Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Parker Dam, CA

We got to stay here for three nights and it is so peaceful the river runs right beside the park wonderful dog park the other campers were so friendly

Large campground with many permanent squatters. Positioned directly on the Colorado R. about 3-4 miles below Parker Dam. This could be a nice campground with the mountain views over the river. But the rundown nature and lack of maintenance here is very noticable. This place is definitely past it's prime. There is no cell service so you must rely on wifi, of which, there is none. I asked at the office...nope, none. There is a nice area right on the river to walk your dog or whatever. Sites are cramped, and there is not much gravel. Worst picnic tables I have ever seen situated between the tight(!) spots. Tiny homes are available for sale along the shoreline, so camping spots are slowly being devoured.

We had a large shady site with river views.  It is a beautifully kept campground. Our dogs enjoyed the spacious and grassy dog park. Bathrooms/showers were basic and kept clean and functional.  Cell service was nonexistent for T-Mobile.  There is a boat ramp and designated swimming area. Very family friendly. There was no excess noise from campers or dogs.  A great experience.

Very nice $30 full hookup. Dry camping also available. Usually booked Fri and Sat in winter as big swap meet there. River access, restaurant on premises, not too far from Parker AZ. Marked down because of water . 3 dog parks on site, showers

River Island is one of the nicest state parks I have been to.  All of the facilities are extremely well kept with immaculate bathrooms and an awesome dog park!  There is a boat launch and an area where ever the dogs can cool off in the lake.  In addition to enjoying the lake, there is an MTB Trail system just outside of Havasu City (20 Miles) with a good mix of riding.

Lots of flying bugs 30 min before and after sunrise and set but they all go away. Not many camping spots but close to water and clean restroom with hot showers. Boat launch, lots of RV parking dog friendly with a dog park. Get good water shoes or your feet will be cut up from river rocks that are everywhere. Close tent camping so if you hate people walking through or around this is not ideal for you.

We did a Friday-Monday extended weekend here. Great place, friendly staff, dog park and a short walk to the beach / cove area. We weren’t too fond of the 120° we experienced on our stay, but the cool water kept us all comfortable. We stayed in spot 12 and had no complaints it suited us perfectly!

Great way to afford enjoying Lake Havasu. Note this is an Arizona State Park so daily vehicle rates do apply if just visiting and/or camping. Located on the east side of Lake Havasu side in Arizona state border. California to the west separated by the Colorado River/Lake Havasu. Lake Havasu City is 19 miles away and the Parker strip is 8 miles away (Lake Havasu separated by the Parker Dam). Remember you're camping in a hot, dry desert climate and limited shade as only palm trees and small shrubs. Campground has showers and restrooms as well as RV dump station. If you're looking for a place to enjoy Lake Havasu, lounging in the water or boating, highly recommend Cattail Cove State Park. A little more remote than right in the city.

Buckskin is another favorite if you don’t mind the heat but want to be within walking distance to the water. The river is extremely busy during the summer months. You can swim close to shore but can’t swim across the river as you’ll get ran over. Great beach areas to beach boats and play in the water for the kids. We stayed in 57 which was close to the dump station but wasn’t busy until Sunday at check out time. There is a dog park on site. Cell phone service is terrible. (Verizon). The resturant and store recently closed. As well as the gas station. We heard that on the California side there was a newer site opening and an arcade but never checked it out.

Crossroads Campground is located on the riverfront of the beautiful Lower Colorado River. This campground is popular with winter visitors looking to enjoy the warm winter temperatures and relax on the riverfront. This campground has great access to fishing, boating and off-roading.

Natural Features:

The campground is situated on the shoreline of the Lower Colorado River. The river runs through a backdrop of steep rocky terrain, and wind shaped sand dunes. The area is teeming with wildlife, especially fish, migratory birds and small mammals.

Recreation:

The Lower Colorado River offers excellent boating, fishing, canoeing and swimming opportunities. The campground provides river front views and a beach.

Just follow the Parker Dam Road Scenic Backcountry Byway to various recreation sites along the river. The Rock House Visitor Center and Boat Launch are within a mile of the campground, and offers information and a free boat launch open year-round.

Other popular activities in the Parker Strip Recreation Area include hiking, biking, rock hounding and off-road vehicle travel.

