The places you find when trying to explore different areas. Of all the times I've been to the desert, this was the first time here. Honestly never heard of this place until we were looking for something to do. It's just a couple miles from the main strip of 111. But tucked behind some of the beautiful gated communities, you end up here. We didn't know what to expect or how it would be. Thought it would be some park of sorts. Well... It is tucked with the mountains in the background which makes for a beautiful view. Hiking is not far from it and there's loads of beautiful homes in gated communities. We didn't know that camping was also offered here. It's a little drive up to the main gate which there's a fee for entering. The person working the station was gracious enough to let us in as we just wanted to check it out. First off, it's a man made lake. You enter the park area with parking both to the left and right side. There's plenty of spots in both of the parking lot. We went to the right which from the looks of the park, it is well maintained. There's a small little playground on one end, a pool area in the middle and a pickleball court and a basketball court to the other end. That's would be the main park area. If you continue to drive down toward the front, there's campsites. Areas with a grill, a spot for your car as well as water and electricity. Depending on what you need, the fee will be added. You could just camp as if without the electricity. Also the sites are pretty much next to each other. We drove to the other side where there's more campsite which this one is more primitive style. Bring everything yourself. The other side was more of a dirt lot. Not sure what it would be utilize for. Lake area does look man made and well maintained. Looking down it looked as it was like an amphitheater with the steeps leading down. We did find out that you can fish but no swimming or boating allowed. There's a fee if you wanted to fish. Basically a fee for everything. Overall, it's a decent park tucked away. Camping available but not the roughing kind. Small park area but does have a pool. It was pretty quiet when we arrived as it was hot. Would we pay to come in after we've seen this place, probably not. But at least we know what to expect incase we do happen to be back again. read more

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Location is great and the surrounding mountains are beautiful. We arrived early morning and we were the only ones there except workmen refinishing the pool. The lake was very low and the water was not accessible except in a few areas. No dogs allowed in the water. It's definitely not a beautiful place but might be fun for groups and kids. The bathroom was really disgusting and It had not been cleaned in quite some time. Very disappointing. We hoped to possibly see some bighorn sheep but they have put up a fence so they can't get to the lake now. read more

I went on a Saturday morning for a fishing trip with our friends. Not crowded at all, it's a pretty clean park, at the area we were at. Some of the cleanest park restrooms I've been to. The fish were not really biting, but it was nice to relax and have some drinks by the water . read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

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Perfect getaway love coming here to relax its clean nice and perfect for picnics restrooms are always clean.

Large Property plenty of room to fish and clean bathrooms. Staff was friendly but be advised shooting range is near by and sometimes it's active . read more

Camp, hike, bike, fish, horseback and more - rain, or shine, and winters a beautiful time. Sunshine and blue skies, what you'll likely find but this winter, the power for rain storms from California coast found their way over the mountains combated by fierce desert winds. It's all good. Good to be connected in this place in the natural world. In close proximity to old town La Quinta, Palm desert, and palm springs. read more

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Literally the worst park experience... What do you charge for? We paid $12 for the entrance and immediately left. It was dirty, you can't swim in the lake, there's no shadow and you can't even put a blanket on the grass because it's full of insects because of trash. There's swimming pool but without water so you can't swim there too. Don't go there read more

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Quiet, peaceful and beautiful spot for a picnic and walk on the weekend. A State park that is open to the public that is safe and well maintained. Some enjoy fishing in the lake. read more

A lot of fun at the lake Cahuilla derby and a lot of fish they added! It's a must for families and friends read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - A lot of fun at the derby - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

Updating previous review. The access road to the park has been repaved. Safe for bikes. The numerous "No Parking" signs remain.

A jewel in the desert! We had no idea this oasis was here. Cute little camp ground for the long weekend was above expectations. The park is clean for the most part. We did not use the provided amenities except for the water and electric hookups. My two concerns with the facilities are the the water hookup leaked because of the calcium buildup. I would suggest a wire brush or replacing it. This is space 7. The other concern is that I never found a fish cleaning station. The highlight of this trip was seeing a big horn sheep climbing the surrounding mountains. Otherwise great trip. We will return. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

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Peaceful and quiet walk around the lake today, Scenic mountains and sky. Lovely place to visit. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Angel wings over Lake Cahuilla - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

Big horn sheep kept from lake by a fence as they were drowning in the canal Gun range nearby Swimming not allowed in the lake Expensive in the off season, pool (& splash pad?) closed. read more

