Nice park, nice lake and man made water body too…read more A little walk, also playground for the children and a water park. Path goes round the lake.

This park is conveniently located a couple blocks from Fourth Avenue and Highway 8 in El Centro and…read moreone of the most popular parks, especially during the holidays. Luckily, if you get here around 5am or so, you can get a decent area with trees and shade. This particular holiday, some people had set up as early as the day before! We came here for a birthday party and the shade provided by the trees and tents made the warm day easy to manage! Although I love the sun and heat, humidity is a different beast - luckily it was a calm breeze that swept through the day before the heat wave arrives. There is 2 bathrooms, sadly one was closed and the other seemed to have plumbing issues, because as soon as you walk in... you walk in to a pile of water (me hoping it was just water). There is a playground and plenty of parking around the Park. This park is not fenced off, so a lot of the areas are next to the streets. I guess this is the place to go for party's as it is big and holds bigger groups. Don't forget to bring some bread to feed the ducks, pigeons and geese that roam the ponds! No swimming, and honestly you wouldn't want to either.

I had a great visit at Sunbeam lake today, Tuesday Jan 13. I took a walk mainly to take some…read morepictures for Tic Tok. I enjoyed a picnic lunch, some bird watching and just being outside.

What a GEM!! Park by the lake with covered playgrounds. Pretty grounds. Large grassy area. Small…read moreand large play set by the lake! Alot of tables.

This is a well maintained and fun playground. We stop by every time we drive to Yuma. My kids all…read moreenjoy their time here. Plenty of things for kids to do, for all ages. The park is clean and so are its bathroom. Large field to picnic or kick a ball. Highly recommend stopping by for some fun family time. There is a lot of wildlife to observe as well.

We loved this park!…read more The park itself has a large playground area (seen in photo) for bigger kids to run around. There is also a side, smaller area for toddlers with smaller slides, swings, climbing tubes, etc. Along the perimeter there is a traditional zip line and one with a chair. This is also connected to a trail that goes along the Colorado River that has very nice views and is quite long!

Goat Canyon Trestle is near Jacumba California. It is the world's largest all-wooden train trestle…read more It is probably one of the most adrenaline pumping difficult hikes I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing! IMPORTANT: there are two trails to the trestle. The shorter route, Mortero Palms, is a 6 mile hike that includes strenuous rock climbing, steep descents and route finding. Do not take this shorter route as it brings you to a cliff that requires rope rappelling. The longer route about 16 miles is the easier of the two, with abandoned train cars and tunnels. However it is on private property that is trespassing. In summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees with little to no shade. I recommend bringing 3-4 gallons of water and electrolyte replacement. You also need to be aware of hidden rattlesnakes in the rocks and brush. It is suggested to have an offline gps for navigation. The shorter route requires a high profile vehicle to the trailhead and the longer route you can pay to park at the nearby nudist camp (no joke lol). The nudists charge a nominal fee to park there. It is important to research this trail and be prepared.

IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIKING THIS 16 MILE TRAIL. Goat Canyon Trestle is very…read moredeep in the Anza Borrego desert and far from any outside help with a strenuous walk (or bike) trail being bordered by either cliffs, cholla cacti, broken wood and caved in tunnels. No shade on top of a possible TRESPASSING FINE either from parking incorrectly or getting caught walking on the rails, I do not recommend it. This is not an easy hike, but oh man it was BEAUTIFUL AND AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. Mountain bikes can go through fairly quickly, just don't fall off the cliffs (Especially around tunnel 8). Goat Canyon Trestle is the WORLD'S LARGEST wooden trestle (basically a bridge but held up by toothpicks) and its hike in Carrizo Gorge makes it a seldom visited spot. You'll see abandoned train cars, rattlesnake nests, cholla cactus along the way, and it's a wonderful trip for the brave and adventurous. Apart from 2 bypasses, getting to Goat Canyon is pretty flat. Parking is possible before the sign, or you can enter the gated Jacumba nudist colony office for $5 (they open at 9) You'll want the following to travel to Goat Canyon: -3L of water -Alltrails offline map (you can seriously get lost before the first tunnel) -Sunscreen (apart from the tunnels and cars there's literally no shade the whole way) - pliers to remove the cholla cactus sticking in you -Start early in the day and in the spring/fall as temps aren't too bad -Steel balls and no fear of heights -walk 6/8 hours on fairly flat terrain There are some mini trestles along the way that look like the wood is severely decayed. Tunnels 5 and 8 are blocked, so follow the well worn trail with a lot of man made debris. The hikingguy.com dude probably has the best picture step by step on how to navigate the tunnel bypasses. Overall, the payoff is great. It's more of an endurance test with how long the trail runs.

