I don’t know if Quartzsite is officially the Boondocking Capital of the World (is there such a thing?) but any place that attracts between 750,000 and 1,000,000 RVers every year seems deserving of the title. This is not the place to find the quiet, remote camp sites that we desire but we were passing thru and wanted to see the mecca with our own eyes. Sure enough, it was a sight to be seen. Thousands upon thousands of RVs scattered about the desert blending-in about as well as snow in the Sahara. While there are no designated pads to park on and BLM allows you to park just about anywhere you want, all the not-so-little white boxes were parked side by side forming their own seasonal suburbia. This was one of those times where we just shook our heads, looked at each other and said “We are not RVers”.
After picking our jaws up off the floor, we found the nearest road where 4wd would be required knowing that would be the fastest way to find a little piece of desert that we could call our own for the night.
It didn’t take long to find just that and thanks to BLM it was free.
The rocky ground was perfectly flat as if it had been run over by a steam roller making it easy to find a place to park.
We enjoyed a giant saguaro out our back door.
The desert did what it does best and delivered a spectacular sunset followed by a cool, dark night and star-filled sky.
I don’t know that you’ll ever find us in Quartzsite again but it was a beautiful spot to find while passing thru.
GPS Coordinates: 33º47’32.76″ N 114º07’01.61W (These coordinates are not the exact spot but will get you to the general vicinity) There are no designated spots, just pick a piece of dirt that looks good and park.
Cost: Free
Elevation: 1176
Nice pics! We follow other bloggers and everyone seems to stop by this area at least once a year. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, it’s definitely one of those places you should check out just to say you did. Decide for yourself what you think of it. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it.
Good thing you didn’t go through there during the peak season, especially during the RV Fair, the end of January.
Actually we did, I’m just really behind on posting. It was mid-January and the place was packed. Fascinating but not our thing : )
Ha, ha. I would have done what you did, but years ago, out of morbid curiosity, I read up on the cultural phenomenon of Quartzite and it is sort of interesting socially and technically – though again not for us types!
It’s quite fascinating but our definition of camping is definitely different from all those folks!
And for the complete Quartzite experience you have to attend one of the three gem and mineral “show” that take place every January & February. We don’t know what’s more fun: searching for treasures or people watching.
I do imagine the people watching could keep me entertained all day!
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