Explore the outdoors where the sun spends the winter

Known as the place where the sun spends the winter, El Centro is also the place where you will find plenty of activities to keep you in shape

The county seat and largest city in the Imperial Valley, El Centro and its surrounding area hosts a variety of natural attractions perfect for the outdoor enthusiast. 

Bordered to the east by the Imperial Sand Dunes and to the north by the contrasting water activities provided by the Salton Sea, El Centro also has many lakes and canals to the west, and Mexico to the south.

“People love to go out and explore around El Centro,” said chamber of commerce CEO Cathy Kennerson. “And in El Centro there are plenty of opportunities to do so.”

For the truly adventurous who want to go off-road to explore the desert, Kennerson said that the Imperial Sand Dunes recreation area offers quadding and dune buggy enthusiasts one of the largest sand dune systems in America. You can bring your own quad or take advantage of the rentals available—or just join up with one of the day tours that come through the area.

Take a relaxed approach

For those who prefer to explore the dunes at a more leisurely pace, the area also offers tours by horseback, a chance to mountain bike on rugged jeep trails and plenty of hiking that allows you to stop and smell the desert roses.

A leisurely pace also allows avid birdwatchers the chance to view some of the hundreds of different birds that winter in El Centro, from wood warblers and tyrant flycatchers, to swallows to hawks—and gives rockhounds (who limit their collecting to personal use) the ability to gather up to 25 pounds a day of rocks, minerals and gemstones without the need for a permit.

For those who seek historical points of interest, the desert also has a number of interesting sites, including the fenced-off remains of the old Plank Road, built in 1916.

“That’s how cars first got across the sand dunes back in the day,” said Kennerson. “But now it’s a protected area that’s meant just for looking.”

More to explore

El Centro offers up more than just a desert landscape. With irrigation canals strewn throughout, it also offers up hundreds of acres of arid farmland that visitors can get up close and personal with—through the Farm Smart Tours offered by the University of California’s Desert Research and Extension Center.

Available January through March, it’s a program meant to educate visitors about the many winter vegetables the area grows and the unique irrigation system that helps to produce them. It also allows them a firsthand opportunity to get down in the dirt to harvest their own crops, picking produce that includes cauliflower, broccoli, beets, daikon radish, cabbage and romaine lettuce. With an informative lecture and fresh lunch to follow, it’s one activity that’s not to be missed.

For fishermen, El Centro offers the rare ability to angle for both saltwater fish like tilapia and gulf croaker from the Salton Sea, and freshwater fish from the many lakes, reservoirs and surrounding canals as well as the nearby Colorado River. The abundance of water also allows boating and swimming enthusiasts a chance to cool off, with jet ski rentals available at the Salton Sea.

Even the El Centro Mall and downtown core are outfitted for active living, with markers gauging distance set up in the mall, and maps available at the Chamber offices that identify pre-determined walking routes downtown. 

While the shopping is great, it’s a pretty rare thing for visitors to avoid El Centro's winter weather.

“The winter visitors that come here love it here because of our weather and because the sun shines every day,” said Kennerson. “And there’s every opportunity to get out and get active in El Centro. We don’t really have much in the way of inclement weather that would keep you indoors.”