Looking for tent camping near Parker Dam? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your California camping adventure.
Camping on public lands away from developed recreation facilities is referred to as dispersed camping. Most of the remainder of public lands are open to dispersed camping, as long as it does not conflict with other authorized uses or in areas posted "closed to camping," or in some way adversely affects wildlife species or natural resources. Dispersed camping is allowed on public land for a period not to exceed 14 days within a 28 consecutive day period. The 28 day period begins when a camper initially occupies a specific location on public lands. The 14 day limit may be reached either through a number of separate visits or through 14 days of continuous overnight occupation during the 28 day period. After the 14th day of occupation, the camper must move outside of a 25 mile radius of the previous location until the 29th day since the initial occupation. The purpose of this special rule is to prevent damage to sensitive resources caused by continual use of any particular areas. In addition, campers must not leave any personal property unattended for more than 10 days (12 months in Alaska). Campsite Selection Dispersed camp sites are located along most secondary roads and may not be marked. Popular locations can be recognized by the telltale flat disturbed area that has been used as a camp site before. Not all flat spots are sites. If possible, please use existing sites to avoid creating new disturbances. To further protect your public lands, campers must not dispose of any refuse, hazardous materials, sewage, or in any manner pollute the surrounding area.
Guide
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.
Ranger
This is a small campground located right next to the Colorado River. This site has a motel, RV and what looks like tent sites. Looks clean and has views of the docks right on the water
Scout
I camped here in late November (not during any festival or anything) so this place was very nice and roomy with great cell service, and a quick and easy drive in - just a few minutes from town. Zero hassle. Very rocky if you’re tent camping but other than that, no problems.
Guide
This campground is very well maintained. There ate concrete pads, picnic table and firerings. There are bathrooms and fresh water hydrants. The bathrooms ate clean. I heard owls hooting, saw some rabbits, and heard coyotes at night. There are drive thru sites for big rigs. There is tent camping. There is a camp host year round. Weather was. Mild views were great.
Traveler
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.
Ranger
What a fun place for you and your kids! Lots of River activities and ATV trails. If you don't have the toys, they have all types of rentals available for purchase (1/2 day and full day increments).
The cottages were beautiful, the on site restaurant was huge and inviting! There are tent sites, RV sites, and boat docks.
I have T-Mobile, and didn't receive any signal while I was there.
Traveler
Buckskin is an amazing park. We have tent camped and RV camped there. Hookups and restrooms are great. The showers are also nice. The best part is, you’re on the Colorado River!!! There are 2 beaches, one you can beach your boat and another that has a designated swimming area. (If you plan on leaving your boat overnight, anchor out about 10-20 feet from shore. The water level drops a few feet at night.) they are also planning to remodel the closed restaurant on site. This is a very friendly family environment.
Ranger
This is our 2nd stay at Lake Havasu State Park. We had site C-2 in the cabin loop with W/E. Recommend weekdays if you like quiet camping. We were there Monday thru Thursday with only a couple days advanced resi and had the cabin loop all to ourselves until the last night. Most weekends are booked. As always the park is immaculate with nice personal combo bathrooms & showers. Clean & level tent sites as well. The park staff had huge smiles and waves at the gate every time we returned from our days adventure. Great welcome!
LegendPROS:
CONS:
Overall a well maintained and friendly park. Would come again.
Traveler
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.
Traveler
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.
Guide
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.
Ranger
First, you get what you pay for, this tent site was 5.00 per night! The location is great, right on the Colorado River. We made reservations ahead of time using reservation.gov. We knew there were no amenities but were ok with it.
I use a rating scale based on amenities, location, cell service, cleanliness and campsite.
There is no running water available at the site, only one vault toilet, obviously no showers.
The campsite itself was great, nice shady spot with a grill, picnic table and did I mention right on the water.
Cell service was spotty, usually one bar with AT&T.
There are wild burros that roam the area and we were quite surprised that they walked through our campsite down to the water.
We stayed on a Friday night and there were people riding motorcycles or ATVs through the park chasing the burros, making a lot of noise. Also people on the river all through the night making lots of noise.
We rented kayaks in Parker AZ, Parker watercraft and it was great, we loved every minute.
While there we also made the quick trip to Lake Havasu city to see the London Bridge.
GuideCattail cove was another Havasu Campground my family frequented from 1984 to 2000 It has awesome memories of hiking along the red rocks and lake, following wild Ram through the mountainsides and finding great cliff-jumping spots into the refreshing waters in summer heats. It DOES get very hot here in the summer, so be prepared. I have been during a record 132-degree days. You stay in the water and dont get out under some shade!
