Medical aid is at the ranger station. Buttercup Ranger Station is where you go for medical help, and it is only open Friday to Sunday, mid-October to mid-April. Outside those hours there is nobody there.
Guide
About this area
Buttercup Valley is the southernmost section of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, reached from the Grays Well Road exit off Interstate 8 and running south toward the Mexico border. The dunes here are smaller and gentler than the big hills further north, which makes it a genuine favourite for families and newer…
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Buttercup Valley is the southernmost section of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, reached from the Grays Well Road exit off Interstate 8 and running south toward the Mexico border. The dunes here are smaller and gentler than the big hills further north, which makes it a genuine favourite for families and newer riders rather than a spillover from Glamis. Paved access roads and designated BLM campgrounds make it easy to get a rig in, and it serves as the main base camp for a lot of Arizona and Yuma riders. Over winter holiday weekends it fills into a temporary city of camps and vendors.
At a glance
Quick facts
Best season
October through April — the same ISDRA permit season
Camping limit
14 day camping limit across the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area
The dunes are open 24/7 year-round, but the ranger station is Fri-Sun 8:00AM-4:30PM and only from mid-October to mid-April. Buy permits before you go, or online.
ISDRA OHV permit required Oct 1 - Apr 15.
Helmets: every ATV operator and rider must wear an approved helmet regardless of age. ROV operator and passengers too.
Permit must be displayed in the windshield, date side out, on arrival, and it is non-refundable.
Show all 12 area-specific rules
15 mph within 500 feet of Highway 78, Grays Well Road, Gecko Road, and the access roads inside Gecko and Roadrunner.
15 mph max within 50 feet of any camp.
14 day camping limit across the whole recreation area.
No saving or reserving a camping space for someone else.
No parking or camping within 10 feet of the pavement on Gecko Road.
Property left unattended more than 72 hours (24 in a day-use area) can be towed or removed.
These rules carry real penalties. Breaking BLM supplementary rules here can mean a fine of up to $1,000, up to 12 months imprisonment, or both, plus civil action. Flags, helmets and the 15 mph zones are the ones people get cited for.
Source: California Vehicle Code §500, §38505, §38601–38602, CVC 27802. Checked Aug 2026. ohv.parks.ca.govwww.blm.gov
Standard OHV rules (11)
Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.
Ride to the highest safety standard, not the legal minimum. A helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear are what get you home.
Green sticker required year-round.
Safety flags required on all vehicles, including two-wheeled motorcycles. Whip mast securely mounted, extending 8 feet from the ground, with a 6x12 inch red or orange flag within 10 inches of the tip.
Noise limit 96 dBA for machines built 1986 or later, 101 dBA for older.
🪖 Side-by-side / UTV (factory-built, steering wheel, bucket seats, under 1,000cc, does over 30 mph): helmets on the driver and every passenger, and seat belts or a harness fastened whenever it is moving.
🪖 Sand car, sand rail, dune buggy, Jeep, or anything home-built or over 1,000cc: no helmet or seat-belt law applies. Wear them anyway.
🪖 Quads and ATVs: helmet on every rider, any age. Dirt bikes: helmet required under 18.
⚠️ Tuned it past 30 mph? A machine built for 30 or under that now goes faster is treated like a side-by-side, helmet and belt rules apply.
👶 A child seat does not replace a helmet. In a side-by-side, a child in a car seat still wears one.
🪖 Any helmet the law requires must meet FMVSS 218 and carry a DOT label.
🗺️ No signal? Take an offline map. BLM publish free georeferenced PDF maps that show your live GPS position with no cell service. Download the map for this area before you leave tarmac.
Permits
Permits & registration
Weekly pass
$55 in advance / $70 on site.
Season pass
$185.
Permit and registration details
Covered by the same Imperial Sand Dunes permit as Glamis.
Registration
California OHV Green Sticker required year-round for registered OHVs.
State residents
California residents: OHV must display a current Green Sticker or Red Sticker registration from the CA DMV.
Out-of-state riders
Out-of-state riders: a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit is required unless your OHV carries current registration from your home state. $30 ($31.95 online), valid from purchase through December 31 of that year.
Where to buy
Glamis Store (on Hwy 78), weekly + season passes.
BLM Cahuilla Ranger Station, temporary site at Cement Flats, not Gecko Road, weekly + season passes.
Gas stations in Blythe & Palo Verde on Hwy 78, weekly permits.
Chaparral Motorsports (cash only), season passes.
Del Amo Motorsports (5 locations), season passes.
isdpermits.net, buy online before you go. Check current vendors and availability yourself before you travel.
Permit and registration rules change. Confirm current requirements with the managing agency before you ride, you are responsible for compliance.
Trip support
Fuel, food & local help
Local fuel notes (1)
Yuma, AZ is ~20 minutes.
Pump gas & diesel
Shelee’s Travel Center — CoachellafuelfoodGasolineDiesel
Highway 86 — top of the corridor, from the Coachella Valley · Travel center — gas, diesel, hot food, and room to park a rig. · 46355 Dillon Rd, Coachella, CA 92236More
Highway 86 — top of the corridor, from the Coachella Valley · Travel center — gas, diesel, hot food, and room to park a rig. · 46355 Dillon Rd, Coachella, CA 92236
Love’s Travel Stop — Ben Hulse HwyfuelGasolineDiesel
Ben Hulse Hwy — south end of the Highway 86 corridor · Highway 111 (Ben Hulse Highway) north of Brawley. This is the stop if you come down the EAST side of the Salton Sea on the 111 rather than the 86.More
Ben Hulse Hwy — south end of the Highway 86 corridor · Highway 111 (Ben Hulse Highway) north of Brawley. This is the stop if you come down the EAST side of the Salton Sea on the 111 rather than the 86.
Ben Hulse Hwy — south end of the Highway 86 corridor · Highway 111 (Ben Hulse Highway) north of Brawley, right alongside the Love’s. Usually the cheaper of the two — same stop, pick your price.More
Ben Hulse Hwy — south end of the Highway 86 corridor · Highway 111 (Ben Hulse Highway) north of Brawley, right alongside the Love’s. Usually the cheaper of the two — same stop, pick your price.
Red Earth Casino / Torres Martinez Travel Center — ThermalfuelfoodGasolineDieselRace fuel (Sunoco, at the pump)
Highway 86 — Thermal, from the Coachella Valley · Travel center and casino, open 24/7 — gas, diesel, restaurants, and Sunoco race fuel at the pump. Call ahead to confirm the grade: (760) 395-1200. · 3089 Norm Niver Rd, Thermal, CAMore
Highway 86 — Thermal, from the Coachella Valley · Travel center and casino, open 24/7 — gas, diesel, restaurants, and Sunoco race fuel at the pump. Call ahead to confirm the grade: (760) 395-1200. · 3089 Norm Niver Rd, Thermal, CA
Brawley — from the Imperial Valley · Brawley, about 28 miles west of Glamis on Highway 78. Last full grocery store before the dunes — stock up here.More
Brawley — from the Imperial Valley · Brawley, about 28 miles west of Glamis on Highway 78. Last full grocery store before the dunes — stock up here.
Area information is informational only and may be inaccurate or out of date. Verify access, weather, closures, permits and hazards before and during any trip. See Terms.
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