Hiking Trails in Imperial County, California: Complete Trail Guide

Imperial County is California’s southeastern desert frontier, home to the largest dune system in the state, the shrinking but still spectacular Salton Sea, and a remote Colorado River recreation area most Californians have never heard of. I’ve spent four-plus years cataloging trails across this state, and while people looking for Hiking Trails in Imperial County might not typically associate this area with hiking, it holds three distinct desert experiences worth knowing about if you’re passing through, each requiring its own approach to heat, access, and timing. This guide covers all three.

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Key takeaways:

• Imperial County’s real hiking options are the Algodones Dunes (Mammoth Wash corridor), the Salton Sea’s shoreline trails, and remote Picacho State Recreation Area on the Colorado River.
• The Algodones Dunes are mostly an OHV destination, but Mammoth Wash is a designated non-motorized hiking corridor away from the vehicle traffic.
• The Salton Sea’s main developed trail infrastructure, including the Ironwood Nature Trail, actually sits just across the county line in Riverside County; Imperial County borders the sea’s southern shore.
• The Salton Sea has well-documented environmental challenges (shrinking shoreline, rising salinity, occasional odor and algal bloom advisories) worth knowing about honestly before a visit.
• November through March is the only realistic hiking season across the entire county; summer heat here is dangerous, not just uncomfortable.

Hiking in Imperial County: California’s desert frontier

Imperial County is California’s southernmost desert county, dropping below sea level at the Salton Sea (−227 ft) and holding the Algodones Dunes, the state’s largest dune system at 45 miles long. The county also borders Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s eastern sector, most of which sits in neighboring San Diego County, on the park’s western half, and includes remote Picacho State Recreation Area along the Colorado River.

None of these three destinations look anything like the rest of California most people picture, which is exactly why they’re worth knowing about if you’re already in the area for the Salton Sea, Anza-Borrego, or a Colorado River trip.

Best hiking trails at the Algodones Dunes, Imperial County

Managed by the BLM as the Imperial Sand Dunes Special Recreation Management Area near Glamis, the Algodones Dunes rise up to 300 ft and stretch 45 miles; it is the largest dune system in California and one of the most heavily used off-highway-vehicle areas in the entire western United States, especially during the Thanksgiving week peak when the area can draw well over 100,000 OHV visitors in a single week.

There are no formal hiking trails here; walking the open dunes is the norm, and the terrain itself changes constantly as wind reshapes the dune faces.

Mammoth Wash non-OHV corridor: Algodones Dunes’ best hiking area

This designated non-motorized corridor runs about 7 miles one-way through dune crests and desert wash, away from the OHV traffic that dominates most of the dune system, with the Cargo Muchacho Mountains occasionally producing bighorn sheep sightings.

There are no facilities anywhere along the route, so pack everything you’ll need; there’s no shade and no cell service to fall back on if you underestimate your needs. Best hiked November through March, both for temperature and because it avoids peak OHV season crowding elsewhere in the dunes.

Best hiking trails at the Salton Sea, near Imperial County

The Salton Sea’s main state-managed recreation infrastructure, Salton Sea State Recreation Area, including its visitor center, campgrounds, and the Ironwood Nature Trail, sits primarily on the Riverside County side of the sea’s northeastern shore, though Imperial County borders the sea’s southern edge and the sea itself is a defining feature of the whole Imperial Valley region.

Ironwood Nature Trail: the Salton Sea’s best short desert walk

This paved, wheelchair-accessible loop, about 0.38 miles, departs from the New Camp Campground area and winds through ironwood and desert scrub to an overlook with Salton Sea views and a shaded picnic ramada.

Shorebirds, pelicans, and eared grebes are all realistic sightings, and the Salton Sea remains one of the most important stops on the Pacific Flyway, with more than 400 recorded bird species, one of the best birding destinations in the entire country, migration-decline notwithstanding.

Worth knowing honestly before you go: the sea has real, ongoing environmental challenges, shrinking shoreline, rising salinity, and occasional harmful algal bloom or odor advisories, so check current conditions, especially in summer. Dogs are allowed in developed areas like roads and campgrounds but not on the trail or beach itself.

Best hiking trails at Picacho State Recreation Area, Imperial County

Reached via roughly 17 miles of unpaved road from Winterhaven; 4WD strongly recommended, Picacho SRA sits on the Colorado River and is the most remote state recreation area in California, with about 4 miles of trails and primitive camping only.

Picacho Mine Trail: Imperial County’s most historic desert canyon hike

At 2 miles round-trip, this trail passes the ruins of the Picacho Mine, an active gold-mining operation from the 1890s through the 1940s, through desert wash vegetation, palo verde, ironwood, and smoke tree, with Colorado River canyon views along the way.

There are no facilities at the trailhead or along the route; this is a primitive experience, best hiked November through March given the total lack of shade and the remote 4WD approach.

If you’re building broader hiking skills, our hiking safety guide covers heat and hydration planning, and our weather hazards guide explains why desert temperatures require specialized preparation that matters more in Imperial County than almost anywhere else covered in this project, given how extreme and dangerous the summer temperatures here get.

Frequently asked questions: hiking trails in Imperial County