Los Algodones Day Trip from Yuma: Crossing, Parking and Getting Back

A Los Algodones day trip from Yuma starts with a 12-minute drive to the Andrade port of entry in California, $10 to park in the Quechan tribe's lot, and a walk across the border into town. The two things that catch people out are the clock, since Algodones is an hour behind Yuma in winter, and the documents you need to get back into the US.

The town's dentists, pharmacies and opticians serve mainly US and Canadian customers, and a visit fits easily into a morning or afternoon between rounds. This guide covers the crossing hours, parking, papers, the time difference and how to plan the day around golf. Facts were checked on October 23, 2026.

Quick facts

• Where: Andrade port of entry, 235 Andrade Road, Winterhaven, California, about 2 miles south of I-8 on CA-186, opposite Los Algodones, Baja California.
• Drive: about 8.2 miles and 12 minutes from central Yuma (OSRM).
• Port hours: 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Pacific time, seven days a week. In winter that is 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Yuma time.
• Parking: Quechan lot, open 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Arizona time; $10 a day for a car.
• To get back: a passport, passport card, enhanced driver's license or NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card. A regular driver's license alone is not enough.
• Clock: one hour behind Yuma from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027; the same in summer.

Getting to the Andrade crossing

From Yuma, take I-8 west over the Colorado River into California, then CA-186 south for about 2 miles. The port sits about 2,000 feet west of the Colorado River. OSRM puts it about 8.2 miles and 12 minutes from central Yuma.

Most visitors park on the US side and walk across. Wikipedia's 2011 figures show far more pedestrians (about 833,000) than cars (about 387,000) at Andrade.

Andrade port hours

Posted hours are 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Pacific time, seven days a week. That is the key detail for a Yuma visitor:

The current cbp.gov port page could not be loaded when checked, so these hours come from an archived CBP port profile and a 2026 Spanish-language border guide, which agree. The port phone on the CBP profile is (760) 572-0089. Check bwt.cbp.gov for wait times before you go.

Algodones parking: the Quechan lot

The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe runs the Andrade parking lot beside the port. It is open 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Arizona time. Prices from the tribe's page (last updated January 30, 2026, read October 23, 2026):

The overnight limit is 3 nights. Expired permits are towed, and there are no refunds. Phone (760) 919-3658 or (928) 977-2715.

If you are staying in an RV resort, it is simpler to leave the rig at your site and drive over in a car. The motorhome rate is $16 a day.

Documents to get back into the US

This is the part of a Los Algodones day trip to get right before you leave your RV or hotel. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, these are accepted when you re-enter the US by land:

A regular driver's license alone is not enough. Canadians who drove down to Yuma should carry the passport they entered the US with.

The Mexican FMM permit. Mexico may ask for an FMM tourist permit. An Imperial Valley Press report says officers began asking some, not all, visitors crossing at Andrade for the FMM, which is free for stays of seven days or less. Whether you need one for a same-day visit is applied inconsistently, so have your passport ready either way.

Canadians on a long winter stay. Bring the passport you entered the US with, and know the US registration rule for stays of 30 days or longer. Canadian snowbirds in Yuma explains it.

Why visitors go: dental, pharmacy, optical

Los Algodones grew into a medical-tourism town from the 1990s, with many dentists and pharmacies serving mainly US and Canadian customers. That trade is what drives the heavy foot traffic at Andrade. Opticians and eyeglass shops are part of the draw too, but no count or price comparison was verified for this guide.

If you bring prescription medicines back, check current CBP rules on personal-use quantities and declare them. Those rules were not reviewed here.

The Algodones time difference

Los Algodones is in the municipality of Mexicali, Baja California, and uses Pacific time with the same daylight-saving dates as the US: PST (UTC-8) from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027, then PDT (UTC-7) to November 7, 2027.

So it is one hour behind Yuma in winter and the same in summer. A dental appointment at 10:00 in Algodones in January is 11:00 on a Yuma clock. Phones near the border can switch to the Mexican or California tower, so confirm which clock your appointment card uses. The Yuma time zone guide covers every nearby clock.

San Luis Rio Colorado, across the border south of Yuma in Sonora, stays on MST all year like Yuma. Do not mix the two towns up when you set a time.

How to fit a Los Algodones day trip around golf

The crossing is so close that a Los Algodones day trip and a round fit in the same day. The courses on the west and central side of town are the easiest match, and the Cocopah Bend course guide covers the one nearest the river:

Morning appointment, afternoon golf. In winter the port opens at 7:00 AM Yuma time. Book an early appointment, walk back across, and take an afternoon tee time. Desert Hills' after-1 PM rate fits this plan. See the Desert Hills course guide.

Morning golf, afternoon crossing. Play early, have lunch, then cross. The port is open until 11:00 PM on a Yuma clock in winter, but the parking lot closes at 11:00 PM Arizona time too, so do not cut it fine.

From the Foothills. If you are based near Mesa del Sol or Las Barrancas, add the drive into town: they are about 21 and 26 minutes from downtown Yuma, before the 12 minutes to Andrade.

A sample winter Los Algodones day trip

The times other than the port and lot hours are only an example. The return line is the part you cannot predict, which is why the tee time sits two hours after the planned walk back. If your appointment card is on Mexican time, remember that 8:00 AM there is 9:00 AM on your Yuma tee sheet in winter.

Leave a buffer for the line coming back, and check the CBP wait times page before you set a tee time. Winter visitors fill the Yuma tee sheets from January to March, so if you need to move a round, check the course's cancellation rule first (Las Barrancas, for example, needs 24 hours' notice by phone). Yuma tee times in winter covers peak-season booking.

If a full Los Algodones day trip is more than you want, a shorter visit works too. For other rest-day ideas, see things to do in Yuma and the Imperial Sand Dunes from Yuma, which are just west on I-8. For a full winter routine, read Yuma winter golf.

Plan it on the map

Open the Yuma golf map to see Los Algodones on the far west edge, the west-side courses and every stay, with drive times from downtown. The $30 plan can slot an Algodones day into a golf trip, or into a whole winter stay with a weekly course rotation.