Campsite Review Quartzsite Plomosa Road “Campground” is north of the town of Quartzsite and to the east of Highway 95. Hundreds of campsites are available on both sides of the road.
Quartzsite is located on Interstate 10 west of Phoneix on the way to California. Exit I-10 north on Highway 95 then east on Plomosa Road. Quartzsite is one of the biggest RV locations in the world. In the Quartzsite area, there are ten thousand campsites in every direction from the city center. Perhaps there may even be one hundred thousand campsites. I would suggest that no one has ever counted them. All of this is BLM land and owned by the public. It is controlled, and there are Rangers even though it is an open desert.
We stayed at locations that are free, but require you to move your RV to a new campsite every 14 days. There is a paid option called the long-term-visitor-area, which has a cost associated with camping in BLM areas, but also have some amenities, such as trash service.
Be careful to pick a location that is elevated above the shallow washes and primarily stone and not sand. All small depressions may turn into creeks during infrequent rains.
Your stay is limited to 14 days.
Pack it in –pack it out. There are no services in this area.
Here is our post describing when we stayed at Quartzsite. Quartzsite No, Maybe, Yes
More information about Quartzsite in this post. Why Quartzsite
Campsite Review Quartzsite Details
Website: Bureau of Land Management
Address: Plomosa Road is about 5 miles north of Quartzsite
Link to Google Map for the area: Quartzsite BLM Plomosa Road
Phone Number/Reservations: None
Dates stayed: February 18-19, 2020, February 21-26, 2020, March 1-2, 2020
Comfort: Temperatures were nice in the daytime with full sun and no shade. At night the temperature dropped into the 50-degree range.
Elevation: 900′
Season: Year-round, although temperatures in the summer are extremely hot.
Price Paid: Free
Our Site: Not designated
Hook-ups: None
Dump station: No
Restrooms: No
Shower: Bring your own
Laundry: Are you kidding
Potable Water: None
Water to fill your RV storage tank: None
Cell service: Verizon – good service / AT&T – good service cell phone service suffers in January due to the number of customers in the area clogging the channels. Our cell phone booster was able to cut through the jam and get better service than most customers experienced.
Campsite Review Quartzsite Observations
Campsite Review Quartzsite, Plomosa Road “Campground” insider info:
Every campsite in this area is different. All are exposed directly to the sun. There is no shade except that which you bring yourselves.
This is a brown place with very little vegetation when it is windy, expect the dust to be in the sky, for miles.
Bonus
The bonus is that it is free, dry, and warm in the winter — compared to nearly every other location in the country. Off-road vehicles are a bonus in this area. There are miles of trails to explore if you have the right toys.
That is our campsite review Quartzsite, Plomosa Road “Campground”.
Here is our link to our interactive map. Campsite Reviews
Caution
During infrequent rains locations at lower elevations may turn into a creek, without notice and serious flooding may occur. During thunderstorms on the dry mountains to the east, the creek bottoms will turn into flash flood zones. Flooding may cut off exit points, perhaps for days before the roads dry out. All that said, assuming you pick the right weather and assuming you are prepared for this kind of camping, this part of the desert is a good place to stop.
Avoid any location that appears to have trees or growth other than cacti of several types, this indicates above-average water for the area and thus is a location to expect to flood.
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