Blythe

Blythe is a city in Riverside County in the Desert region of California.

Get in

By car

Blythe is the center of the southwest desert. From here, you can travel north for 4 hours to Las Vegas, west 2 hours to Palm Springs (4 to Los Angeles), south 2 hours to the Imperial Valley or Yuma (or 4 to San Diego) and 2 hours east to Phoenix.

Note: Between the areas indicated above, there is little if any service! Over 100 miles in over 110°F temperatures can be dangerous. Carry fresh drinking water during every cross-desert travel. Make sure your vehicle is in good, non-overheating condition, with a cool A/C, and also make sure the vehicle has a full tank of gas.

Interstate 10 (I-10)/Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Fwy passes through Blythe in an east/west direction. It is the main stopping area when traveling from Phoenix through to any major city in California. When heading west on I-10, you will pass directly over the Colorado River. Be prepared to stop and possibly have your vehicle inspected by the State of California Department of Agriculture as you enter the state. California is one of the few states in the United States that has natural barriers against "outside" contamination (i.e. fruit-fly, fire-ants, etc.) that could potentially harm California's delicate environment, and the Blythe inspection station is the first and best at stopping them.

Hobsonsway serves as local road access into downtown Blythe as a local (business) street and as the old US Routes 60 & 70 that used to go (concurrently) through town before the freeway was built to bypass the town. Going west it is the first exit (Exit 242) past the agricultural inspection station and parallels north of I-10, through downtown, towards Mesa Dr (Exit 232 of I-10) as Hobsonway. Eastbound access are at Mesa Dr (#232) and Riviera Dr (#243).

Intake Blvd is locally called "the California side" because the south-bound lanes travel through Arizona. US-95 starts from the intersection of Intake Blvd and I-10 (Exit 240) and heads north on Intake Blvd (at eastern edge of town) to Needles and I-40 (approximately a 2-hour drive), Laughlin (2½ hr-drive), and Las Vegas (approximately a 4-hour drive). This road is very windy, curvy, and hilly! It is only a 2-lane highway. Going south on US-95, it goes concurrently on I-10 to Quartzsite, AZ (at Exit 17) and through Quartzsite on W Main St to Central Blvd (AZ/US 95). Going north on Central Blvd the road becomes AZ-95 towards Parker and south as US-95 towards Yuma.

Neighbours Blvd starts on I-10 (at Exit 236) and travels south. Careful: this road is windy, curvy, hilly and is only a 2-lane highway. During your drive, you will run into the world-famous Glamis (approx 1 hr south of Blythe). 78 will take you to the Imperial Valley (including Brawley, El Centro, Imperial and Calexico).

By bus
  • 🌍 Rocket Fuel & USA Convenience Store on 400 S Lovekin Rd, on S Lovekin & Wells, south of Exit #239 of I-10 in the outskirts of town serves as a de facto bus station for:
  • Flixbus, (bus stop) USA Convenience Store/Rocket Gas @ 400 S Lovekin Blvd (bus will board in the USA/76 Gas Station parking lot along the curb south of the gas pumps.), ☏ +1 855 626-8585. Connects Phoenix/Tempe to Los Angeles via Blythe, Palm Springs/Indio, Riverside and Ontario/Claremont. Check schedules. (updated Jun 2018)
  • Greyhound, (bus stop) USA Convenience Store/Rocket Gas @ 400 S Lovekin Blvd (Lovekin Blvd and Wells, south of the Jct with I-10 at Exit #239.), ☏ +1 760-922-5401, toll-free: +1 800-231-2222, . Daily 6AM-11PM (station and ticketing). Greyhound buses stop day and night. Since Blythe is the only stopping point between Phoenix and Indio/Palm Springs, most travelers are relieved to stop and stretch. Greyhound will take passengers to the local McDonald's (which is usually open 24 hr). There is no open office for any ticket-purchase, and so you will need to buy one from the driver. Just ensure the bus you're boarding is headed in the right direction as they travel all over the southwest. Nearest transfer points to additional cities (by bus or by plane) are in Indio/Palm Springs area, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Bernardino/Ontario. Travelers can take the PVVTA City Circulator/Blue Route (#1) bus going north on Lovekin Blvd to get into town. 
  • Quartzsite Camel Express, (bus stop) USA Convenience Store @ 400 S Lovekin Blvd (Same stop as Greyhound at USA Convenience Store.), ☏ +1 928-927-4333 x402. Every 2nd & 4th Wednesday at 9:40AM Check Schedules. Twice monthly bus to Quartzsite, AZ via Ehrenberg, AZ. (updated Jun 2022)
  • 🌍 El Paso Los Angeles Limousine Express (Los Limousines), (bus stop) Behind McDonald's at 191 S Lovekin Blvd (In large parking lot behind McDonalds on S Lovekin Blvd & W Rice St), toll-free: +1-866 691-9732. Travelers must arrange pick-up/drop off with call center. Travels along I-10 between Los Angeles, El Monte, San Bernardino, Indio, Blythe, Phoenix, Las Cruces and El Paso. (updated Apr 2016)
  • 🌍 Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency (PVVTA), Main St P&R (along N Main St on the east side of Todd Park), ☏ +1 760 922-1140. They operate local bus routes in/around Blythe. They operate the Wellness Express (#6) between Blythe and Indio in the Coachella Valley on M-W-F. (updated Jun 2022)

