Fortuna Pond - CLOSED

When we passed through this area we were really excited to have actually found a place for camping in a tent, a lot of the area is surrounded by places which are designed for RV travelers, which makes it a little hard to enjoy the Yuma area.

Our excitement of the site however was a little short lived in some aspects. The port-a-potty provided was a bit deceiving, it wasn't really something you would ever want to use and look like it had been abused and possibly even dumped on its side at some point (GROSS). For that reason I had to mark this dispersed site down considerably. I would have probably rated it higher had it not even had one rather than a false ideal of having something and it being in poor shape.

We settled into the dispersed site and had amazing views and enjoyed some dry camping here following a fun day of historic sites in Yuma. Great place to get some sky photography for those which enjoy that as a hobby!

Tips:

* Check out the Yuma tours in town, you can get a map of the historic sites at the Territorial Prison and find out where the other places of interest are. It is the Wild West in a commercial way, but you can do the self tour without paying a guide.

* Bring all your supplies to this campsite because the closest store is a ways away. You can have campfires if you choose but there are no proper rings if you choose to do so and limited firewood.

Beautiful ... but.....

I stopped here for one night after driving from California. this is a cool place to Boondock. I was right on the pond and had no problems with anybody else. the bugs were not too bad. the sunrise was amazing. there are no facilities here. make sure you use the restroom before you come and bring what you need. it is also likely that you will not be able to have a fire.

serene

This little spot was so pretty. All of the spots go along the little pond. Tons of birds and wildlife. There was a small portapotty. You’re only about 15 minutes from town where you can fill up on water and food. 

Beautiful free spot!

Quiet little spot though plenty of people there. Friendly dogs, people said gets busy on the weekends.  Quiet dusty/sandy. Would return!  

Would return!

We stayed here for a week and had a blast. We had a little trouble getting there and ended up taking a very strange road in, which wasn’t helped by the fact that we arrived around sundown, but as long as it’s not muddy there’s no problem. The road in seems like you’re about to arrive on someone’s farm, but just follow the directions either on the maps or from the website and you’ll be fine. We got a perfect site right by the lake across from the bathroom (port-a-potty). Everyone who stays there was super friendly and nice, and many of them had dogs which was a plus. There is a private landing strip very close by, and one of the nights there was a plane flying around over the lake way too late, but that comes with the territory. Bring bug spray 

So much fun

We needed a place to stop for the night on a long trip and this place was great! We arrived around 10:30 pm on a Thursday night and found a private place easily. It’s down a few miles of a very well maintained dirt road. It’s a little buggy and dusty but overall was a perfect place to stop and nice waking up to water. 

Easy, quiet, cute 

Getting here is not for the faint of heart.  There are 2 ways in,  both require you to drive along irrigation roads... many camping opportunities along the lake,  or find a nook to get a private experience.   

Trash collection offered and there is a port o'potty available.   

Beautiful spot!  Feels like a summer in the Midwest, but its the middle of winter!

An oasis in the desert 

Many of the campers here were fishing from the shores around this small lake.  Others simply enjoyed the view of lake, ducks and other birds.  There was a large container for garbage and also a chemical toilet.

Small Comfortable Lakeside Community

Camp around the lake... everyone fits!  Large busses to tents.  Garbage and a portopotty on site.   Some long term residents live in tents, but clean for the most part.  Sandy ground... not level everywhere.  

Awesome oasis... perfect for fishermen!

Spacious spots, shady side for cars, tent camping, sunny side north side good for tv solar. Fishing surrounding pond.

Fortuna Pond

Gravel, sand, and dirt approach. Great spot found fast. Sand is smooth for laying a tent and pad. I did feel like a wood fire pizza baking on top of the hot sand. The sand never cooled down at night. My tent turned into a solo-sweat lodge. It was not spiritual experience. I can confirm that the pond nearby is in fact water. Cool water. Which, no surprise, is home to several extra spicy mosquitos. I’d definitely visit again to murder all those mosquitos. 10/10 recommend!

Baked, bit, and LIT

Looked like an awesome camp spot but by late afternoon on a Wednesday in November it was completely jammed! We could have squeezed in and most folks were parked pretty close to one another along the shore, but we were looking for a little more solitude!
I didn’t take any photos but it’s a 3.5mile drive in in a bumpy gravel road (but very passable) and then the camping area is mostly sand. 

Soooo busy we didn’t stay!

Really nice camping spot. Easy access to Lake for fishing. Dumpster in area. Shopping 20 mins away. Very good fishing for Trout and Cat.