My Winter ‘Home’ - Quartzsite AZ

I’ve spent the last 3 winters in Quartzsite living in the desert and I love it.

Quartzsite is located on Interstate 10 about 90 minutes southwest of Phoenix, 20 minutes east of the California border. The small town of Quartzsite has a couple of small grocery stores, a couple of gas stations, a bunch of rock and gem stores and other small town retail stores.

Quartzsite has over 11,000 acres of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area to camp on. The LTVA (Long Term Visitor Area) costs $180 for the season. The winter season runs from September 15th to April15th. You can buy a 2 week pass for $40.

The LTVA pass gives you access to potable water, dump stations and trash dumpsters.  There are also a number of vault toilets around the LTVA. 

The population of Quartzsite swells from about 3,000 residents to over 2 million, according to some BLM estimates, during parts of the winter season. The desert is filled with all types of RVs, tents, car campers, etc. but it really doesn’t feel too crowded. You find your piece of desert and call it home. 

My first season here I met my buddy Greg. We actually met at Joshua Tree National Park, we camped next to each other, and struck up a conversation. We decided to meet up in Quartzsite about a week later, and our awesome adventures and conversations have continued for 3 seasons now. I’ve learned so many things from my pal and so glad that we met become buddies.

An interesting story about Quartzsite

The Hi Jolly Monument is located just off Main Street in Quartzsite.  Hi Jolly was a Syrian-born camel driver brought to the US in 1856 to drive camels for the US Calvary. The US Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, wanted to try and use camels to transport people and freight over the western deserts. Thus the beginning of the United States Camel Corps. This experiment didn’t last long due to a number of factors but Hi Jolly decided to stay in the desert southwest and became a prospector and desert guide.

Hi Jolly died in Quartzsite in 1902 and was buried in what would be called the Hi Jolly Cemetery. Hi Jolly was well liked by the residents of Quartzsite so they built a monument to him and it attracts visitors from all over.

More about the BLM Long Term Visitor Areas

There are 7 LTVA locations between Arizona and California. La Posa is in Quartzsite and has 4 separate areas, La Posa South, La Posa North, La Posa West, and Tysons Wash. The other 6 LTVAs are in California; Imperial Dam, Midland, Tamarisk, Pilot Knob, Hot Springs, and Mule Mountain. La Posa and Imperial Dam are by far the most popular/crowded. The services (water, dump stations, and trash) vary by location.

The sunsets are absolutely amazing. Just about every evening the sky changes colors as the sun sets, amazing blues, brilliant reds, soft pinks and so many others amazing shades in between. My favorite thing to do as the sunsets is to look west and give thanks for another wonderful day! I have more pictures of sunsets than anything else in my photo folder. 

                          

Not much wildlife here in the desert of Quartzsite but you can spot

Coyotes, Pack rats, roadrunners and hawks occasionally. The other day I was driving down the road and a roadrunner dashed across the road in front of me…it was being chased by a coyote. It was funny to see and reminded me of one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons…luckily the coyote wasn’t carrying any Acme dynamite or an anvil!

The washes

The LTVA area has washes all over the places. These washes are typically dry, but after a good rain they will fill up very quickly and become a bit dangerous, especially if you are camped near one of them. You need to be aware of them and pick your camp area accordingly. Last year we had an unusual amount of rain over a week and many of the washes around the area were flooded and caused some roads to be impassable with mud and debris.

The weather

November - February 76F - 41F averages Rainfall less than an inch per month. Note - the record high temperature in the summer is 121F, typical highs in summer high 90’s.

It's been as low as 35F overnight while I have been here.

It does get windy on some days so you need to secure everything but that usually only lasts a few hours. So far this season it’s been unusually windy, with gusts around 50mph and sustained winds about 25mph for many days. This blows the sand/dust around and it gets everywhere inside your rig and around your campsite.

Things to do in and around Quartzsite

Quartzsite gets very busy in January.  There are several big events happening in January.  The biggest event it the RV/Outdoor Expo. You can look at/buy RVs of all sizes as dealers from all over the country show their latest and greatest rigs. The Big Tent event has vendors displaying their goods for 10 days at the end of January.  Everything from tow hitches, bedding, crazy gadgets, fire pits, awnings to nut/bolts and connectors. It's packed with 1000’s of people everyday. The town also hosts and Rock and Gem show in January and a Gun/Ammo show as well. There is a huge parking lot area filled with many more vendors selling food, supplies, firewood and just about anything else you can imagine.

Yuma AZ is about little over an hour south and has all the amenities of a big town, including a Walmart, Costco, etc. where many of the desert dwellers head for supplies. My favorite pace is the Date Shop where you can load up on a variety of dates. Inexpensive and delicious!

Just across the US/Mexican border is the town of Los Algodones   where you can find dozens of dentists and pharmacies. They call the town Molar City due to the large number of dentists there. I got a cleaning last year for $30 and it was great. Good food and bars are all over the town and it's very safe to visit. It’s best to park your vehicle on the US side, parking is about $10-15 for the day and it's only a 10 minute walk across the border.

Lake Havasu AZ is about 1 hour and 15 minutes north of Quartzsite and is a fun place to send a day or two exploring.

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is 30 minutes south of Quartzsite and is a great place to hike and explore. The refuge is over 600,000 acres of protected wildlife lands.  

If you are into off-road vehicles there are 100’s are roads/trails to explore. Many of the RVers here tow their side-by-sides to the desert and use them to get further out into the desert or just for a quick trip to town.

I have enjoyed my time in and around the desert southwest and am looking forward to the 2026 season here. It’s a great place to spend time with friends that I have met over the last 3 seasons!