Best Tent Camping near Quartzsite, AZ

You either LOVE or HATE the desert. Its hard to find an in-between. Black Meadow Landing is for all campers- whether you love or hate the desert BML will be a place that you will want to go back to. Just above the Parker Dam on the California side of fantastic Lake Havasu is a little slice of paradise. I had been going to Black Meadow Landing from 1984 to 2013- I had tent camped there as a kid as well as RV-ing. You can find all of the amenities one would need while being in the middle of a desert oasis. Too hot for the tent you brought? Rent a hotel room (I have never been in the rooms). Dont feel like cooking? Go to the diner. Forget something? You have a store right there. Need Gas? They have an on-water Cheveron for your boating needs or your land-bound vehicle needs. I golfed here during the monsoon season- its far too hot during summer to bring your clubs.
In the wonderfully hot nights I have chased wild burros attempting to get up close to them (as a young kid basically growing up here... stay away from wildlife.... watch and observe from afar). Wild Rams roam around every so often. Skunks will check out your trash at your site so be sure to dispose of your trash before you tuck-in for the night. Fishing is wonderful here. We used to fish from the docks and catch Large Mouth Bass and Catfish. Crayfish are plenty around the area and can be caught easily. You will see Carp and Perch and Bluegill as well. BML is right on the water and there are many RV sites that are waterside. I am not certain about tenting sites close to the water however you have a lagoon to swim in, a sheltered cove full of boating slips.

Since this is Lake Havasu, be forewarned that during holiday seasons it can get pretty crazy busy and the crowds are plenty- on the water and at the lake even at this campground. Most of the ordeal is up in Havasu City and populates in the Channel and under the London Bridge... so you are a ways from it all however close enough to make the North End a day trip.

Camped here during 2019, 4th of July weekend. Mobile home rentals available, full hookup RV services, and tent camping available. Echo Lodge is in a beautiful area situated on the Colorado River where the river water is just cool enough to take the sting out the 100+ degree temperatures. Plenty of boating, jet skiing, swimming, or lounging around on floatation devices to be had on the river throughout the site. Site has a small convenience store for ice runs and everyday supplies. Echo Lodge also offers a bar/restaurant in the kiddie pool/wade pool compound on site. Had a great time all around and met some very good people while there. Some of the permanent residents allowed our kids to use their lily pad which was a pleasant surprise to all of us. Just good vibes and good times. Hope to visit here again soon.

We've been to this campground twice, tent camping, and love the river access. Both times it got very windy, which made certain activities like cooking difficult. Went in summer to try and avoid people - 2 years ago before the Coronapocalypse, we had the place to ourselves, but in 2021 there were a couple more campers and also a few driving in and out, using as a day use area since most of the actual day use areas were full. There were also burros who came down to the river. They didn't mess with us, though one pregnant looking one stared at us a long time. I don't know if she was expecting to be fed maybe? The toilet is fine though we brought TP to be sure we'd have some. Pay attention to the reservations on the posts. Bring sunscreen and shade with stuff to windproof it. Stay up late and turn off your lights to enjoy the stargazing.

There are endless camping possibilities in Kofa. Primitive, dispersed real wilderness camping. No water. No toilets, no hookups, generators... and you have to have a 4x4 to get there! Just my kind of spot. I've explored all over this area by jeep, and by foot and never get bored going off on some new abandoned mine trail. There are hidden caves all around and great hikes to get there!

I'll just share my two favorite hidden gems in the area: Signal Peak is a must, and if you do, I recommend camping around Skull Rock. For a scenic offroad trail + neat cabin stay head to Kofa Mine Cabin!

For Signal Peak and the Skull Rock stay, you can park regular cars along Palm Canyon Road where the Kofa Natl Wildlife Refuge Brochures and info are and hop into a 4x4 for the rest of the drive. You'll need it. Don't attempt get to skull rock in any regular, vehicle, or anything without high clearance.

**NOTE: I have left a car in this lot with no issues while camping up in the canyon over night, but of course, do so at your own risk.

From that parking lot you head up to Kofa Queen Canyon and pick your spots for camping. There are plenty of good spots for tent on ledges, or on cots down near skull rock. Here you can grill and have general campfire fun.

