Imperial: Dunes, Art and Nature Experiences

There are several ways to shape a trip to Imperial: wildlife watching, art, desert landscapes and a rodeo with a long history. Imperial County highlights the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area as one of its many attractions. The Imperial Sand Dunes are California’s largest continuous dune landscape. Options range from scenic experiences to guided activities and events.

Nature and Landscapes in Imperial County

The Imperial Wildlife Area covers approximately 7,900 acres of salt marshes, freshwater ponds and desert scrubland. More than 400 bird species have been reported at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. These two facts offer different points of interest for nature lovers: the diversity of habitats in one area, and the documented number of species in the other. The Wetland Discovery Trail offers a self-guided nature tour, providing another specific way to make nature a focus of your visit.

The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is also part of the region’s landscape: parts of the park extend into Imperial County. The Salton Sea State Recreation Area, in turn, stretches along 14 miles of shoreline at the northeastern corner of the Salton Sea, in southern Riverside County and northern Imperial County. Camping is available there. These different details can help you see the landscape not as a single, uniform destination, but as a choice of individual nature and recreation spots for your trip.

Guided Excursions and Outdoor Activities

The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge offers free, half-day excursions led by educators. Confirm current program information before planning an excursion. A one-mile trail passes through upland desert vegetation, freshwater ponds and agricultural land; its endpoint is 150 feet above the surface of the Salton Sea. The trail length and excursion duration describe different aspects to consider when planning: the trail is defined by its distance and landscapes, while the guided activity is defined by its half-day duration and leadership.

Those interested in off-highway vehicle exploration and recreation will find a different focus at Ocotillo Wells SVRA. The area covers approximately 85,000 acres of desert. Open camping is permitted throughout the area for up to 30 days per calendar year. Park-use rules can change, so check current park information before making your camping plans.

Art in a Range of Materials

Salvation Mountain is a work of outsider art in Imperial County, created using locally sourced adobe clay and donated paint. It is open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. East Jesus is a 30-acre museum of large-scale art in Imperial County. It features assemblage and mixed-media works made from reused, recycled or otherwise repurposed materials. The two art offerings therefore have different points of emphasis: at Salvation Mountain, the art form and building materials are defining features; at East Jesus, the focus is on large-scale works and their repurposed materials.

East Jesus offers daily guided tours of its sustainability initiatives and displayed artworks. This provides a guided way to experience art there. If you make art the focus of your trip, you can consider the two places in light of their different artistic approaches rather than treating them as interchangeable stops.

Rodeo and Event Tradition

The Cattle Call Rodeo began in Brawley in 1957 as a celebration of the cattle industry. Its rodeo committee organizes the event each year, with PRCA and WPRA competitions on the program. The rodeo thus combines historical origins with a specific event format. If you want to plan your stay around it, check the event dates before making your plans.

First decide what matters most for your stay, then use that to guide your search for a hotel in Imperial.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Brawley, Holtville, Imperial, Calipatria, Calexico, El Centro, Westmorland, Heber, Seeley, Niland

For the broader travel overview: California.