Just a heads up to everyone, for the last 2 years the police are cracking down harder and harder out in Ocotillo..the reason is because the rangers are taking such a stance in Glamis. Ocotillo, being a state owned OHV park, they do not want the runoff from glamis (flat billers/hooligans) taking up residence in ocotillo.
Understand what this means...
the ranger station/main street is San Diego county...the heaviest police presence...
down by pole line is imperial county...less police presence....
across the 78 (south side) is BLM territory..even less police...
state police/state rangers patrol the complete park.
They do conduct random stops. They do arrest for DUI, fireworks, you know all the rules..
while i do not say it is ok to break the law, i would say think about where you camp.
And be smart about your actions.
Camping is for having a fun time, enjoying a break from the masses of people in your town, getting away from the concrete prisons we all live in, and feeling a sensation of a little breathing room.
A negative experience with the reminders that we live in a society filled with rules and laws (the cops) will almost certainly squash that smile on your face.
Know where to camp...thats the power of knowledge.....
so here is a few well placed tips for you newbie's...
devil's slide, shell reef, blowsand hill...expect to get stopped, expect for a ranger to be in the midst looking for you drinking alcohol...main street..well the name says it all..it is the main street of ocotillo OHV..and the same road that leads to the rangers compound..errr, station....lots of police presence....all day, and all night...
and remember...
there is NO alcohol allowed outside camp..period. not opened, not in a cooler, nothing.
There is no fires allowed outside camp...
flags are required..even though so many people don't have one..it is a legal reason to stop you.
No fireworks, no glass containers, no pallet burning, riding double, etc.
i share this in hopes that it will enlighten a few of you and prevent a good weekend getaway from turning into a nightmare legal issue....
see you in the desert friends......

So, what your saying is, if you go out to have a good time, have some common sense?

J/K Thanks for the info. We always use flags no matter where we go, even if we don't have to. It just seems like a wise thing to do.

pretty much..a long winded version of saying just cause your camping doesn't mean your in a primitive society..the long arm of the law is there too...

Thanks Had...You summed it up to a tee. Been feeling it big time.

Good post. Thx Big Had

yeah they are cracking down. Got a flag ticket and it is going to cost me $440. ouch my bad... 100 feet from camp, 5 mph, and no warning!

$440.....dang thats rough

4-4-0...wow, why soo high?????

Very good reminder...thanks man.

Go to court if that ticket is $ 440.00. I got one for being in the State park in an off road vehicle. The fine was $ 400.00. I went to court in San Diego and got the fine reduced to $ 20.00. Yep twenty bucks.Again thanks Had for this post as a reminder to everyone everywhere, They do not care,You are going to get tickets for every little thing.They are creating revenue. And it is only going to get worse.

Big Had,
Good post!
You know the park and the rules. Do you know where your allowed to ride outside the park?

We like to ride north of S22 in those canyons by the TruckHaven hills. Is this legal?
Their are trails and tracks in there.

I can't even figure out who to even ask except you.

Thanks again.

to my understanding the hills north of sr-22 is legal, there is some state bought and some private land "agreements". The truckhaven areas are legal, but there seems to be some misunderstandings on legal areas to ride OHV. Some of the canyons are direct access via posted trails. I ride all through those areas and have yet to have issues with police, even when I see them. Truckhaven was going off last year..and you can bet I'll be there again this year....

I keep missing the Jeep events. Gonna try this year just to see them all.
Should be cool.

I was in Ocotillo over the weekend and noticed much more law inforcement than I ever have (been going to Ocotillo for 40 years) in fact there was a black and white chevy sheriff or whatever sitting at the Shell Reef for hours just watching people.

Flags are only required on ATV's in Ocotillo right? I read about the flags being required, but it did not mention 2 wheelers. Have things changed or were you on a quad?

My faviorite spot is just on the S. side of the S22 across from truckhaven near the tree line. nice easy access, and fairly quiet. makes for a nice weekend. never see any Leo's, but will keep my eyes open now. it is always a fairly clean area, but last time out some nasty bastage dumped a big pile of filthy garbage. that's sure to bring in some additional enforcement.

Ya they are cracking down out there. We have seen more LEO out there. But haven’t had any problems. On new years around 2:00 in the morning we were coming back on pole line road from the 22. We passed 6 cop’s 2 waved as we went by, three were out of there trucks talking and the last one stopped my friend behind us just to say hi. Yes he had a couple of But he just said Hi.

Yes only on ATV, A kid in our group got a warning at shell reef. and they are checking paper work out there to.

I got stopped Friday night at the top of Blowsand because my LED whip that I bought at motoworld has red and blue lights in it. The ranger said those colors are reserved for emergency vehicles. I unplugged it and he was good with that after checking all of our paper work. I am going to motoworld to exchange the whip or get a refund.

Interesting...we're out there at least one weekend a month and never noticed any increased presence until MLK weekend. I also saw the unit at Shell Reef. Even so, I didn't seem them stopping anybody at all and I see *TONS* of quads w/o flags out there every trip. I did see several running code 3 to what I presume were injury related calls.

they have been out there, but they seem to just sit like a lazy lion until the mood hits them to hunt. I have watched them just watch violations like flags roll right by them.
It is my thought that they are focused on party peeps, underage drinking, and alcohol as a whole.they prey more at night..looking for the DUI i suspect. I have been stopped a few times for what, I am unsure...they check reg stickers on the equipment, flash lights in my eyes, and I am on my way.
My stadard response to their standard question..." I have drank a lot of things today, but nothing that made my heart jump when you lit me up" ( as I smile) They usually laugh......

We do go out there at least once a month, and there is a bunch more rangers & border agents out there. The kid in your group got a warning, because he went to get a map from the ranger. But they did pull over my friend’s wife and asked for her paper work. It because her sticker was out of date.

In 2008 I had 3 folks i knew of that got a DUI in Ocotillo...luckily they all were released to sober people at camp..didn't keep in touch to find out what it cost them in the end..but an ohv dui is the exact same as an on road dui.
California law states "any motor vehicle", what it does NOT state is you have to be on the road.
A lot of people don't understand this until they get popped.
In your boat, on your law tractor, in your off road car, on a kids quad..if its powered by fuel, your subject to a full blown regular DUI in california.
They say an average DUI with attorneys fees and increased insurance costs/court costs, etc. that by the time the dust settles your into over 10k.....

Thats some good advice. No driving anything after drinking. I stay in camp and put
away the keys.

hahaha i got caught riding on the 78 i got caught for riding on the road no having insurance for the road, and no registration.
they want [size="4"][/size]1300$

They are cracking down more. Over new Years I saw them cruising in and out of all the camping areas at night. I took off for a night ride in my truck with my wife around 11pm and had a sheriiff follow us over four canyons before he turned and chased another vehichle. They also stopped me on the south side of 78 but they did not site me for not having a whip on my quad. They just reinforced al the rules about alcohol out there. It was good information, for I never knew you could not transport beer or alcohol outside of camp.

south of the 78 is BLM land for the most part.. I have never seen a sheriff or police..heck even BLM rangers. I have only seen Border Patrol over there.