Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park — Attraction in La Quinta

I was looking for time to kill while my wife was at a conference, so I drove here, planning to do a little hiking. I would give 3 stars, but the weather was terrible (cold and rainy, if you can believe it!), so I'm gonna give it the benefit of the doubt and only deduct 1 star. The lady at the gate was friendly and helpful. It was $6 for a day pass which seemed reasonable. Plenty of parking. The grounds were nice and well kept. The restrooms in the park were a little spooky, but clean. The lake was small, but there were lots of birds, and a nice shoreline to stroll along. My main complaint...more of a suggestion, really: better signage. It was not really clear what was a road, and what was a trail. No trail markers that I saw. I set off hiking from the parking lot, down what appeared to be an equestrian trail, but around the corner I found campgrounds occupied by rv's and trucks, so I guess I could have driven farther? Unsure. There appeared to be a trail that led up into the the hills, but it was in the distance, and I was not sure where to go, or if it was even in the park. I didn't want to walk through the occupied campgrounds or private property. Maybe there was a map of some sort at the ranger station that I missed, but, regardless, just some simple directional signage marking trail heads would've been nice. Anyway, if you are looking for a place to picnic, or walk the dog, or let the kids play at the playground, then this is a good spot. If you want more of a "nature trail" experience, then I would suggest either enquiring with the person at the gate for more info before you pay $6, or just going somewhere else. I will admit that I was somewhat hesitant to just set off into the hills because I'm from out of town, and didn't want to do the "wrong thing." Maybe someone else who knows better than me can shed some light of the hiking options at...

This location is a Riverside County Park, located near PGA Golf courses and Pro Tennis clubs so it reasons to believe that the location would be well kept. WRONG!. The PROs. Great location Easy access Beautiful Lake Hiking Full / partial Hookups Tent sites Gated entrance.

The CONs. Lazy staff Dirty restrooms Trash Staff just leave even though office is posted as staffed along with phone info msg. Pool is open briefly on weekends for $4 per person for 2 hour max Misinformed staff Dishonest reservation process Sometimes showers are burning hot but during the week they are freezing cold. Coin operated showers with inconsistent timers.

It is clear that the personnel at this site have no vested interest. The routine abandoning post during work hours speak volumes about how Riverside county tax dollars are squandered away. This location has tremendous potential but the folks here just don't care.

I actually witnessed an employee walk past trash to change a half full trash bag and walk away leaving trash all around him.

This place at $75 prr night should be renamed the...

!!!!!! Just heard a rumor that RivCo is considering permanently closing this amazing wonderful park, campground and reservoir so that it can be developed!!!! NO NO NO!!!! This is a beautiful, secluded, well-managed treasure in the desert. It's in a very environmentally sensitive area and is home to native bighorn sheep. It is part of our much-needed clean water reservoir system! If you care at all about preserving these dwindling resources and allowing the public access to them, please let Rivco know! This is a treasure too great to lose just to build another rich golfing community. La Quinta already has plenty of them, and plenty of other real estate they could confiscate without taking one of the few affordable vacation spots from the commoners they love to exclude. ...