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The Appeal of Quartzsite RV Camping

| Updated Jan 11, 2021

What's so special about Quartzsite RV camping, anyway? Let us tell you…

The big Quartzsite RV show is on in 2021, this very week as a matter of fact..

While we are not attending, we thought we'd tell you about the town, why it is such a great place to visit and how you can avoid the crowds by following our example from last year.

We never had much of a desire to visit Quartzsite, Arizona.

Maybe it was the pictures showing over 100,000 people camping on every available bit of room on the BLM land surrounding the western Arizona town. Maybe it was the stories we heard of congestion, limited amenities, and facilities, and RV traffic jams. So in our nine years of RVing, Quartzsite never made it on our bucket list.

The Appeal of Quartzsite RV Camping 1

But last year, when we suddenly had a free week, we decided to finally visit.

Many people over the years have asked our opinions of the place so we thought, why not… it was time to check out Quartzsite so we could answer with an informed opinion, based on first-hand experience.

So we cashed in some frequent flyer miles, got airline tickets to Phoenix, borrowed a friend's Class C RV, stocked it up at a Wal-Mart, and headed straight west to Quartzsite.

We were glad it was the very last week of January when we visited. Just the week before, the Big Tent RV Show and the town's annual gem and mineral show had both come to an end and the BLM camping land (good for 14 day stays and absolutely free) had greatly thinned out.

In 2021, the show is on again, though attendance is slightly down because of fears over COVID

The Appeal of Quartzsite RV Camping 2

The spot where we boondocked sent to us as GPS coordinates by a friend, was just outside of town. There were still a lot of RVers there when we visited, but the desert is huge and our closest neighbor was about a quarter-mile away.

We enjoyed the peace and quiet of the wide-open spaces, the star-studded night skies, the 75-degree daytime temps, the eclectic stuff sold at the various open air markets,  the hikes we took through the desert, and our climb to the top of Quartzsite Mountain.

Naturally, we did a video on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel on the experience.

If you are wondering just where we boondocked there, here's a map showing the exact spot.

It's about 7 1/2 miles south and a tad west of Quartzsite off US95. There are lots of other BLM locations, such as Dome Rock, which is arguably a bit more scenic, but most others like Dome Rock Hi Jolly, Plomosa Road, etc are considerably busier.

And remember, the best time to camp out there weather-wise is late November to early April. The busiest and most crowded is January when 100,000 plus folks crowd in and around this little town of 3,000. We shot this video on February 1, 2020.

Bottom line: We absolutely loved Quartzsite. We will be back. Soon!

Ready to Plan an RV Trip to do some Quartzsite RV Camping? 

The Appeal of Quartzsite RV Camping 3

Planning an RV Trip has never been easier than with RV TripWizard. It is a comprehensive tool that Jennifer and I use whenever we are planning a trip. It works seamlessly with all our devices and gives us access to the info we need on where to stop, what camping is nearby and what we should do in an area.

Best of all, you can try it for free to see how it will fit into your trip planning process.

RV Trip WizardThe Appeal of Quartzsite RV Camping 4

Curious about the gear, gadgets, accessories, and RV products Mike & Jennifer use and recommend?

On this RV Lifestyle Travel blog, our RV Podcast, and our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel, we mention all sorts of RV-related products and gear that we use, So we created a special page links to them. We update this all the time.  CLICK HERE to go to it directly. 

 

Mike Wendland

Published on 2021-01-11

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

8 Responses to “The Appeal of Quartzsite RV Camping”

July 27, 2022at6:15 am, RV Black Tank Advice From The "RV Proctologist" | RV Lifestyle said:

[…] the past 15 years Steve has run his RV Proctologist business in Quartzsite, AZ, helping RVers with their black and grey […]

February 10, 2022at4:46 pm, Let's-Talk-RV's-Bob Davis Podcast-1040 - The Bob Davis Podcasts said:

[…] Secondly the best thing about Quartzsite’s peak period are the tent cities. […]

July 18, 2021at5:23 pm, Douglas said:

I got friends that go there ever year,Dick and Junemarie Bell ,there are musians performers great people.

January 13, 2021at11:00 am, John Mitchell said:

12 inches of snow last night Williams Lake B.C. Canada

October 20, 2020at10:41 am, 11 of the Best Snowbird Destinations for RVers (2020-2021) | RV Lifestyle said:

[…] CLICK HERE to read an article about Quartzsite, AZ and why it is one of the best snowbird destinatio… […]

September 02, 2020at7:31 am, RV Podcast 310: Great News about the 2021 Quartzsite RV Show [IT’S ON!] | RV Lifestyle said:

[…] CLICK HERE to see our video on why Quartzsite is so appealing to RVers […]

February 08, 2020at7:18 pm, Betty Graham said:

I asked the question on another post and someone else answered but their information said quartzite was in Washington state. Can you tell me how long it took to climb the mountain and if there is a trail. Google did not give me the answers I wanted

February 08, 2020at4:13 pm, Linda Bodkin said:

We have stayed there four times before, during and after the RV & Gem shows. While lots and lots of RVs, there is still lots of room and you never have to camp in a crowded area unless you choose to. We have been there for rallies and just to be there. There is always lots to see and do. Not many places to shop and wifi is very spotty so you have to be prepared. There are dump stations, and places to fill up your water, etc.
Would still go back again. You just have to be prepared as always while boon docking.There are quite a few RV parks if you choose, but fill up quickly during the RV show

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