El Centro, California, offers amazing fun in the dunes
For those looking to explore all of what El Centro has to offer, better tie up your shoelaces and get ready for an exciting adventure.
El Centro is the biggest city in the Imperial Valley, which is an oasis that provides the United States with much of its winter produce. Its proximity to the Mexican border makes the Imperial Valley an international destination. This rich and diverse area offers a variety of year-round entertainment, beautiful landscapes, recreational opportunities, and of course warm, sunny winter weather.
There are numerous things to do in El Centro, but if you're looking for something more off the beaten path, check out the Imperial Sand Dunes.
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area
The Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) is called the most prominent feature of Imperial County's off-highway recreational region. This 40-mile-long dune system is one of the largest in the United States. This mecca for off-highway adventure has served as a backdrop for many motion pictures over the years. Formed by wind-blown beach sands of a prehistoric sea, some dune crests reach heights of over 300 feet. These expansive dune formations offer amazing scenery, opportunities for solitude, a chance to view rare plants and animals, and a playground for off-highway vehicles.
The Buttercup Valley is in the southern section of the Imperial Sand Dunes and covers about 12,000 acres. It is located 45 miles east of El Centro on Interstate 8. From the Grays Well Road exit on Interstate 8, travellers can access the Buttercup Ranger Station and Buttercup and Midway campgrounds, as well as the historic Plank Road.
There are permits required before going to the ISDRA. Visit the Bureau of Land Management El Centro Field Office for this important information.
Mud volcanoes
Mud volcanoes are another interesting thing to check out near El Centro. They are located on the shores of the Salton Sea, the largest lake in California. The mud volcanoes are natural cones built up by viscous mud that bubbles up through central vents. This area is near a former commercial carbon dioxide gas field. The age of these mud pots is not known, but surveys in the late 1800s and early 1900s reported mud pots and steam vents in the area. These mud volcanoes can be found near the Salton Sea shore at the corner of Davis and Schrimpf Roads.
Centre of the world?
"The Official Center of the World" is a dot on a bronze plaque within a pyramid located in Felicity, near El Centro. The town was founded by Jacques-André Istel in 1986 after he wrote a children's book called "Coe: the good dragon at the center of the world." Istel convinced the Imperial County Board of Supervisors to recognize his claim, as well as the Institut Geographique National of France. Istel also acquired a staircase from the Eiffel Tower in Paris when the tower was renovated. Felicity, population 30, has a church, sundial and Istel's Museum of History in Granite. Felicity is 55 miles east of El Centro on Interstate 8.
For more information on what to do in El Centro, check out the El Centro Chamber of Commerce website.
