sea (Oct).

Imperial Valley Golf:
Palm Springs Golf Guide
San Diego Golf Guide
S.D. North County Golf Guide

Julian Recreation Adventures
This mountain resort hosts a number of outdoor recreation venues and access to the Pacific Crest Trail:

• William House County Park - Campground and Mountain Trails
• Camp Mataguay - Boy Scout Camping Facility
• Camp Marston - YMCA Group Camping Facility
• Volcan Mountain - Wilderness Preserve
• KQ Ranch - RV Camping Resort
• Julian Horse Stables - Equestrian Sports
• R&B Bicycle Club - Julian and Borrego Biking Adventures

Heber Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area - Heber CA
Location: Heber Road (SR-86) 8 miles east of Heber; (760) 767-5391; State Parks Website
343 acres area located south of El Centro. It is primarily used for off-road recreation, however, camping, picnicking, and baseball are also popular activities in the park.

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation Area - East Borrego
Location: SR-78, about 35 miles east of Julian or about 20 miles west of Highway 86. ; (760) 767-5391; State Parks Website
42,000 acres of desert terrain, from below sea level to 400 foot elevations. It is a motorcycle, four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle, and dune buggy use area. The wash-and-ridge terrain includes a butte with dunes and a sand bowl, a blow-sand dune, springs and a camp on a former homestead site. The park has pay showers, picnic tables, shade ramadas, fire rings and a dump station available.