RV parks near Winterhaven, California extend into the neighboring city of Yuma, Arizona, located along the Colorado River at an elevation of 138 feet. The area experiences extremely hot summer temperatures often exceeding 110°F between June and September, with mild winters drawing seasonal visitors. Camping facilities remain open year-round with most parks offering level sites accommodating various RV sizes.
What to do
Water activities: access the Colorado River via Hidden Cove RV Park, which offers boat-in access for campers wanting to fish or paddle along the river. The park provides full hookups with 50-amp service and a sanitary dump station.
Shopping convenience: walk to retail stores from Encore Suni Sands. "We loved that it is located next to Walmart and they have a dedicated security gate right into the Walmart parking lot! You can push your shopping cart right to your site and they come around and collect them and return them to Walmart," reports one camper.
Social activities: participate in community events at Desert Holiday RV Resort. "There are tons of community events, social gatherings, games & sports. Sites are level and wide and affordable," notes a camper. The resort offers scheduled activities throughout the winter season when the population swells with seasonal residents.
What campers like
Heated pool access: swim year-round at Encore Desert Paradise. "We spent a lot of time in the pool and hot tub. Other amenities are a game room, adult center, Laundry, shuffleboard, fitness center, and horseshoes," writes one visitor. The pool remains a central gathering place during cooler months.
Dog-friendly facilities: utilize fenced pet areas at Encore Cactus Gardens. "There is a pool, huge dog park, darts, shuffleboard, park, billiards, library, laundry, and community room," notes a guest. The dog park provides ample space for pets to exercise off-leash.
Senior-focused amenities: enjoy age-restricted community at Encore Araby Acres. "We really enjoyed our stay at this RV resort. The residents are very friendly, guess they like the constant new folks coming in all the time. Ask the residents about the attractions. They have great suggestions as what to go see," shares a visitor.
What you should know
Age restrictions: verify requirements before booking as many parks cater exclusively to seniors. "This is a 55 plus retirement RV community. Daily weekly and monthly rates. Full hookups with 30 or 50 amp. It is tidy and clean clean clean," notes a visitor to Encore Cactus Gardens.
Airport proximity: expect aircraft noise at certain locations. "Unfortunately close to airport. Military jets take off and landing. Very noisy, but just for a short amount of time. It starts at around 8:30 in the morning and ends around 10:00 pm at night," reports a visitor to Encore Suni Sands.
Cellular coverage: check carrier compatibility before arrival. "We have t-mobile phones with WI fi access. Sometime it would not connect at all. Don't know about other service providers, but T mobile is bad," notes a camper at Suni Sands. Several parks offer limited WiFi only in common areas.
Tips for camping with families
Movie nights: borrow DVDs on site from common areas. "We borrowed a dvd from the lending library for the evening," notes a visitor at Desert Paradise, which maintains a selection of movies for guest use.
Pool hours: plan swim times accordingly as policies vary between resorts. "The pool is really nice and open 24 hours," mentions a camper at Suni Sands, while other parks restrict pool access to specific hours.
Entertainment options: use on-site recreation areas for family activities. "There are 30/50 amp FHU sites and all are back-in. They are a little narrow, but a wide road for maneuvering," notes a Desert Paradise visitor who also appreciated the central activities building.
Tips from RVers
Site selection: request specific locations to minimize noise. "We were in the back part of the rv park, so road noise was at a minimum," shares a visitor to Araby Acres, indicating that interior sites offer quieter conditions than those near roads.
Spacing considerations: book off-season for more room between sites. "This park has many great features. We were here in summer which is too hot and had plenty of space for our 41ft 5th wheel. Length wise it's great. But if you come in winter which is high season here, you will barely be able to open your popouts or Awning," advises a Suni Sands visitor.
Parking strategy: plan site approach carefully at certain parks. "We managed to park (back in) without un-hooking the TT, too, saving some effort the next morning," shares a Desert Paradise visitor, noting this convenience for overnight stays.