It's a baseball field and a small playground for 5-12 year olds. Not bad, but not particularly…read moregreat either

The Desert View Tower, built in the 1920's, offers a stunning view of the Anza Borrego Desert. It's…read morealso currently available on a short-term rental website listed as "Lighthouse in Jacumba, CA"! If you're driving by, it's worth a stop. Free to look around the grounds and giftshop; but there is a fee to climb to the top for the best and most expansive view ($9.50 as of this writing). The tower is next to "Boulder Park" featuring some truly hideous sculptures created by an unemployed engineer during the depression. The boulders are much more notable for what may be cupules created by Native Americans, cups that are carved out of rock as part of ceremonies and rituals. A smattering of animals live on the grounds including chickens and peacocks. Free parking.

I've been trying to figure out what to write about this fun little stop an hour east of San Diego…read more It's a wonderful piece of history and definitely worth exploring. My husband and I enjoyed our visit quite a bit. We paid the fee to climb to the top of the tower and go exploring the boulders on the property as well. The tower interior is home to a magical shop full of antiques and second-hand treasures. The boulders next to the tower are fun to explore and have lots of animals painted onto the boulders in the shapes of various animals. As you can tell we really enjoyed our visit BUT... The one road in and out of the Desert View Tower property is absolutely littered on both sides with (maybe) abandoned motor homes, shanties, and whole collections of god-only-knows-what! And the road itself is like driving on the surface of the moon. I felt like I was driving into a scene of "The Hills Have Eyes" (kids ask your Gen X parents about that one). Seriously... I thought we might be murdered and eaten! But if you're feeling brave, come well-armed, and are willing to pop a tire and ruin your suspension, it's a GREAT place to visit!

As California's largest State Park, Anza-Borrego is another spot everyone should have on their…read morebucket list. They have some great trails, camping, star gazing, and a bunch of giant statues that are fun to check out. The visitor's center was fun with a friendly staff. Don't forget to ask about the Junior Ranger Program. We saw two coyotes outside the visitor's center. We did the Palm Canyon Trail. It was an easy and short trail that was perfect for kids. We walked past 4-5 bighorn sheep. That was very cool. Keep in mind there are certain areas that can only be reached if your vehicle has AWD. The town of Borrego Springs is nice with a couple restaurants, shops, and places to stay. Looking back, it would have been nice to spend the night to stargaze. Don't forget to hiking smart: sun protection and plenty of water. Stay on the trials. Leave no trace. And have fun.

Yes! This is the second time I have visited the Visitor Center and hiked the Palm Canyon trail from…read morethe parking lot. Didn't see bighorns this time but last April they rams were out showing their prowess while the females and young-in's watched from the surrounding cliffs. Action was around #10 marker. Enjoy!

Even with the tide really low due to the lack of rain, this makes a great place to relax, picnic or…read morewhat have you. Seemingly all the times we've been here the other groups of people have been very mellow. I mean, yes they're into their own get - togethers but the hootin' and hollerin' you'd expect from other beaches? Not so much here. The lake current is nice and strong; you could float on your back down the river if you wanted too. I got a good workout in there just crawling around and things. Like I said, most of the river is not as deep as after a rainfall. Recommended!

Beautiful park underneath the Ocean to Ocean Highway bridge, which crosses the Colorado River in…read moreYuma on the CA/AZ border. The park has bathrooms, picnic tables under a large pavilion, a play ground, and a sandy beach. There's even an outdoor shower for cleaning off the sand when you're done. On an August weekday around noon, there were multiple families at the park to lounge and swim. The bridge provides ample shade for sitting on the beach or swimming in the water. The water was clear and looked clean. Some kids had tied a rope swing to the bridge and were swing jumping into the water - so fun! Yuma is HOT and frankly quite ugly, without much to offer the passerby outside of food, fuel, and the prison (also worth a stop!!). Gateway Park is an exception - a beautiful spot and a great break point for the weary traveler. Bring swimsuits - you won't just want to dip your feet in!

An ideal place to visit any time of the year ( especially wintertime"). One can feed the ducks and…read morefish with food you brought yourself or for a small fee what the conversation has on site. Recently, we brought a pack or two of bread and had a good time enjoying nature and outdoors. You can still feed the ducks when it's closed by throwing their food over or thru the fence. Worth visiting for something completely different.

This is an AWESOME OASIS right along the highway (Open Nov thru April on Saturdays 9-5 and Sundays…read more12-5) with so much to do in a quiet, hassle-free space. The 28-acre site includes a botanical garden featuring Sonoran desert vegetation, a watershed model, a pond for wild and domestic waterfowl, and a display of antique farm equipment. Rumor has it that there is also a mysterious tortoise that hangs out there, but you have to find him!!! The BEST thing about the place it that you can walk around in silence and clear your head, chek out the antique tractors and farm equipment, enjoy the vegitation or just sit in the shade (many benches provided along the way) near the pond and watch the ducks and the other people (very kid friendly) enjoying themselves. I would check out their website, because it's loaded with suggestions and facts about the awesome garden activities. http://www.yumaconservationgarden.org/YCG%20Activities.htm