Sports
Mexicali offers various facilities for sports and other outdoor activities. The Auditorio del Estado located in the Ciudad Deportiva de Mexicali features a basketball stadium, the home court of the Soles de Mexicali. The Soles is the basketball team which represents the city in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) or the National Professional Basketball League. They joined the league in 2005 and won the national championship after a year. The Ciudad Deportiva also houses a football stadium, home of the third division football team Cachanillas de Mexicali, and the Casas Geo baseball field, where the professional baseball team Águilas de Mexicali plays every season. A newly-constructed convention center hosts the games of the American Basketball Association franchise team, Centinelas de Mexicali (The Sentinels).
The Club de Golf Campestre provides an 18-hole course with spacious fairways, water hazards, and sand traps. It hosts several major tournaments which includes the Cotton Tournament in March, the City of Mexicali and Maquiladora Tournament in April, the Father and Son Tournament in June, and the Bishops’ and IAMSA Tournament in November.
The sand dunes in Las Dunas, Los Algodones provide a challenging setting for off-road races of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and sand buggies.
Another attraction of the Mexicali Valley is the wide array of animals for hunting. During the hunting season, which typically begins at the end of August and ends in February, birds and mammals such as the white winged dove, Huilota dove, cerceta, black branta, goose, pheasant, duck, quail, black tail hare, rabbit, coyote, wild cat, and puma are popular among hunters. Hunting licenses are obtained in the Baja California Environmental Protection Agency. Hunters are allowed to carry two arms and 100 cartridges by weapon per month although they can buy up to 1,000 cartridges per month.
Freshwater and saltwater fishing is also available in the region. Aside from more than 1,500 miles of canals, ideal freshwater spots include the Laguna Bogard, Rio Hardy, El Caimán, la Ciénega de Santa Clara, and el Bosque de la Ciudad. Lobina, bagre, carpa, and tilapia are some of the more common species of fish in these areas. The coastline of the nearby town of San Felipe is a good place for saltwater fishing. Other spots like Roca Consag, Barco Hundido, Los Carros, Punta Estrella, and Percebú are also well-known fishing grounds. Several tournaments, such as catch-and-release competitions, are often held in these places and sports fishing enthusiasts consider species like the pez vela, marlin dorado, and jurel as their prized catches.
The Cañón Tajo in the Sierra de Juarez mountain range is the location of Mexico’s highest monolith. It is ideal for rock climbing, hiking, rappelling, canoeing, and panoramic photography. Also in Sierra de Juarez are the Laguna Hanson and the Cañón de Llanos, which accommodate kayaking, hiking, camping, mountain biking, rock climbing, and spelunking.
For a sports experience that caters to the whole family, the Arroyo Hondo Recreation Center provides a pool, kiddie pool, sand volleyball court, basketball court, soccer field, children’s playground, and indoor facilities for billiards.