I've been camping and fishing along the Colorado River my whole life and always look forward to returning to some of my favorite areas there. On Thursday the 25th, my family and I loaded up all our gear into our van and boat and headed out to the California/Arizona state line. Besides the fishing, there are many options for hunters this time of year there as deer, duck, quail, and dove are all in season right now. While I usually primitive camp in this area, we decided to stay at the Imperial Valley Hunting & Fishing Club on Ferguson Lake. The road into the lake, named Ferguson Lake Road (EC800), heads away from the Colorado River just inside the Califonia state line. The All American Canal passes under near the begining of the road, near the start of its long journey west to irrigate the enormous market gardens of Imperial Valley.
Many of the large backwater lakes, such as the one we were camped at, were created when the Imperial Dam was constructed in 1938, to harness the flow and energy of the river. Settlements such as old Picacho, once the river port for the nearby Picach Mines upriver, were inundated by rising waters. At the same time, larger areas of water provided greater recreational opportunities. The northern end of Ferguson Lake Road terminates just south of the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, which was created in 1941 to safeguard the area's plant and animal life.
The dirt road into the lake is normally smooth and well graded, although conditions can rapidly change after rainstorms. Many of the spur trails off the north side of the road require 4wheel drive. A viewpoint 5 miles past an RV campground provides a panoramic view of ferguson Lake, the Castle Dome Mountains in Arizona, and the Chocolate Mountains in California. There are several excellent areas to camp along the lake that also provide a place to launch a boat.
Land of the free!
Enjoying my coffee while watching the sunrise.
Overlooking the cabin.
My hiking destination later that day.
There's some big fish out there...
Launching the boat.
Our cabin from the lake.
The wife and I out fishing.
This guy was cruising upriver with no problems.
Starting my hike into the Chocolate Mountains.
View behind me.
There seemed to be some sort of pole or cross at the top of this peak that I wanted to reach.
Had to bypass this canyon.
Much of my route followed narrow game trails along the side of the mountains.
I was able to bypass this gorge as well.
This is where my progress came to a halt.
No way around this one.
Next time I'll have to come from a different direction.
Back to camp.
We saw this guy coming across the lake later in the day.
We were able to find a few sandbars on the river to fish from as well.
To be continued...
