Ocotillo Wells is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

, United States. It is west of the Imperial County line on California State Route 78 at an elevation of . The name became official in 1962 when it was adopted for federal use by the US Board on Geographic Names. A federally recognized variant name, ''Ocotillo'', can cause confusion with the community of

Ocotillo, California Ocotillo (; Spanish for " Vine cactus") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California. Ocotillo is located west of El Centro. The population was 215 at the 2020 census, down from 266 at the 2010 census and 296 at the 2000 c ...

, in Imperial County, to the south on Interstate 8. The ZIP Code is 92004 and the community is in

area code 760 Area codes 760 and 442 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of California. These area codes serve an overlay complex that comprises much of the southeastern and southernmost portions of Califor ...

. The number prefix for wired telephones is 767, which is shared with

Borrego Springs Borrego Springs (''borrego'' is Spanish for "sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in northeastern San Diego County, California. It is located within the Low Desert area of Southern California. The population was 3,073 at the 2020 census. ...

Local landmarks

Ocotillo Airport has two dirt runways. Runway extents are marked by white paving blocks. The Los Puertecitos Historic Site is on California State Route 78 about west of the community. Gasoline is available in

( west), in

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

( east) and at the Blu-In Cafe ( east). Gas sales resumed at the Blu-In as of 10/31/24. Several other small businesses sell off-road accessories and rent

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...

s. Most businesses in the area are closed during the summer months. My Desert Rose, which was a traditional restaurant located at the intersection of State Route 78 and Split Mountain Road, burned down in 2008. The Split Mountain Store and the Iron Door are located about south of State Route 78 on Split Mountain Road. Both of these businesses are open part-time during the summer and full-time during the cooler months. The Split Mountain Store stocks groceries, beer, and parts for sand buggies and trucks. The Iron Door, a small bar, has two pool tables and serves beer, wine and some food. Local artifacts are on display in the bar, where several layers of decorated dollar bills are stapled to the walls.

Climate

Ocotillo Wells has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''BWh'') with short, mild winters and long, extremely hot summers.

Education

There are no schools in Ocotillo Wells. The community is served by the Borrego Springs Unified School District.

Off-road recreation

The

California Department of Parks and Recreation California State Parks is the state park system for the U.S. state of California. The system is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a department under the California Natural Resources Agency. The California State ...

operates the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area which borders the community. This

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle (ORV), also known as an off-highway vehicle (OHV), overland vehicle or adventure vehicle, is a type of transportation specifically engineered to navigate unpaved roads and surfaces. These include trails, forest roads, and ...

area is part of the department's Southern Division, Ocotillo Wells District which is headquartered in Borrego Springs. Free camping is available at numerous locations along State Route 78. The most popular of these are Main Street, Holmes Camp, County Line Road, and Pole Line Road. Each of these areas have ample access to numerous trails that provide a challenge to riders of all skill levels. Any vehicle with a

license plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...

or off-road registration is able to operate in the park. Natural features in the park include: * Blowsand Hill, visible from State Route 78 and located between Ranger Station Road and Main Street * Devil's Slide, a small sand dune adjacent to a steep rocky hill * Shell Reef * Gas Dome * Pumpkin Patch The

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a trail extending from Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, through the California desert and coastal areas in Southern California and the Central Coast region to San Francisco.

travels through the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area. A map of these locations as well as numerous other trails is available at the ranger station.

Military plane crashes in 2020

On 29 September 2020, around 4:00 PM, a

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

(USMC) F-35B fighter aircraft was involved in a

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an aviation accident, accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by Aviation communication, miscommunication, mistrus ...

with a USMC KC-130J tanker during an

aerial refueling Aerial refueling ( en-us), or aerial refuelling ( en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to an ...

exercise. The F-35B crashed near Ocotillo Wells in front of civilian onlookers who recorded the impact, with its pilot able to eject safely. The KC-130J made an emergency wheels-up landing in an agricultural field near Thermal, California, with all eight crew members surviving.Unfall über US-Wüste : Kampfjet stürzt nach Kollision mit Tankflugzeug ab
krone.at, 2020-10-03, German

In popular culture

Part of the 1971 film, ''

The Andromeda Strain ''The Andromeda Strain'' is a 1969 novel by American writer Michael Crichton, his first novel under his own name and his sixth novel overall. It documents the outbreak of a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism in Arizona and the team of scie ...

'', was filmed on location in Ocotillo Wells, which featured an agricultural station and planted fields that were specifically constructed for the film.

References

External links

California State Parks: Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA)

California State Parks: Map of Ocotillo Wells SVRA

Ocotillo Wells SVRA: Trail Maps
{{authority control Populated places in the Colorado Desert Unincorporated communities in San Diego County, California Unincorporated communities in California