I'm from out of town and love finding desert areas to get some nice pics, and maybe go for a bit of a hike. I stumbled on this place on Yelp and decided to check it out, not expecting much. It seems like you have to pay to enter the park but the sign on the check-in building said the check-in building was closed. But the gate was open so I just proceeded on through. I was the only car parked in the lot. At first I thought it was a good thing but as I was walking through this place it made me feel kind of uneasy. It looks like kind of a sketchy property. I didn't run into anybody and decided to snap a couple of photos. There was a path that I followed around some of the mountains that was nice. My photos make the place look better than it was. I wouldn't come back but am proud of how my photos turned out. read more

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Beautiful site. A day trip for a picnic there is a wonderful experience. A walk in the water is very refreshing and the scenery is magnificent read more

After spending $20 admission fee for my son and I to fish in this cement pond was more than disappointing . After three hours the only thing that I could see was the locals and RVers catching was a hell of a buzz with the tale-gate party's around the property. This place has the balls to call them selves veterans regional park and not even offer as much as a 10% discount to veterans. Shamefulll and insulting as a War Vet. The Salton Sea is a hell of a better destination than this stagnant puddle, Head to your local parks with a cooler full of beer and burgers and you'll have a much better time with your children then this place could ever offer. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

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During the pandemic it was nice to be out in nature enjoying the sun and beautiful desert landscape. Nice little bike ride with the fam and beyond peaceful. Workers were very friendly and did notify us of the big horn roaming the area. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Nice little bike ride around the lake - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

We ended up here at the end of our hike, so it was a quick visit. We had never been in this area, it was fun to see a body of water, but it totally looks man made. There are campsites, a playground and a HUGE pool. The backdrop of the mountains is very nice. The park is not very inviting, there is a big sign which suggests you need to pay to cross into the park, so we looked from the end of the trail. read more

This place is a man mad resivor that they stock with rainbow trout and catfish for fishing. There is also bass in this water too. Theres also camping and places for equestrian riding. When we arrived, the sun started to set behind the mountain and it was only 4:30 pm and it looked like 6:30 pm in Honolulu. Its like you get shorted two hours of daylight. Very nice place to kick back and bbq like the locals here were doing. The smell of the grill reminded me of home. This resivor was nice and flat and I mentioned to my wife, "what if we rolled up with our paddle boards?" I would love to paddle around this water. I guess we'll never know until we try. Wouldn't hurt to ask either. read more

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We've been camping here for many years, first in tents and now in a trailer. Grounds and restrooms are always spotless. Staff and hosts are beyond friendly. Catfish and trout stocked in the 130 acre reservoir. A walk around the lake is right at 2.5 miles. Way too much hiking to list all less than a mile from your site. Ice,firewood and bait at the front gate. Beach entry pool open spring and summer. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

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For RV camping, it's nice. For the day to be near water, it's nice, too. Tons of BBQ's, and a grass area that makes a nice family outing, or a party. But, very man-made looking, and the water/lake is not very big. In the spring, it's great. In the summer, stay away - the heat is bound to be too much too handle, even if under an umbrella or tent. read more

Friendly workers and a great place for a weekend getaway!! When we arrived our electrical was broken for our RV, the workers came over immediately and helped us move. They were so friendly and they had workers out right away to try to fix it. (It wasn't their fault it was broken and they were not aware) One of the workers also came and told us when the big horned sheep were in the area so we could go over and see them. I appreciated that she took the time to remember that we had mentioned that and came down and told us. I wish I had gotten her name. She was fantastic and everyone was so excited to see the sheep!! read more

Awesome place to visit. It's quite and lots of hiking. Friendly staff. Every day the mountains are different colors. The big horn sheep come down to feed. It's amazing. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

We came here for the Hike4Education DSUSD fundraiser. We had never been in this neck of the woods and seeing a body of water was refreshing. There are campsites, a playground and a HUGE pool that was empty since it is not summer. The backdrop of the mountains is very nice to peek at. We walked the easy three miler since we had our kiddos. They also had a five and ten mile hike. This looks like a decent place to have a BBQ and camp for the night. If you fish there might be more of an allure. There is not a lot to do over a few days of camping for the rug rats. We will return soon for a day trip and a picnic. read more

I love this place. Very calm and clean. Hopefully the locals will keep it clean. It's a very nice place for kids the come and play while parents relax. read more