The road to Skull Rock is undeveloped, needs high clearance and is a tight squeeze for wider vehicles. It will not accommodate campers or trailers. Tent camping only (aside from maybe your serious bug out vehicle!)

Skull rock camp spot is about a one hour and 45 minute drive from Yuma. From HWY 95 turn (east) onto Palm Canyon Road (not too far past the Border Patrol Checkpoint. Drive east 3.2 miles to Kofa Queen Canyon (KQC) Road on the left (north now). Follow KQC Road northeast about 7.5 miles into the Canyon to where a subsidiary Canyon opens up to your right (south). Passenger cars won't manage this last road. You'll need high clearance and preferably 4wd. The road inside the canyon is alternately rocky and sandy, and braids in and out with the wash. Just follow the 'better-looking' route if unsure at a junction. Enough people come up here you should be able to see lots of tire tracks.

*NOTE: There is no cell service at the campsite.

From here we drive down the trail bit further to get to Signal Peak (roughly 4,800ft), it's Kofa's highest peak. This is a strenuous hike with steep slopes and some scrambling, and should only be done by experienced hikers in good physical conditions with proper hiking boots. The beautiful view from from the top is absolutely worth the hike.

Dogs: Although I know of people who have brought dogs up here, it is a very rocky hike and could be very hot or treacherous for your pup. You may consider bringing a dog only if he is an avid hiker and has very strong paw pads (or hiking boots), and can physically handle the demands of this hike. Also, dogs as per Kofa National Wildlife Refuge Rules - are required to be on a leash at all times.

For the Kofa Mine Section, head on your way out to the Kofa Mine Museum and then just past it take the turn to Big Eye Mine - 15 mile offroad trail where a real, high clearance truck/jeep 4x4 is needed. There are at least 2 hairy sections that I even got a jeep stuck in for a minute. All of this area is full of mines and great open camping spaces.

Kofa was established in 1939 to be managed: “…as a representative area of lower Sonoran Desert habitat with a maximum diversity and abundance of native plants and animals and to protect and preserve the desert bighorn sheep and its habitat…” Since 1955, over 560 desert bighorn sheep have been trapped on Kofa and transplanted to other areas in Arizona, as well as to the states of New Mexico, California, Colorado, Texas and Nevada, to re-establish herds extirpated from habitat loss, development and over-hunting.

Unless you are a skilled Arizona adventurer, I'd advise against hiking or even offloading (in case something goes wrong) during the hot summer months when temperatures can rise to over 115 degrees F.

A big dusty parking lot of RV’s with both full hook-ups electric/water/sewer and dry camping options. There are a couple of clean flush toilets and a large dumpster available near the main entrance. The managers are sweet and helpful people and have been in the area for years!

The upside is that you can easily walk/bike to the Big Tent RV Show and just about anywhere in downtown Quartzsite, the downside is that you can hear the incessant hum of Interstate 10 and during January show time, it is crowded. We stayed here during the duration of the Big Tent RV Show in 2019 (10 days), while working the Renogy solar booth and easily walked back and forth every day.

Sunrises and sunsets are endless and jaw dropping! Easy access to town for food, gas, firewood, laundry, and just about anything an RVer or camper could need.

Check out this article for more info about the Quartzsite region: https://thedyrt.com/magazine/local/rv-campers-guide-quartzsite-az/

We stayed on this BLM land during the Quartzsite RV & Sports Show in January. The fee is $40 for 14 days. There is so much open land to camp on and it is level for the most part with beautiful 360’ views of mountains and desert. It was also very clean with no trash to speak of. The land is right off 95 and next to the big tents with easy access to the show.

For more campground and park reviews, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.

The new managers were very nice and super accommodating. It is right on the main street in Quartzsite so if you’re wanting easy access to walk to places it’s the place to be if you’re looking for something quieter not so much. It has laundry facilities Wi-Fi and full hook ups with pull through and back in.

There’s also a self-guided tour of tons and tons of sculptures made out of used horseshoes it’s a mechanical zoo basically is what they call it.

