Quartzsite… It’s Almost That Time Again!
Every January for 40 years now, nearly 1 million people (according to the AZ Hwy Dept), mostly in RV’s, converge on this sleepy little desert town called Quartzsite, located in Arizona just 20 miles east of the California border on Interstate 10. They come from all across the country for the rock, gem and mineral shows, plus numerous flea markets and of course, the Sports, Vacation, and RV Show which is now known as “The largest gathering of RV’ers in the world”. This year, it will run from Jan 17th through the 25th 2015 from 9 AM to 5 PM each day. In 1997, they added the Hobby, Craft, and Gem Show to the event .This has become another big draw, featuring a 69,000 square foot carpeted indoor exhibit area, and it is especially popular over the weekend where it runs concurrently with the Quartzsite Rock & Roll Classic Car Show where you can check out some of the Southwest’s finest custom hot rods, street rods, muscle cars and classics. Admission to all events is free, as is parking, and you can walk from one event to the next. Quartzsite is a huge destination for snowbirds, and doityourselfrv.com recently put out a great article on options for long term boondocking in Quartzsite on the cheap. One of the draws is that there are nearly 12,000 acres of BLM land available for really affordable long term camping. The La Posa Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) was created in 1983 to fulfill the needs of winter visitors and to protect the local desert ecosystem from over-use. The campground is approximately 11,400 acres in size, flat landscape, sparsely vegetated with plants such as Creosote bushes, Palo Verde trees, Ironwood trees, Mesquite trees and various species of cacti. The LTVA provides 10 vault toilets (handicap accessible), dry dump station, dump station with water, water station (eight faucets), trash services, some paved / improved roads, dance floor and ramada. There are also cultural sites, rockhounding, watchable wildlife, unique desert scenery, solitude, hiking opportunities and security. LTVA offers a season pass – good from September 15th to April 15th, that’s all seven months – for only $180. You can also purchase a short term permit good for 14 days, for only $40. What you don’t have on the LTVA land are electrical and sewer hookups. This means you’ll have to provide your own electricity and have a plan for waste management. There is a dump station available, but with all of the RV’ers using it, there is often a long wait in line. Here are some great tips for using generators, solar panels, and wind generators for power, as well as some helpful solutions for managing your waste. Boondocking long term will take some serious pre-planning, but it’s totally doable and can really be a great option. As always, we will be there and this time with more RV’s than ever. We’re getting ready now, and we’ll be making some awesome deals, so make sure you come find us when it’s time!
