Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Winterhaven, CA has a lot to offer. Winterhaven is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your California camping adventure.
$40 / night
"Camp spot is on the parking area, no hookups. Evenings and nights were quiet under the stars."
"Make sure to share your experience here!"
$20 / night
"if you like to drive offroad, this is the place for you! even if you dont,its fun to sled down the dunes."
"Not much to do if you don’t like off-roading. There are places to rent Atvs and side by sides if you don’t have your own. Bathrooms stink, but it beats squatting in the sun and sand in your bum."
"All the sites were empty as it was almost 100degrees outside and nothing for shade of a creature larger than a bird could find."
LegendNice BLM CG on Colorado River. Colo and AZ state line seems to bisect this area. CG has tables, fire rings vault toilets, dumpster, but NO water or RV dump. $15/$7.50 senior. 14d limit.
LegendMittry Lake free dispersed camping area.
This area is close to the Imperial Dam LTVA complex. The area is managed by the AZ fish and game and BOR. Camping limit is 10 days, free dispersed. There are 3-4 camping pod clusters seen from the main graded washboard gravel road. Lots of spots along the main road or tucked into the reeds. The area by the boat ramp has camping only in a designated area that looks recently created improvement. This boat ramp site also has a vault toilet and a dumpster. Cell signal is intermittent depending on your location.
I was disappointed at seeing a couple fire rings full of trash...
LegendLocated in the Imperial Dunes, we didn’t even realize this was a “campground” as we drove the short uphill to the lookout to see the dunes. There is a 14-day limit but unless you are really into cruising around the dunes on an OHV, I’m not sure why you would stay that long. It is basically a paved parking lot and there are no markers indicating a separation between “spaces” so you park/camp wherever you find room (there were some sections with no parking signs). Although the road and lot are paved, the wind will blow sand all over and it was VERY windy when we were there! There were two vault toilets, a covered picnic table and several fire rings but no other amenities. As far as I can tell, it is free to camp here. I did notice some RVs displaying rather strident political flags which would have made us uncomfortable staying here overnight so we enjoyed the dunes for a short while and drove on. A plus is the cell coverage is great (you are higher up) and the dunes are beautiful!
TravelerI 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.
ScoutThis is a dry camp, but fee based. $15.00 per vehicle, per night. Or half price with a federal park pass.
Plan on bringing water and the nearest dump area is Blythe, CA.
Close to Cibola Wildlife refuge.
Beautiful and quiet, family area.
Hosts are excellent and keep very clean bathrooms.
GuideNot the fanciest but it was a nice quiet area with full hookups. Only $40 a night included utilities and WiFi. We saw some wildlife. Nice little hike in the scrub pines. Close to town but far enough to feel like we were away from it all. Smaller park. I think 44 spaces. They had laundry room I didn’t use. Sell Propane if you need it. Offered bathrooms and showers but didn’t look very clean so I used my own since water was hooked up.
Rangerif you like to drive offroad, this is the place for you! even if you dont,its fun to sled down the dunes. small pit toilets that seem to be cleaned often but still smell, no water available and there are always beer cans thrown in the bathrooms. very popular with OHV and is pretty empty in the summer due to the extreme heat.
LegendThis gravel graded road crosses about 3 miles of BLM before you get to the KOFA NWR boundary. This BLM area is flat and has more room to spread out on the desert pavement fingers, plus a closeby cell tower gives 5 bars signal. Pure free boondocking, no water, no trash cans, no toilets. But the strong cell signal is the main draw here for boondockers. If you go too far into the NWR and get behind a low ridgeline, you will lose the cell tower signal.
GuideFrom Imperial Dam road, it is an approximate 5 mile drive down a dirt/gravel rock washboard at times road. It would have been a five star dry camp if the locals didn't trash the area and bathrooms. Areas that were once camping spots have been blocked off or signs posted no overnight parking and makes it limited on space. Thankful we came in October, so there was a few spots open.
Tent camping near Winterhaven, California, offers a unique blend of desert landscapes and outdoor adventures, perfect for those looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Winterhaven, CA is Buttercup Ranger Station with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.
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