Salton Sea SRA

We left our site in the Box Canyon BLM area and headed west down the canyon. A few miles from our dry arid campsite we crossed the Choachella Canal; on the other side was a green expanse of grapes, lettuce, alfalfa, corn, date palms, tomatoes, papers, and even what looked like corn. Such a contrast.

We followed US-111 south to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. They have a number of campgrounds with sites right along the sea. Most are primitive but some have picnic tables and fire rings with pergolas. We decided to take an electric site. It’s very peaceful here with lots of birds. The Santa Rosa Mountains are to the west and the Chocolate Mountains are to the east. Our AT&T data works well. The only drawback is US-111 is nearby and the Southern Pacific railway follows the east coast of the sea.

We walked along the beach for a mile or so. Plenty of gulls, sandpipers, and tern. Also plenty of dead fish. When close to the sea there is definitely an odor of sulphur and dead fish. The lake is low right now so the boat ramp and jetty are closed. The “sand” on the beach is made up of millions of 1/4×1/4 inch barnacle shells. It crunches as we walk.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)