Welcome to Winterhaven

Winterhaven (pop 530 / elev 131) is located in the far southeastern corner of both Imperial County and State of California. Situated north of Interstate 8 and bordering Yuma, Arizona, the town is partly Quechan Indian reservation. The Colorado River is the town's eastern border. The town includes the nearby communities of Felicity and Bard.

Fort Quechan Gaming Resort - Winterhaven CA
New Attraction : Opened 2009
Newly opened gaming resort on the old Fort Yuma Indian Reservation features big name entertainment, restaurants, lounges and banquet facilities. Largest convention center event space in the desert.

Exciting high adventure opportunities for exploring, boating, camping, hiking, watersports, weekend retreats and more.

Winterhaven Civic Groups:


Imperial Valley Blogs
Winterhaven Insider
Winterhaven Services
Winterhaven Church of Christ
McCoy RV Park - Winterhaven CA
CHP Office Robert Dickey - Memorial Tribute

Fort Quechan Gaming Resort:


Newly opened gaming resort on the old Fort Yuma Indian Reservation features big name live entertainment, restaurants, lounges and banquet facilities.

The grand opening of Quechan Casino Resort introduces residents of the desert southwest to the largest conference, convention, and live entertainment venue in the area. The Pipa Event Center triples as a 20,000 sq. ft convention center, a private event space that can be broken down into six separate rooms, and a 2300 seat theater featuring world class entertainment and sports arena.

The Quechan Casino Resort offers four dining options: Ironwood Steakhouse, Ocotillo Buffet, Food Court and Sidewinders Lounge.

Fort Quechan Gaming Resort
525 Algodones Road, Winterhaven, CA 92283; Resort Website;
New Attraction : Opened 2009

Fort Quechan Reservation:

Fort Yuma-Quechan Reservation is 45,000 acres located along both sides of the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona.

The Yuma, who today prefer to be called the Quechan, have long been known as fighters. For centuries they battled the Papago, Apache, and other tribes for control of the fertile flood plains of the Colorado River.

Largely an agriculture community, the Tribe leases its 700 acre farm to a non-Indian farmer. It also operates a long-term sand and gravel lease with a non-Indian corporation which employs 8 to 10 tribal members.

Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe
P.O. Box 1899, Yuma, Arizona 85366; 760-572-0213;
Home of the Quechan (pronounced Kwuh-tsan) Indians, Fort Yuma-Quechan Reservation is located along both sides of the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona. For centuries they battled the Papago, Apache, and other tribes for control of the fertile flood plains of the Colorado River. In addition to farming and the sand and gravel operation, this tribe counts heavily on winter tourism.
Arizona Inter-Tribal Council - Tribe Info

Yuma Coronado Motor Inn
Best Western Vacation Resort
233 4th Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85365 US;
Located at 4th Avenue and 3rd Street in downtown Yuma.

Stay at this Yuma, Arizona hotel conveniently located on the Arizona-California state line and 8 miles from the Mexican border.

The Best Western Coronado Motor Hotel is a historic hotel close to the cultural sites of Yuma, AZ.

This Yuma hotel features an outdoor heated swimming pool and spa. Guests of the hotel will enjoy a full breakfast each morning and there is free wireless Internet access in the pool areas, lobby and restaurant.

Children ages 12 and under stay free and small pets are welcome. Make an online reservation today at the Best Western Coronado Motor Hotel in Yuma, Arizona!

Yuma Arizona Ramada Inn
300 E. 32 Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 US;
Located in Downtown Yuma on 32nd Street (US-80).

The Yuma Ramada Inn & Chilton Conference Center provides the Greater Yuma, Arizona area with all of the convenience of a full-service hotel, including over 4,500 sq. ft. of conference space. Yuma, Arizona stands at the crossroads of Arizona, California, and Mexico.

The Ramada Chilton Conference Center, caters to the needs of goverment employees and government contractors. Both Wireless and Wired High Speed Internet Access is available, and is free to all guests.

