Picacho Sra Campground

Open — Open year-round for first-come, first-served camping. Main Campground sites 17-20 and 22-25 are unavailable through February 25, 2026 due to Stewart Lake Trail work. Campers near the trail may experience noise from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. during this period. No online reservations available.

About

Picacho State Recreation Area Campground sits in the remote southeastern corner of California along the Colorado River, approximately 25 miles north of Yuma, Arizona. This isolated desert park preserves the site of a historic gold mining town that once housed 100 citizens a century ago. Today, the park offers 54 primitive family campsites at the Main Campground, plus additional boat-in camps at 4-S Beach, Outpost, and Taylor Lake, all operating on a first-come, first-served basis. The campground provides basic amenities including fire rings, picnic tables, drinking water, chemical toilets, and solar showers. The surrounding landscape features diverse desert scenery with beavertail cactus, and opportunities to spot wild burros, bighorn sheep, and migratory waterfowl traveling the Pacific Flyway. The park's 8-mile stretch of Colorado River frontage and backwater lakes provide excellent boating and fishing opportunities. Access to Picacho requires commitment: visitors travel 24 miles from Winterhaven near the Mexican border, with the first 6 miles paved and the remaining 18 miles on a well-maintained dirt road passable for cars, trailers, and motorhomes at safe speeds of 20-30 mph. Summer thunderstorms can cause flash flooding that temporarily makes sections impassable. A high-clearance 4x4 vehicle is recommended, especially for the alternate Indian Pass Road route, though visitors towing trailers should only use Picacho Road.

Directions

From Winterhaven (near the Mexican border), take Picacho Road north for 24 miles. The first 6 miles are paved; the remaining 18 miles are well-maintained dirt road passable for cars and RVs. Safe speeds are 20-30 mph. High-clearance 4x4 vehicles recommended. Do not use Indian Pass Road with trailers. Summer flash flooding can temporarily close road sections.

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