This is our second stay at Salton Sea State Recreation Area; our first stay we stumbled upon and were easily able to walk-in for a campsite staying at sites 48 and 26. Sites 48 and 50 have the best view of the Sea but least privacy, site 26 has a great tree for shade and a double picnic table Ramada for a decent sized group. this visit we stayed at site 49 which was less shady but no biggie with the breeze off the sea.

This place is such a relief from the dessert dryness and heat in late spring, it is about 10* cooler than the desert outside Joshua tree and the salty low humid air is so refreshing. The history of issues with algae on the sea keep this place pretty quiet. The park staff says it’s relatively safe to enter the water, though hard to access and can be smelly so few people do. It really makes for a serene stay where a location this beautiful and park with such nice amenities would usually be packed; this place is not. To be clear these sites are the “New Campground” the Headquarters sites are in the main parking lot; I’d only recommend headquarters for a trailer/25+ RV; the new grounds are much nicer.

If you are a tent camper there are quite a few sites you could pitch right under the shade of a tree and we’ve seen folks with hammocks on their Ramadas as well.

The nature loop on the east side of camp is a perfect spot for a morning stroll to watch the sunrise, while camp or the day use Ramadas provide a stunning view of the mountains, Sea, and sunset. There is a 1 mile trail to the Mecca campground we haven’t done yet and the park staff recommended checking out the Sonny Bono Bird Sanctuary on the East end of the Sea. This is a place to come, relax, unwind, and be perfectly fine with not doing a whole lot to just enjoy your setting.

Showers are token run which is a drawback, you get them at the office which is open Thur-Sun from 9-4 currently.

PS holy cow the migratory birds and the bats at sunset, ridiculous!