Excellent swimming areas. Good docks for your boats- but make sure you have some good bouis so you dont get any damage. The restaurant / bar used to be really good. In 2012 we visited it and it was not great... but we didnt get sick. Functional store. Gas available for your boat or vehicle. Clean nice bathrooms. OK Campgrounds... clean, more-so meant for motorhomes however some pretty good tent sites in the valley area.
At night bring out your black light and look for scorpions. You'd never even know they were there if you were enjoying the night sky on the jetty. Awesome wildlife and nature. While wild burros / donkeys are more predominant on the California side of the lake you'd still be likely to see some. Skunks. Bats. Owls. Hawks. Rams, snakes (rattlers, king snakes, gophers and more though the campground maintenance is pretty good about keeping it safe). Great large mouth bass fishing, catfish and other species, crawdads, and other fun finds. I used to enjoy skin diving near the cliffs there and in coves.
Guide
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.
Ranger
Cute little RV park in the middle of nowhere, Arizona. We stopped for a quick overnight while transiting back to Nevada. Definitely resupply before arrival. There's not much around and the fuel station across the road has long since closed.
Super friendly staff and nice facilities. The grounds are extremely well-kept. Sparkling clean bathrooms and generous common areas. Wide lanes and easy access for large rigs. The sites are level and a fairly standard spacing for an RV park. We were fortunate in not having neighbors so it felt like we had more space for our short visit. There are no tables or grills at the individual sites which I generally like to see at this price point. The road noise was tolerable.
We got a good laugh at seeing a cell tower across the street and thinking we'd have a strong signal. Nope. Just the slightest, unusable trickle on Verizon and AT&T anyway. I had a meeting to call into so upon checkin they suggested the best place to get a strong connection on their wifi was to be in the main building. I still struggled immensely to connect to begin with and then stay connected even in that scenario which was frustrating, obviously. We didn't have a booster then so I'm not sure if it would have been manageable to continue working with one.
They have a nice little dog park and our boy was happy to finally stretch his big legs off-leash. I like that they offer a tent camping area as well which many RV parks don't. That's a big bonus in a remote area with few options since I camp in all the varieties of ways-- RV, auto, and motorcycle. It's nice to know this place is here for any of my adventures.
Scout
I grew up in Arizona and had never been to Alamo Lake. The lake is kind of in the middle of nowhere but what a hidden treasure. We camped there in March 2018. It was on the warm side. The area is best suited for camping October - March. This is the desert people. Or if you have a giant RV with air conditioning and cable television, you could go anytime. Fish early in the morning and late at night.
The campground is rather large with different areas for tent camping and hook-ups. We stayed with an electric and water hook-up in a pop-up tent trailer. There were lots of big rigs and toy haulers. We definitely had toy envy with only our pop-up and kayaks. This is a big ATV area so there were lots of ATVs riding around. People also had speed boat and canoes. The campground was not completely full even though it was Easter weekend. It was also relatively quiet. The bathrooms were sparkling clean and had nice showers with hot water. There was also an AMAZING fish cleaning area at each campsite loop. If you aren't really a campsite person, there is dispersed camping available by the shore but you need to drive down a dirt road through a tiny fork in the road "town" called Wayside. There is a bar/restaurant/store/campground/gas station in Wayside. The next town is about 30 miles away.
We found some great fishing which is unusual for Arizona. We caught bass, bluegill and catfish. We saw people catching a lot of fish. They have bass fishing competitions at this lake and I can see why.
The lake is surrounded by pretty red mountains. The sky is a beautiful blue. I highly recommend the area. Not too crowded, good fishing, nice clean campground. What more could you want but maybe a nice cold beer!
Legend
if your not familiar with Laughlin it is super hot we came in October and it was still hot as can be, not as bad as the summertime and for sure not as crowded, we came on a weekday so I do recommend coming during the week. The water is still refreshing because it's still hot as heck out there…..Ok on to the good stuff, so the beach area is amazing. honestly, it's super neat and crystal clear river water and sandy beaches. The best part of this site for sure!!!!! the campsites are super clean, and not on the beach area in case you were wondering you can walk or drive… ok so the campgrounds have desert landscape and NO trees between spaces, clean bathrooms and showers oh and the showers cost quarters so make sure you bring them.. anyway besides desert landscaping the spaces are pretty spaced out but still NO trees, also you're super close to a major street in Laughlin so not really impressed by that, the only spot that was left was right by that and you hear cars for a good amount of our stay.
if you have the NV state park pass be prepared to pay 10 dollars additional without an RV it's one of the few places I have noticed that make you pay even if you are tent camping, so make sure you put that in your budget!!
