West Blythe, Colorado River area

[westernviews]

I have stopped at a county park in Blythe, CA to check out the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. It is patterned after the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. They plant crops and flood fields for birds. There are currently a lot of sandhill cranes here. The geese are late in arriving because it has been warmer than usual in the north. There is a car tour route by the Cibola Visitor Center. You can drive further South on dirt roads and explore river spots.

I used my GPS to find the Cibola Visitor Center. Maybe 5% of the time your GPS will steer you wrong. This was one of those times. It took me through dirt roads in a circuitous route through farm areas and public land that you can boondock on right next to the Colorado River. There is public land next to the wildlife refuge that you can park on for not more than 14 days. Seemed like some nice spots.

I opted to stay at a Riverside County Park. It is nice, you park on grass with the Colorado River on one side and farm land on the other. Hate to see all the water being used to keep up the grass through.

[pmclemore]

Great information, Westernviews, and thanks for the pix. Any indication as to whether the Riverside park fills up during the winter?

Pat

[tpi]

I stayed at Mayflower last May. It was a good stopover for the $18 (water/electric sites). Not very crowded at that time. The campsites are on grass-the irrigation has manual valve for each big head. Park personnel turn them on as needed and were very good about not watering the occupied sites.

[westernviews]

Not sure if it fills up. Right now about 25% are extended stay visitors, mostly 5th wheel. I made the comment that my white truck has a lot of relatives here. There are white trucks, all brands, throughout the park and in Blythe in general. Seems like 80% of the cars in town are white trucks.

There is a Flying J gas station one mile across the river in Arizona that has good prices on gas.