Yuma

Yuma is the largest city and county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, located near the borders of California and Mexico.

Downtown Yuma

Understand

Get in

By car

Yuma is on Interstate 8, about 2 hours and 40 minutes east of San Diego, and 2 hours and 30 minutes west of the town of Casa Grande at the intersection of Interstates 8 and 10 between Phoenix and Tucson. Note that Yuma is located at a freight train stop; the last before California. This results in a lot of transients in the small conservative town. The police, in line with other places in Arizona, are quick to arrest 'loiterers'. If you are traveling with a backpack and don't look like a college student, be prepared to be rousted and harassed.

By plane

By train

Yuma is served by Amtrak via its triweekly Sunset Limited route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Additionally, the Texas Eagle provides services to and from Chicago. Westbound trains inconveniently arrives around 3AM, while eastbound ones arrives late evening around 11:30PM. Notice however that delays are quite common. 🌍 Yuma station is located at 281 Gila Street, the station has no shelter or restrooms but is located just a block from downtown.

By bus
  • 🌍 Greyhound, 1245 S Castle Dome Ave, ☎ +1 928-783-4403, toll-free: +1 800-231-2222. As this just a pick-up and drop-off point, tickets should be purchased beforehand online or over the phone. Tickets can also be purchased at the local office (2715 E 14th St). 

Get around
  • Yuma County Area Transit (YCAT). The public bus network in Yuma county, local services usually operate M-F 5:50AM-7:30PM, and Sa 9AM-6:30PM. Buses serve border crossings at both Andrade and San Luis. There is limited evening service to local colleges and universities until 11PM on weeknights. Also, an inter-city service linking Yuma with El Centro, California, is available three to four times a week. A good system map can be found on YCAT's website 

See
Guard tower at Yuma Territorial Prison Park
Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park
  • 🌍 Yuma Territorial Prison Park, 1 Prison Hill Rd, ☎ +1 928-783-4771. Th-M 9AM-5PM; closed August. This park keeps intact much of the history of Arizona's first prison. From 1876 to 1909, this was the primary detaining facility for many of Arizona's convicted. Due to state budget constraints, the park was scheduled to close in 2010. Private donations totalling more than $70,000 were raised and the park is now open and leased to a local agency. New exhibits have since been added as well as initiating work on deferred maintenance. One memorable feature of the park is the set of old west style, inhumane prison cells in a dark spooky cave. $6 (adult 14+), $3 (youth 7-13), free (child 0-6).  
  • 🌍 Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park (Yuma Crossing Historic Park), 201 N 4th Ave, ☎ +1 928-783-0071. T-Su 9AM-5PM. The Yuma Quartermaster Depot was the primary storing and distribution center for Army supplies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Depot distributed goods to all Army posts in Arizona, Southern California, New Mexico, Utah, and Western Texas. There are five original buildings still standing with many exhibits inside detailing the life of the early supply post. The site is also home to the Yuma Visitors' Information Center. $4 (adult 14+), $2 (youth 7-13), free (child 0-6).  
  • 🌍 Sanguinetti House Museum and Gardens, 240 S Madison Ave, ☎ +1 928-782-1841, e-mail: . T-S 10AM-4PM. This historic adobe house dates from the 1870s, and has exhibits chronicling the history of the lower Colorado River region from the 1540s to the present. $3 (adults), $2 (seniors 60+, youth 12-18), free (children 0-11). 
  • Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center, Main Post, Yuma Proving Ground, ☎ +1 928-328-3394. A small museum with exhibits relating to the history of the post. Visitors will have to go through security at the main gate, and show ID and proof of auto insurance. 
  • 🌍 Castle Dome Mine Museum, 27550 E County 15th Street North Sr4 (NE of Yuma on Hwy 95), ☎ +1 928-920-3062, e-mail: . Oct 1 - Apr 15: daily 10AM-5PM; Apr 16 - Sep: Th-T 10AM-5PM, closed W. A collection of original and reproduced old west buildings. $10 (adults), $5 (children 7-11), free (children under 7). (updated Feb 2017)

Do
The Sonoran Desert near Yuma

Events

Outdoor activities
  • 🌍 Telegraph Pass Trail, N Frontage R (trailhead) (off of I-8 exit Foothills Blvd). A 4.3-mile hike with rewarding views at the top. The best times of year are fall through spring; plan on spending about 3 hrs. Free. 
  • 🌍 Desert Hills Municipal Golf Course, 1245 W Desert Hills Dr, ☎ +1 928-373-5220, fax: +1 520-726-6546. 

Buy

Eat

Yuma is a good place to get Mexican food if not accustomed to the region.

Budget

Mid-range and splurge

Drink
  • 🌍 Derailed Saloon, 179 E 1st St, ☎ +1 928-782-6200. 
  • 🌍 The Dunes Bar, 711 E 32nd St (connected to the Quality Inn Airport Hotel), ☎ +1 928-726-4721. 4PM-2AM. This restaurant/bar has live entertainment throughout the week. Monday is Military appreciation, Wednesday Reggae band, Thursday Hip Hop band, Friday ladies night, Sunday Fun day (drag shows etc.) 
  • 🌍 Jimmie Dee's, 38 W 2nd St, ☎ +1 928-783-5647. Daily 1PM-2AM. A dance club/bar that is for a little older crowd. Normally they have both a DJ and a live band playing on weekends. During the day (happy hour) it doubles as a hang out for businessmen/women 
  • 🌍 Manske Lounge, 3001 S Pacific Ave, ☎ +1 928-726-9258. A bar with a little more of a Hispanic influence, but a variety of music. Small dance floor, pool tables, large bar, and tables to sit at. 
  • 🌍 Platinum Cabaret, 822 E 21st St, ☎ +1 928-783-5000. Daily 6PM-2AM. A strip bar that provides adequate entertainment. Most Fights are on big screens. Also, Wed nights are coin nights. Should be good for all the businessmen that are in town during the week. 
  • 🌍 Yuma Landing Company, 233 S 4th Ave, ☎ +1 928-782-7427, toll-free: +1 877-234-5567. A historic bar and grill. 

Sleep

Lodging

Camping
  • Fortuna Pond (12 miles NE of Yuma). A popular camping and fishing destination managed by the Bureau of Land Management, with a 14-day limit. A license is required for fishing; contact the AZ Game and Fish Dept (tel. 928-342-0091). Free. 
  • 🌍 Mittry Lake Wildlife Area. Managed by the BLM, with vault toilets, no drinking water, 10-day limit. Free. 

Go next

Yuma is next to the Mexican border, but getting in is not quite as easy as it seems due to the Colorado River. There is no access bridge from any part of the city. Due to a geographic oddity, Mexico is both to the west (shorter), and to the south (further). The shortest way is to go into California on I-8, then south on Algodones Road (Exit 166/State Route 186), and cross the border into metro Mexicali. (The first town is called Los Algodones.) You can also go south on US-95 from Yuma for just over 20 miles, and cross the border into San Luis Rio Colorado.

Routes through Yuma

Los Angeles ← Palm Springs ←  W  E  → Tucson → San Antonio
San Diego ← El Centro ←  W  E  → Dateland → Casa Grande
Blythe ← Quartzsite ←  N  S  → San Luis → San Luis Rio Colorado




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