Dave.....During the blazing hot summer, Quartzsite has somewhere between 4000 -7000 residents (forget the exact number). During the winter there are over 100,000 people. This brings up an issue of police and fire support. With such a small resident base, they can't afford police and fire for the summer months. Consequently, the sales tax is adjusted to 10%.
There are two off ramps in Quartzsite. The large RV tent is located pretty much between them on Hwy 95 which dissects I-10. At the west off ramp is a large truck stop/fuel ( I think it's a Pilot). At the east end, is a two year old Chevron that is really large and easy to negotiate. If you plan on staying and running your generator, you can fuel up at either end.
There are approximately 77 campgrounds. Most of them are located along Main street that parallels I-10 on the north and the rest are on the south side of I-10 . Most are just power poles and water sticking out of the dirt. There maybe three or four that would be considered nice by Quartzsite standards. The majority of the people stay on BLM land, primarily accessed via Hwy 95 on both sides of I-10.
The large RV tent, about the size of a football field is surrounded by flea markets, RV lots trying to get rid of excess inventory and several companies who set up installation bays for purchases made at the show. There are a fair amount of RV products, but as one poster stated, a lot of RV resort sales, pots and pans and jewelry vendors.
There are flea markets ALL over Quartzsite. They sell a lot of things that you probably threw away when you were younger. There is an area near the big tent that has dollar products, like soap, cereal, toothpaste etc. At the west end of town are a couple of large steel buildings that sell RV products, tools and Harbor Freight type stuff.
IF you stay on BLM land you'll need a toad to get around. If you stay near the big tent, a bicycle might be better because the traffic and parking around the big tent is horrific. A scooter would be perfect.
Bring food! There are no real restaurants in town. There's a Subway, and a couple of other fast food joints. There is a bakery on Main Street that sells fresh pies.
Lastly, many people come to stay the winter for just the cost of a monthly BLM pass. You'll see PU trucks hauling around 50 gallon drums of drinking water and a lot of solar panels. You can get water delivered on the BLM land.
Personally, I have no interest in staying out there for the winter, but we find it fun to go for a week during the RV show. We hit the flea markets and get our RZR out for a ride or two. This will be our tenth year.
Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 - All Electric
2019 Ford Raptor Crew Cab
