RV Mecca in Arizona

Quartzsite, AZ is a well-known meeting place for RV nomads from all over the country. Snowbirds enjoy the warm winters while camping in over 70 RV parks and 11,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA), plus five 14-day free dispersed camping areas. Thousands of acres of dispersed BLM camping draws upwards to a million visitors a year. From New Years until even after the RV Tent Show and Rock and Gem Show, the desert is littered with every imaginable recreational vehicle out there.

We arrived in Quartzsite at 4 PM yesterday after losing an hour from the time zone change while heading east on Interstate 10, exiting at Highway 95 south. We turned east on Kuehn Road which turns into East Dome Rock Road. We pulled off onto BLM land and parked the rig in an area we had visited some years ago. Karen and I had passed through Quartzsite in the past but never during the peak RV season of January to March. We wanted to stop and experience the energy and scale associated with Quartzsite before continuing our journey east.

Today is Monday, January 16 and MLK Day. Last night it rained again in the desert and the temperature has been in the high 50's at night and low to mid 60's during the daytime hours. Karen and I went exploring through the Tyson Wells show area south of the town where many of the exhibitors have their spaces. We did find some RV items we needed but nothing we couldn't get on Amazon or maybe Camping World for less money. Between the wet, cold weather and the fact that we are in between 2 big shows here, there aren't nearly as many people as we expected.

Honestly, I don't get what the big deal is about this place. Sure you can camp for free up to 14 days with no hook ups and even stay longer at the LTVA venues, but the whole scene is like a giant, crowded flea market. Well, we can now say, "been there, done that" if anyone ever asks. I'm thinking that the appeal might make more sense with a group of RVer's traveling together. There's plenty of room to create your own compound and put the "wagons in a circle". I can see a big family group or a bunch of friends hanging out here, eating together, exploring the area and ending the day with a big camp fire at night.

On Tuesday, January 16 we will journey to the Prescott, AZ area to see some of my extended family that live in the area. We're planing on mooch docking for three days at my cousin, Kim Penman Switzer's place.