Quartzsite first timer thoughts and impressions
For several years I have wanted to go to Quartzsite for the winter and this year I finally made it. Anticipating another bad winter in Ohio, we left mid January and headed for the La Posa desert in Arizona, arriving on January 24 and were greeted by sunny skies and mid 70s temps.
We are total Quartzsite newbies, but have done a fair amount of dry camping in our American Coach Tradition so we didn’t expect to die a slow agonizing death in the desert, but rather expected to learn a lot about extended dry camping off the grid. We were not disappointed to say the least.
I knew the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) maintained several camping areas around the town of Quartzsite but still did not totally understand the locations, names or differences between the various sites. Throwing the dice, we decided to stay at La Posa West, a Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) located just south of Quartzsite on Rt. 95.
Understanding the various LTVA designations is helpful to a first time visitor and figuring them out for me, was confusing. As you head south out of Quartzsite on Rt 95,
the first area on the WEST side of the road is La Posa West. So far, so good. Right? Across the street, on the EAST side of the road is………….La Posa NORTH! Hmmmm. The confusion begins. If you continue south a couple of miles, you encounter two more LTVA areas. On the east side of the road you have La Posa South! Well, it is south of La Posa north so it sorta makes sense. Across the road, on the west side is La Posa Tyson Wash. I’m sure there was some logic to this naming system, but I can’t figure it out except to say that it is what it is.
All four of these locations operate basically the same. The “season” for all four is from September to April. Here is what I consider the important information from their website:
“Winter visitors who wish to stay in an LTVA, must purchase a long term permit for $180 or a short visit permit for $40. The long term permit is valid for the entire season or any part of the season which runs from September 15 to April 15. The short visit permit is valid for 14 consecutive days with the option to purchase an unlimited quantity of additional permits. Both permits are valid in any of the designated LTVAs.”
Within any of the LTVAs, you can set up camp just about anywhere you are comfortable. Keep in mind, folks stay there for many reasons, among which includes being away from other campers. Commonly accepted courtesy would be to try to avoid crowding someone who is already set up. This is not a written rule however.
The two areas just outside of town are obviously the closest to the many activities in Quartzsite and offer the greatest convenience of access to those activities. La Posa West is certainly within walking distance of “the big tent” where the annual RV show is held. Unfortunately, the only one of the four with dump station and fresh water is La Posa South, located about 3 miles out of town. If you are registered to camp in any of the four areas, you are permitted to use the facilities at South, you just have to drive there to use them.
As I said, we started out camping in La Posa West because it is closest to the big RV show. We stayed there for about a week, until the RV show ended, then we moved south to La Posa Tyson Wash, located across from La Posa South. We found an area we liked and got set up. My original plan for accessing the dump station was to use my portable blue tote for waste water, and a jerry can to carry fresh water. Since the dump station and fresh water were across the street at La Posa South, and about a mile away from where we were set up, the task of transporting water both ways became a major task due to the limit on the quantity I could carry. After a while, we decided to just drive the motorhome to the dump station and take care of it all at once. We ended up having to do this procedure about once a week so it proved to be much less time and work.
During our time at Quartzsite we got to see the big RV show, many RV dealers, a large part of the hundreds of street vendors at the various flea market venues in town, and several stage shows at the “Quartzsite Improvement Association”, a community center. We also spent a lot of time riding an ATV around in the desert surrounding Q where we got to see abandoned gold mines, abandoned desert cabins made of stone, and many other remote sites out in the desert. In addition, we also had the opportunity to talk with many of the business owners in Quartzsite. This was a wonderful experience because it gave insight into the difficulties of running a business in an area where the population varies from about 3000 in the summer to about 300,000 in the winter. Obviously a difficult task.
We had a good time in Quartzsite. We learned a lot about our RV and about ourselves. I would rate the experience a success. We stayed the course with minor bumps in the road and enjoyed the experience. Will I return? I don’t know. It’s a real possibility.
We are total Quartzsite newbies, but have done a fair amount of dry camping in our American Coach Tradition so we didn’t expect to die a slow agonizing death in the desert, but rather expected to learn a lot about extended dry camping off the grid. We were not disappointed to say the least.
I knew the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) maintained several camping areas around the town of Quartzsite but still did not totally understand the locations, names or differences between the various sites. Throwing the dice, we decided to stay at La Posa West, a Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) located just south of Quartzsite on Rt. 95.
Understanding the various LTVA designations is helpful to a first time visitor and figuring them out for me, was confusing. As you head south out of Quartzsite on Rt 95,
the first area on the WEST side of the road is La Posa West. So far, so good. Right? Across the street, on the EAST side of the road is………….La Posa NORTH! Hmmmm. The confusion begins. If you continue south a couple of miles, you encounter two more LTVA areas. On the east side of the road you have La Posa South! Well, it is south of La Posa north so it sorta makes sense. Across the road, on the west side is La Posa Tyson Wash. I’m sure there was some logic to this naming system, but I can’t figure it out except to say that it is what it is.
All four of these locations operate basically the same. The “season” for all four is from September to April. Here is what I consider the important information from their website:
“Winter visitors who wish to stay in an LTVA, must purchase a long term permit for $180 or a short visit permit for $40. The long term permit is valid for the entire season or any part of the season which runs from September 15 to April 15. The short visit permit is valid for 14 consecutive days with the option to purchase an unlimited quantity of additional permits. Both permits are valid in any of the designated LTVAs.”
Within any of the LTVAs, you can set up camp just about anywhere you are comfortable. Keep in mind, folks stay there for many reasons, among which includes being away from other campers. Commonly accepted courtesy would be to try to avoid crowding someone who is already set up. This is not a written rule however.
The two areas just outside of town are obviously the closest to the many activities in Quartzsite and offer the greatest convenience of access to those activities. La Posa West is certainly within walking distance of “the big tent” where the annual RV show is held. Unfortunately, the only one of the four with dump station and fresh water is La Posa South, located about 3 miles out of town. If you are registered to camp in any of the four areas, you are permitted to use the facilities at South, you just have to drive there to use them.
As I said, we started out camping in La Posa West because it is closest to the big RV show. We stayed there for about a week, until the RV show ended, then we moved south to La Posa Tyson Wash, located across from La Posa South. We found an area we liked and got set up. My original plan for accessing the dump station was to use my portable blue tote for waste water, and a jerry can to carry fresh water. Since the dump station and fresh water were across the street at La Posa South, and about a mile away from where we were set up, the task of transporting water both ways became a major task due to the limit on the quantity I could carry. After a while, we decided to just drive the motorhome to the dump station and take care of it all at once. We ended up having to do this procedure about once a week so it proved to be much less time and work.
During our time at Quartzsite we got to see the big RV show, many RV dealers, a large part of the hundreds of street vendors at the various flea market venues in town, and several stage shows at the “Quartzsite Improvement Association”, a community center. We also spent a lot of time riding an ATV around in the desert surrounding Q where we got to see abandoned gold mines, abandoned desert cabins made of stone, and many other remote sites out in the desert. In addition, we also had the opportunity to talk with many of the business owners in Quartzsite. This was a wonderful experience because it gave insight into the difficulties of running a business in an area where the population varies from about 3000 in the summer to about 300,000 in the winter. Obviously a difficult task.
We had a good time in Quartzsite. We learned a lot about our RV and about ourselves. I would rate the experience a success. We stayed the course with minor bumps in the road and enjoyed the experience. Will I return? I don’t know. It’s a real possibility.