Get around

While in town there are a couple of ways to get around: the (only) Blythe Cab or the Desert Roadrunner. Both of these companies are very dependable and are readily available.

See
  • 🌍 Blythe Intaglios (off of Hwy 95), ☏ +1 928-317-3200, fax: +1 928-317-3250, . 24 hr. A Native American land-preservation area just north of Blythe on Hwy 95, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. These large images were drawn/carved/something into the ground (what is believed to be) thousands of years ago by natives. Their true meaning has never been discovered, yet they have been compared in importance, age, and curiosity with the Inca Lines in Peru. These intaglios are said to point to the north-west of California. Some speculate the drawings point to the San Francisco area, where the great Gold-Rush occurred. Some speculate the drawings are a signal to the "unknown" in space. Some consider this place as spiritual and religious areas. The intaglios themselves have been fenced to help preserve their lines (as they have been marred by unknowing, off-road enthusiasts). When visiting the area, remember to wear a hat and bring lots of drinking water! Also, this area of the mountains has little to no cell-phone reception. Free. 

Do

The locals like to cool down along the shores of the Colorado River. Bring a personal-water craft (which can be rented at of the river-front stores) to ride, or just head down to a river-park to swim and relax in the shade. The off-roading is also very entertaining, with a strip of pristine sand called "7-mile dune" just 11 miles west of town. There, all 4x4's (including sand-rails, quads, buggies & dirt-bikes) can range in fun from following simple trails to challenging extreme sand dunes.

Buy

There isn't much to buy in Blythe. The small-town mentality has kept most major stores away from this town and shopping has suffered the consequences. It's alright though, keep heading west towards the Indio/Palm Springs area (it's only 108 miles)

Eat

Dining has a wide variety of food. As this town is located 108 miles from the nearest mall, the locals have become accustomed to local-made foods. If you're looking for the same-ol' usual stuff (McDonald's, Jack-In-The-Box, Carl's, etc.) try Lovekin Blvd. You can't miss it with all of the advertising signs.

  • 🌍 La Casita Dos, 830 W Rice St (next to the Shell gas station on Lovekin exit), ☏ +1 760-922-6805. A great little Mexican-restaurant. 
  • 🌍 Rosita's, 611 W Hobsonway (Hobson Shopping Center), ☏ +1 760-922-4090. Family-owned and -operated for generations. 
  • 🌍 Wang's Palace, 719 West Hobsonway (Hobson Shopping Center), ☏ +1 760-922-7755. Chinese cuisine. 
  • 🌍 China Garden Restaurant, 933 East Hobsonway (across from Albertson's), ☏ +1 760-922-0088. Daily 11AM-10PM. Delivery available, free within a 3-mile radius. 

Sleep

Blythe has over 1,200 hotel & motel rooms. Almost all of the hotels can be seen from I-10, as they all have sky-sign displays. Some of the common companies are:

Go next
Routes through Blythe
Indio ← Coachella ←  W  E  → Quartzsite → Phoenix
Needles ← Jct W ←  N  S  → Quartzsite → Yuma
Escondido ← Brawley ←  W  E  → END


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