So the grounds are dirt roads but the parking places are paved and they do have tables and awnings for each spot. some are pull through as well and like I said full hooks up and they do have a dump station right when you pull in so it's convenient for before and after dumping needs…
like I said it's hot even in October and November but it's not busy at all on the beach. Cool little gem because of the beach for sure!! Also just for extras.. raccoons, and skunks roam these areas at night so have your food and vehicles secured
cheers!
GuideCrossroads 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.
Scout
Close to the big tent but road noise is an issue. Great service when the network isn’t overloaded during the big tent event.
TravelerFacilities are clean and spots are plentiful May-September due to the extreme heat. All sites are pull through RV sites that easily accommodate 2-3 tents (4man). Rumors have it they are clearing sites to create a tent only section but it will not be ready until fall 2020.
Until then expect to pay the $20/night + $10 utility hookup.
Legend
so this place is huggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…. but it's super dope!!!!! Bad to freakin bone, talk about lakefront…. so you can have travel trailers, tents, RVs anything and they accommodate you. Bonfires lakefront heck yes they got that, hookups for sure, no hookup but trailer? yes they got that too… loved this place for so many reasons, it was clean and packed but the environment is so fun and chill. if you have a tent they have a wall surrounding the tent areas and you put your tent on soft sand, they do have some covered areas near the lake for day use but trust me they will be taken quickly.
Love this place!!!!!! Family-friendly and dog friendly
Here are my star ratings based on my lifestyle and what I like. I'm also a mother, dog mama, and a wife so it's not just me it's my crew and i. 1 star- AUTOMATIC relocate… the property is no longer there, trashed or/and I could never have my children there and I wouldn't ever think about staying no matter what. 2 star- Not really my jam, and would NEVER go to again… It probably more of desert life and not really my style for sure…Being from Vegas I can't stand being in the desert and I love the Trees and the Green more than anything. 3 star- Would stay there again in a pinch, but not really my style, the reason its not is because not enough family things to do, the scenery, or the location… but I would go again and feel safe having my kiddos here but only if I needed to in a pinch. 4 star- a really good rating for sure, maybe needed some improvements, minor things like being on top of each other, not a lot of privacy, but honestly little cosmetic things that aren't anything to sweat and would be back again for sure. 5 star- MY FAVORITE… love the location, safety, the surroundings, big camp spots available to fit toys for my kids to play, hammocks to hang, our big family tent, cases of firewood, our suburban or RV, etcccccc….. I would not only come back but would live if I could!!! Anyway thanks for reading and enjoy every moment like it's your last! CHEERS!
GuideI used to visit this state park for Spring Break back in the 90's. Lots of people and lots of fun. Plenty of places to put up a tent and relax or party!
RangerI have logged more than 30 trips to this campground since the 80s. Sadly, my last visit September 2020 I discovered that the store, boutique, arcade, restaurant, dock and gas station were gone! Bulldozed. There was no warning or notification when making reservations. There was no.access to convenient purchases or fuel. The campground now caters more to rvs than tents but tents are still allowed. There are bathrooms with showers at no charge. But not as clean as they used to be. Please be cautious of the water levels if you are not experienced with this section of the Colorado River in Parker. The dam limits water flow overnight and the river drops. It rises during the day and is extra high in late afternoon evening time. People often lose watercraft, boats and beach gear because they.are not aware.
TravelerThis place is amazing. It’s feel like you are camping in wilderness. Lots of wildlife and beautiful views. The rangers are pretty kind. Plenty of services for campers (Tents, RV’s, cabins) and daily visitors.
GuideEnjoy Lake Havasu by being right on the lakeside. What better way to beat the dry, Arizona desert heat. We tented the weekend we camped. We also had hammocks to lounge in during the day when not in/on the water. Nice facilities and an easy way to enjoy Lake Havasu affordably.
Traveler
Lots of sites for rvs and tents, usually quite a few folks out there but it is quiet. There are rock fire rings and if you go a bit further down the road there are secluded sites. Would not attempt to get to those sites with a car though. Not too far from Parker AZ and Lake Havasu.
Tent camping near Parker Dam, California, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape into the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Parker Dam, CA is North of Rovey's Rock with a 2-star rating from 1 review.
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