DLNews Recreation:

LA QUINTA – Riverside County thanks and honors all who have served our country with free admission and fishing at Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11.

Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park is open on Veterans Day from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free admission is open to active duty military personnel, veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard and federal and state reservists, and all other guests in the vehicle. Free entry also covers all-day use activities such as fishing. To qualify, veterans need to present valid proof of military service.

For the general public, Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park will have a $20 per vehicle entry fee on Veterans Day, covering all day-use activities, including fishing.

Those fishing need a state fishing license for anyone 16 and older. The state fishing license is not sold at Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park but can be purchased at retailers. The lake has channel catfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, carp, bluegill, and rainbow trout.

Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park, the first in the county park system named in honor of veterans, is located at 58075 Jefferson Street, La Quinta, CA  92253. The phone number for more information is 760-564-4712.

"Veterans Day is a day of honor, pride, and thankfulness for all veterans, past, present, and future, who risk their lives for our country," said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. "Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park is a beautiful place to spend the day, walk, hike, go fishing or ride horseback, relax, and enjoy nature. We welcome veterans, their families, and the community to enjoy Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park; park veterans can call their own on Veterans Day."

In August 2017, Lake Cahuilla Regional Park was renamed Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park in honor of veterans. The renaming measure included free entry to the park for veterans and service members every Veterans Day (November 11) and Memorial Day weekend (Saturday-Monday).

Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park is operated by the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District via a lease with the Coachella Valley Water District and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The park features flags of each military branch, dedication plaques, lighting, and landscaping pathways.

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez represents the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea, and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the 4th District is the largest geographical District in the county. 

Supervisor Perez's office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.