Facilities:

This small campground contains individual campsites and one accessible campsite. All of the sites are dry camping (no water) and provide a picnic table and grill. 

One vault toilet is available. There is a Campground Host available to answer questions.

Nearby Attractions:

The Copper Basin Dunes and Crossroads Off- Highway Vehicle Open Areas offer miles of off-road adventures. Rock hounders enjoy hiking and driving through the area to search for unique rocks. 

Rock House Visitor Center has a free boat launch and a visitor center stocked with brochures and information about the area.

It’s overall a decent place with lots of amenities and things for kids to do. Rv Sites were just too close together and it’s dirt and there was some trash. It’s great for those with boats and OHV’s. there is water and a beach to swim. You have to have a membership to stay or be invited as a guest. They do have full hookups and a dog beach so pets are welcome. Be prepared for lots of noise and activity because it’s a busy place. Be sure to say hi to the donkeys that wander throughout the grounds.

We absolutely adore this campground. It sits right off of a cove off the river, so if you have kiddos, it’s perfect! It keeps you away from all the boat traffic and is an ideal spot to kayak, swim, fish, and hike. There’s also a pet run, as well as a pet friendly area of the beach. The campground is well maintained and we love the staff! The camp hosts have been delightful each time we’ve been. When we’ve gone during spring, we experienced high winds. The September time frame seems to be perfect for us.

The bathrooms were clean, the campsite was beautiful, there was a beach that was pet friendly. The employees were super friendly.

We arrived with no issues, though our RV GPS wanted to take us to the main ranger station about 4 miles before the campground(CG). Waze took us right to the CG. We arrived 30 minutes after their 2:00 PM check-in time, and the little ranger station was closed, so we proceeded to water and electric(50/30/20 AMP) site 23 and had no problem backing into this site. The utilities are centered on the pad, which was nice, and the water pressure was about 40 psi. One of the first things we noticed about this CG was how clean it was when we saw camp hosts cleaning sites and manicuring the gravel around them. The sites here are decently spaced. Site 23 was long enough for our 40’ 5th wheel with space to park our F450 off to the side of the asphalt pad. There was also a jumbo-sized picnic table and a stand-up barbecue. The Verizon signal was iffy, sometimes getting 1 bar depending on where you are in the CG. They have Wifi at the ranger station, which was okay. There are shade trees here and there throughout the CG, but we had no problem getting a clear shot of the northern sky for Starlink. This state park has a nice-sized agility dog park in which they have grass and keep it watered. Suggest you arrive before 3:00 PM as the office closes early. Parker about 20 minutes away has your major amenities such as Walmart. Lake Havasu City has some tourist attractions worth checking out, such as the London Bridge. You cannot beat the mountain views, and we wished we’d stayed longer than just four days.

If you like the desert you will love this spot. Nestled below Dome Rock is this group of BLM camp sites. Beautiful sunsets. Do watch out for the cactus if you have pets. Water and dump facilities are in Quartzsite, just a few minutes away. There are other sites around Dome Rock. Just look on the map for BLM land and enjoy.

This site is along the Chambers Well Road ( no signage though), it is noted as BLM trail road #682. Go past the aqueduct ROW and camp on other side....road is a bit loose gravel due to use by trail types. Cell service very good. Hwy 62 noise is likely. This is close to Vidal Jct and there are other larger and quieter BLM dispersed areas farther east toward Parker, hence the two stars. Not sure on width of water utility ROW or if they care about camping but try to go as far as you can away from the water canal. Just stay away from the open water areas, watch your pets!!

Alamo state park wasn’t all that bad. Due to the virus and our sons upcoming surgery plus several parks and lake being closed this was the only option. The wild burros are a very neat site and great to watch! The lake unfortunately was experiencing a blue green algae bloom 🤢 Park rangers advised to NOT let pets or small children in the water. And fishing was also a bust due to water conditions. Our trip was the end of May so we did experience 110° during our weekend stay. We used the Choilla camp ground (C12) nice pull through spot with water & 30amp and was big enough to accommodate a second vehicle with our Jetskis.

Over all we were happy with our stay and would recommend / plan to visit again in fall or spring when the temps are cooler