Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is a 343-acre OHV park in the Imperial Valley, just north of the Calexico border crossing, offering day-use riding on sand dunes and hard-packed clay flats in a compact, beginner-friendly setting. Winter is the only comfortable season here -- summer heat in this corner of the valley regularly exceeds 110 degrees.
Details
- 🏞️Type
- State Park
- 🏛️Managed by
- California State Parks
- 📍State
- CA
- 🗺️Address
- Monterey, CA, 93940
- 🕐Hours
- Summer Hours (March 1st-Oct. 31st) 7am - 7pm Winter Hours (Nov. 1st-Feb. 28/29) 7am - 5pm 7 days a week
- 📐Area
- 343 acres
- 🐾Pets Allowed
- No
- 📡GPS
- 32.72037, -115.39268
The Place
The park sits three miles north of Calexico inside irrigated farmland, where a mix of fine sand dunes and hard-packed dry lake beds provides terrain for ATVs, dune buggies, and smaller OHVs. The scale is modest compared to the Glamis dunes -- Heber is better suited to a two- to four-hour family outing than a full-day expedition.
When to Go
November through February is the only reasonable window; temperatures in the Imperial Valley regularly exceed 110 degrees from May through September. Winter weekends draw families from the Imperial Valley and across the border from Mexicali. The park is day-use only with gates that lock at sunset (summer hours 7am-7pm; winter hours 7am-5pm).
Getting There
1610 East Heber Road, Holtville, CA 92250. From I-8, take SR-111 or SR-86 south toward Calexico. The park is just off Highway 7 near the Calexico border crossing.
What to Do
OHV riding on the dunes and dry lake flats (ATVs, dune buggies, UTVs, motorcycles). Shade ramadas with BBQ pits and picnic tables are on-site, along with coin-operated showers. Free ATV safety training is offered at the park; a whip and safety flag are required for all riders. No camping at Heber Dunes -- the nearest campgrounds are at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (Glamis/Buttercup), about 35 miles east.
Reservations & Fees
No entrance fee. Day use only. No advance reservations.