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This location is a Riverside County Park, located near PGA Golf courses and Pro Tennis clubs so it reasons to believe that the location would be well kept. WRONG!. The PROs. Great location Easy access Beautiful Lake Hiking Full / partial Hookups Tent sites Gated entrance. The CONs. Lazy staff Dirty restrooms Trash Staff just leave even though office is posted as staffed along with phone info msg. Pool is open briefly on weekends for $4 per person for 2 hour max Misinformed staff Dishonest reservation process Sometimes showers are burning hot but during the week they are freezing cold. Coin operated showers with inconsistent timers. It is clear that the personnel at this site have no vested interest. The routine abandoning post during work hours speak volumes about how Riverside county tax dollars are squandered away. This location has tremendous potential but the folks here just don't care. I actually witnessed an employee walk past trash to change a half full trash bag and walk away leaving trash all around him. This place at $75 prr night should be renamed the last resort. read more

This park is a lovely recreational park, and my family and I absolutely adore visiting and spending time at Lake Cahuilla. The outdoors here are wonderful whenever you're trying to get away from the stressors of life. I just wish my family and I had more time to spend out here. Not to mention the fee to get in is cheaper than most national parks and lakes. read more

DO NOT camp here. This was definitely the worst camping experience we ever had! We booked our campsite weeks in advance, and at no time were we told the gate would be locked at 10pm. We drove all day and got there at 10:10pm to find the gate was locked and we needed a four-number code to unlock it. Luckily, a very nice couple pulled up behind us and they said they had stayed there before. They said there was a "host RV" about 3/4 of a mile into the park, and someone should be there to give us the code. So my fiancé and I decided to walk in and try to find this "park host". We got to the camper to find no lights on. We knocked on the door: nothing. We figured they may be doing their rounds and decided to wait by the camper. Around 11pm, when no "host" came to the RV, I decided to walk around and see if I could find this illusive gate keeper. Instead, I found a woman curled up in a blanket on one of the picnic tables talking on her phone and crying that someone "left her at the lake". I wanted to offer her help, but not even knowing where we were going to sleep left me with little to offer this poor woman. I finally found another camper and told him we had reservations, but no one told us the code. He very reluctantly gave it to me, and I was able to run back and get us all into the campground. We found our spot and finally got to sleep around midnight. But then around 5am, the shooting started. Not kidding. At first it was just a couple of shot-gun blasts, but it quickly turned into what sounded like fully-automatic weapons. Turns out, there's a gun range just across the small lake. Again, no where in the website or confirmation emails did anyone tell us we would be camping in a war zone. When we sat up and looked around, we noticed another camper standing looking into our camp area. Creepy! So we got out, and noticed someone watering the flowers by the host camper. Finally! The host! We walked over and asked if he worked there. He said he was a volunteer (Gordon). We told him what happened and his only response was, "We would expect you to be here before 10pm." Thanks guy. Still trying to make the best of our situation, we decided to just get up and go for a hike. The trail we went on was okay, but nothing spectacular. It was away from the gun range, but we still heard someone shooting a gun less than 100 yards from our trail. That's when I really started to get annoyed. We came to have a relaxing camping trip, but instead we heard constant gun shots from 5am-11am from all around the lake. We got back to our site and decided to make other plans for the rest of our vacation. While we packed up, Gordon drove around in a golf cart and just looked at us. I feel like this is a campsite for retirees in RVs only. If you are under 60, you will probably be looked at funny by volunteers and other campers. To top it all off, there are no shaded campsites at all. There's no boats on the lake, and no swimming unless the pool is open. Luckily, the lovely lady at the Riverside Country Recreational Parks Department told us we would get a refund after we explained our situation. UPDATE: We received a letter that we were denied a refund. After a few calls they decided to give us a voucher for a future stay at a Riverside Park. It's better than nothing. read more

We came here for the warmer weather. The actual campground is not really a campground, more like a snowbird retreat. Oh well, the spaces were nice, each with a tree of sorts. We had a spot next to the lake and walking trial. THE WORST!!!!! No where on the Riverside County website does it mention there is a shooting range across the lake next to the mountain. So all the sound is echoed off the mountain and across the lake. The starry nights were completely ruined by the constant rapid fire of gunshots. I sit here writing this at 8pm and they are still going strong. I will be going to the ranger station in the morning and asking for my money back and finding another place to go. At least I can dispute the charge on my credit card. read more