This is one five of 14 Day LVTA camping areas in the Quartzsite vicinity. It has a host on site. Lots of flat open spaces. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management(BLM). BLM lands have special rules, fees ( sometimes none) and can be popular with boon-docking. I only had a look around,. It did seem smaller and more densely populated than the other areas. I decided to continue on up the road and ended up staying in open BLM area just beyond Quinn pass. I have T-mobile service and phone was good, but data was painfully slow.

This is an open BLM camping area. The access is between Mike 134 and 133 on AZ hwy 95. It is about 11 miles south of Parker, AZ. You cross a cattle guard to access, then head down a dirt road. You can camp anywhere, but the better spots are after the second cattle guard. Cell service for Verizon is 3 to 4 bars. It is quiet from campers, but you can hear traffic on hwy 95. Services are close by in Parker, AZ, including dumping stations and water filling stations. There are several dumpsters around town, and a transfer station. This area is about 25 miles north of Quartzsite, AZ.

We generally avoid Quartzsite but we needed to dump and fill, plus shower and laundry, and with the Passport America discount you pay as much for a night's stay as you do to dump around here. We paid $22 for a spot here in November, so about double that without the discount. Their pricing structure is way too confusing, check out their website for details.

Basic RV park, all gravel, no picnic tables or any kind of division between sites.

Shower (there's only one) was clean and free, but a bit cramped.

Laundry was nice, only 3 washers and 3 dryers at $1.75 and $1.25.

There's a big selection of books and DVDs for exchange/ lending. There's also a kitchen and game area in the club house. There's also a dog run.

They have recycling here, and they even take glass.

There's free wifi but it's really weak, practically unusable.

Staff is friendly. Good for an overnight. Lots of long termers here.

My brother drove out from upstate NY to camp with me. We camped in several BLM dispersed camping areas in AZ and this was one of our favorites.  We were lucky to get a spot right on the river. The dirt roads getting back there were a bit rough especially for my brother whose van and trailer were low to the ground, but it was worth it. (We drove around 5mph towing our trailers so it took forever.)

There were other campers around us because we were on the river but it wasn't bad.  There was only a fifth wheel directly behind us on the river spaced much farther away than if we'd been in a paid park.  Across the road a delightful woman was camping with her converted cargo trailer and pet pig.  There were some other campers not too far away but you couldn't see them.  We had glorious sunsets each night. We were there in January 2021 and the weather was nice in my opinion; a bit chilly at night. We stayed at least 10 days a really enjoyed it.

The only negative was that around 5 or 6 pm most evenings very loud military planes flew over. It was a bit startling the first time, but we got used to it. We unhitched so could drive to Blythe CA for groceries (there's not much available in Quartzsite AZ.)

I'll definitely be going back to this campground.

Close to the big tent but road noise is an issue. Great service when the network isn’t overloaded during the big tent event.

I met up with an old Marine buddy of mine and my 15 year old son for some camping, fishing and offroading with my friends Polaris Razr. There is a nice boat dock that is well used. NOTE: The walking dock to get into your boat is not setup and is not functional. Fishing spots are around the camping sites... fishing from shore into the river is doable... but the flow of the river means you probably will be like I was just practicing your casts. The trails on the Arizona side off of Levee Rd. We're great. We went out into the desert by the Hart Mining area and saw Big Horn Sheep and a Log Cabin from 1910. The weather was great... wind did get a bit gusty in the afternoons. Other than that great sunrises and sunsets. Camp fire rings were full of past ashes. We dug ours out to make it better for a fire. The Vault bathrooms are Really Bad. Luckily I brought my privacy pop-up tent and Lowes bucket with a toilet seat. That was way better than the stench of the toilet. No water so you need to bring your own, same with firewood, toilet needs... no toilet paper provided, no sinks or clothes pins required. We were the ONLY campers in the main campsites by the off duty camp host trailer on the river on Sat night and woke up to an empty campground.

Living in a tent is a challenge, but it pushes me and bring out my basic survival instincts. Especially during the cold nights. But with preparation (be prepared as taught in boy scouts) and adapting to changing circumstances, it becomes a normal reality. Solar panel, 12v 100ah deep cycle battery and you have all the reserve power to recharge phones etc. And for that 12v 70watt electric blanket when needed.