The hotel is set in a pleasant, residential area, yet is close to all Yuma restaurants and attractions. One most requested features include our Full Hot Breakfast Buffet which is free to all guests.

Yuma Arizona Radisson Hotel
1501 So. Redondo Center Dr, Yuma AZ 85365;
Location: 16th St Exit from I-8 Freeway

This hotel is located just across the river from California. They feature southwestern resort living, hospitality and over 3000 sf of conference space.

Radisson Hotel Yuma features lavishly appointed guestrooms, complimentary hot breakfast buffet, high-speed wireless Internet access, a 24-hour Business Center, Fitness Center, Indoor Pool and Whirlpool with a large Outdoor Pool and Whirlpool.

The Market Wine Bar Bistro is Radisson Yuma's top rated Full Service Restaurant serving American Comfort Cuisine.

Radisson Hotels exercise best management, training, engineering and environmental program practices.

More Winterhaven Resort Hotels:
The are still more hotel choices in this area:

Imperial Valley Long Term Stay:

Musuem of World History in Granite
2 Center of the World Plaza, Felicity, CA 92283; 760-572-5000; Museum Website;
The 416 Panel History of Humanity is being engraved on 8 granite monuments. This project was launch in 1973 and as of 2007 this project is about 20% complete. Four monuments are each 100 feet long with 60 granite panels, each 40 x 57 in and weighing 477 pounds. E, NW, SE and SW are 67 feet long with 40 panels. Appropriately enough, this monument site is self-designated as the center of the world.

St Thomas Indian Mission
San Diego's Eastern Most Parish
Puerto de la Purísima Concepción
Fort Yuma, California; (760) 572-0283;
Location: Indian Hill on Picacho Rd, Fort Yuma, 1 mi S of Winterhaven
The original mission, Puerto de la Purísima Concepción, was completed in early 1781 but destroyed in an indian raid later that year and abandoned. The US military operated an outpost here, Fort Yuma (1849-1885). The current Catholic parish church of St Thomas was dedicated in 1923.

Old Plank Road
Location: Grays Well Road alongside I-8;
From 1915 to 1925, the first highway across the shifting Algodone Sand Dunes was built on a narrow wooden planks. A historic monument and replica of the road can be found about 3 miles west of the I-8 Sand Hills interchange.

Imperial Valley Adventure Tours
Explore the Golden State - (Keyword: Imperial Valley)

Fort Quechan Gaming Resort - Winterhaven CA
Newly opened gaming resort on the old Fort Yuma Indian Reservation features big name live entertainment, restaurants, lounges and banquet facilities.

Royal Medjool Date Gardens
1455 Hagberg Rd, Bard, CA 92222; 760-572-0088; Farm Website:
Originally from Morocco, the Medjool Date was reserved for royal hosts and other dignitaries. Disease threatened the existence of the Medjool Date in 1920's Morocco forcing a radical move to California. Winterhaven's Bard Valley now produces 70% of the Medjool dates in the United States market.

Winterhaven Restaurants
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Picacho State Recreation Area
4,880 acres preserve in East Imperial County, about 24 miles north of Winterhaven. 100 years ago Picacho was a gold mining town with 100 citizens. Today the site is a State Park, popular with boaters, hikers, anglers and campers. The park offers diverse scenery, including beavertail cactus, wild burros, bighorn sheep and thousands of migratory waterfowl.

Heber Dunes State Vehicle Recr 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.

Cibola National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Colorado River
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
Lower Colorado River
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 Sand Dunes Recreation Area
This 40-mile-long dune system is one of the largest in the United States. Formed by windblown beach sands of ancient Lake Cahuilla, some crests reach heights of over 300 feet. These expansive dune formations offer picturesque scenery, opportunities for solitude, a chance to view rare plants and animals, and a playground for OHVs.

Imperial Valley Sports & Recreation


Sports & Athletics
Parks & Outdoor Recreation
Festival Guide - Sports Events
Regional Golf Courses
Boy Scouts