The Mittry Lake Wildlife Area includes about 600 acres of surface water and 2400 acres of marsh or upland. A wide variety of vegetative and wildlife species can be found here, with a scenic backdrop of three mountain ranges. Numerous serpentine waterways connect to the main lake body and make exploring by boat a unique experience. This area is jointly managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Mittry Lake Wildlife Area

March 23, 2018

Mittry Lake

North of Yuma, AZ

This was a quick, overnight stop on the way to somewhere after taking care of some business in Yuma. The lake is part of a system of small reservoirs on the lower Colorado River backed up by Martinez Dam and is heavily used winter visitors (snowbirds) in RV’s.

The RV’s are necessary since the camping area, while free of charge and worth it, is not overloaded with amenities. The lake has dumpsters and boat ramps but not much else besides a place to park. Parking is first come, first served and I would expect at the height of winter in the East this place gets very full since it was well-populated when I arrived.

Mostly it is a place to spend time on the cheap or the locals to drop a boat in the water for slow-speed recreation. Tried fishing from the shore and while fishing is always good, the catching is variable, in this case, nuttin.

If you are camping with an RV, Mittry Lake would be a lovely place to spend a few days between October and April, not so much in summer.

Dispersed lakeside camping better for RV

I camped here for a few weeks in January. It is beautiful and quiet even though I had quite a few neighbors. I found being by the lake brought more mosquitos so I camped on the raised portion just south of the lake. There are lots of birds! Also a few trails around the area through rocky hills. I thoroughly enjoyed my time staying here, and it was just a few minutes from town. It is just far enough outside of town to not have cell service. There are well maintained facilities. My dog loved getting to swim everyday! Overall i cant reccomend this place enough. I loved it and the convinience of it. 

Sweet little getaway

we adventured out to mittry lake in Arizona and boy was it beautiful.  we brought our paddle boards to use on the lake and it was peaceful.  not too many people were camping but during the day it was loud with people driving by with their boats.  at night... the mosquitos came out and ate us alive.  being from southern california, we haven't experienced mosquitos in a very long time.   so make sure to be prepared.  

bring bugspray

I didn't choose to park right next to the lake but was on the other side of the dirt road. Real nice place to relax, camp out, ride my bike, all for free.
Felt very safe and had no issues during the stay.
Its close to town if needed also. Never saw bugs and wind was pretty calm 

Nice and quiet during the night.

Stayed north on Milltry Lake ( free camping area on Google ). Great. Zero amenities and small and quiet. Just a ( kind of ) boat dock. Plenty of amenities at the main lake area, that's not for me.

I stay away from the crowds

We enjoyed our 3 day stay here, but had a big dusty mess to clean up afterwards. Fishing revealed catfish and bass at the waters edge. A watercraft would be ideal; no swimming allowed. We parked on the lake near the road when gravel trucks worked weekdays. They did a good job of wetting down the road with water trucks. We might stay up on the “second deck” next time. 

Beautiful desert spaces 

BLM free camping on the waterway at Mittry lake. There's a boat launch area, trash service, and cell service (4g T-Mobile).

You are next to the road so it's not a lot of privacy but there were few people camping.

Drive down a half mile further to the oasis ... Palm 🌴 trees line walk out areas that just into the lake. Perfect spot for a picnic and afternoon sunning and reading.

Quiet Canal camping

Pulled in on a Monday afternoon and there were several other campers but had no issue finding a spot. I drove past the boat ramp for more secluded sites. There’s 2 vault toilets and trash services by the boat ramp. Very quiet at night and felt safe. Had great cell service and no issues with working remotely. Traffic during the day but expected with a lake. Only stayed for a night but would definitely stay again. Be prepared for mosquitos though. It wasn’t unbearable but definitely a lot lingering around. 

Peaceful night 

Great views

Really great place.  Primitive boondocking.  Trash cans at boat ramp/day use area. Pretty crowded but not hard to find a secluded spot. No water or dump. Had to use the WeBoost for decent cell service.  

Quiet and beautiful 

This is a great spot to spend multiple days. We got here on a Sunday and it was a little busy. Lots of atv's so it was a little dusty.  We found a spot a little off the road and up a little higher.  Much more quiet and less dusty. On Monday, it was far less traffic. We took our 37' fifth wheel here with not much problem.  The road does have some "wash boarding" in some places. 

Beautiful, senic easy access. 

We drove pretty far out Mittry Lake Road to the “free camping” spot labeled on Google maps. There are lots of other dispersed spots on the way in (but we’re full) and a big dispersed camping lot with parking spots as well. This is a busy area with lots of folks around. Everyone was respectful when we were here but don’t expect too much solitude or privacy. Road in is in great shape, packed gravel. Lots of the camp spots are dirt. Beautiful sunsets and lots of birds chirping. A very lovely spot to be…but with lots of company. 