It's ok. It gets really hot so you might end up staying in your trailer. Front office people are inefficient. There is a long line to buy wood or pool tickets and they help the ones in the car first. They sell out pool tickets because day users buy them out. They should give priority to campers. Pool tickets is only good for two hours. If you have a trailer don't pick a spot next to "developed" which is for tent users only. We almost ended up with tent users and they were in our spot with their 30 people. I will reserve next to trailers and rvs only, more breathing room. Of course there are ghetto people who blast their music until 12 am. If you're in a tent you won't be able to sleep. read more

Zero fish! That simple. Several attempts in a row with multiple setups and baits and not a single bite. It's a dead lake. Entry is $10 to fish, that is to just cast all day long and catch nothing. Apparently they stock but it's either a scam or they don't stock much at all. What a shame. It's a beautiful lake and could be a great fishing spot but there is little to no fish in the lake. You don't even see any smaller fish or life around the shore. It's pretty much a dead lake. read more

Great Lake with beautiful desert flats and mountain views. Too bad you can't swim in the water. There is some trash in the water though. read more

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I have been fishing this lake for years so today 2.25.19 bet 2:30 and 3:15 p.m. i was having a great time fishing with my daughter. Then out of nowhere this short fat blonde lady driving a white truck wearing a green shirt and tan pants (a employee of the park) yells at me "Sir you can't stand in the water" so i looked down and i was literally in 2 inches of water so i nicely replied i'm in rubber boots this authority hungry woman replies If you don't like what i just told you you can take it up with the fish and game ranger. Really lady instead of picking up trash and cleaning the bathrooms you need to mess with the customers? read more

Wanted to bring our dog to one of the few lakes in the area. It was during the off season they close down everything and still charge you. Plus you can't even go in the lake. The only reason for 2 stars is for the mountain view. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

It a nice place. A body of water that the dog can swim in for a extra buck. No swimming allowed for us humans. When ask why she just said it was prohibited. It's $3 per person plus $1 for the dog. I personally think its to much money for a lake you can't swim in. It does have a pool but its not open. RV park on one side, shooting range on the other. Nice grass area, picnic tables, kids play area and BBQ grills. Fishing allowed, as I saw someone with a pole. Nice background of Mtns. I'd come back again. read more

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This is a good spot for fishing, camping, and having a cook out. I fished here recently and caught some rainbow trout using garlic powerbait. The park is clean and a good spot to hangout at or try your hand at fishing. read more

Very beautiful area. Went for a spontaneous hiking day with family. The park was vacant except for two campers and another car. Seemed fairly clean and I think it was it's off season. My only complaint was the fact there was no signage pointing out the hiking trails so you wander around until you find them. Still very nice area. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Lake Cahuilla County Park - Off Trail Formation - Parks Near Me - La Quinta, California

My husband and I came here for 2 nights to camp in our trailer. Due to a late reservation we were unable to get hook ups and dry camped instead. Be aware that you are nestled in the mountains around a man made lake, but about 1/2 of the property backs up to a housing development which kind of limits the camping vibe. In addition, the sheriffs department has their shooting range next to the campground so from about 8am-3pm we heard on and off shooting, which again, really limits the camping feel. We took our dog who enjoyed the long walks around the lake, we had a campfire at night, and overall enjoyed ourselves. I don't give it a full 5 stars because there is a lack of grass, which would be my main complaint. Mostly dirt lots make the air very dusty when vehicles drive by or with even the lightest winds. It would be so nice to have gravel or even an asphalt path to drive on and some larger grass areas that dogs could be allowed on (dogs are restricted on much of the available grass). The sites were well maintained though and the staff was friendly. Just a lot of clean up at the end of the trip due to the dust. It's located in the Coachella Valley which means 115-120 degree days in the summer so recognize this before booking and base your reservation dates on the weather forecast; otherwise, your trailer AC may not be able to keep up. read more

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If you think that pitching your tent on a scorching hot, mostly shadeless, bug-infested gravel parking lot sounds good, then this park is for you! You are specifically prohibited from pitching your tent on any patch of grass. Think you can cool off in the lake? Nope -- you might have invasive Quagga mussels in your swimming trunks. No kidding. You can't even put your feet in -- might have mussels under your toenails. It's a much more reasonable spot if you are in an RV. read more

Beautiful lake to fish at and very clean. However staff here are incredibly misinformed and have no knowledge of what's going on or how to even run a business. The oriental woman who is the supposed manager is extremely rude and unprofessional. As a Supervisor my self she lacks professionalism and integrity. She has not only discriminated against a member of my family she also had the nerve to share her thoughts of him w/fellow friends of ours who were also camping there. She then followed to do the same to him. I will be making a formal complaint to the city's park and recreation. read more