Location: Quartzsite LTVA

Cost: $180/7 months

Date: September 15 – April 15

Must see places to visit: Colorado River, Kofa Park, Lake Havasu, Parker, Yuma

Pros: This could be a paradise for fulltime rv people! Mountain views with desert landscaping. Lots of choices to park. Free water, dump and garbage – life’s necessities. Nearby laundromats (2) and small grocery stores. The annual tent show in January is a must for learning about RV related items, rock and gem shows, meet people. Dirt trails to drive on nearby and the typical nice weather Arizona offers in the winter.

Cons: Limited things to do in Quartzsite as some businesses have closed. Can get crowded in the winter due to the tent show, cheap living and snowbirds. How many times do you want to drive the same dirt trails?

Location: Tonopah, about an hour west of Buckeye

Cost: Free/14 days

Best time to visit: Late fall, winter and early spring

Pros: Quiet, secluded and spaces available. Views of the mountains in a desert setting. A hiking trail nearby, plus SXS friendly. Nearby saddle ranch has water, dump and garbage for a nominal fee. They also have a washer and dryer for those small loads. Post office and truck stop nearby.

Cons: Lots of flies! There is a chicken farm close to this location that smells terrible. As long as there is a breeze, the smell is not too bad, nor the flies. The drive to Buckeye is long, especially if you have laundry and shopping to do and have to drive to the town for it.

Location: Lake Havasu

Cost: Free/14 days

Best time to visit: late fall, winter and early spring

Must see places to visit: London Bridge, downtown Lake Havasu, hiking, offroading, the lake with its recreational activities you can rent!

Pros: Close to nearby Lake Havasu to play in, stores, laundromats. London Bridge is a fun place to visit and has a very active night life on the weekends. Boats are very popular here and you can rent them too. People like to drive to the cliffs facing the river to watch the sun set. You can also find replicas of lighthouses here, with a marker indicating what lighthouse it represents. They are miniatures compared to real lighthouses, but interesting to find out!

Cons: BLM land is either on the north or south end of Lake Havasu. We were at the south end, which was dusty. Can get hot in the spring! Lake Havasu is a busy town with lots of people, lots of crowding when visiting touristy areas.

Location: Williams

Campground/BLM: Garland Prairie

Cost: Free/14 days

Best time to visit: Spring, after May, summer and early fall

Must see place: Historic downtown Williams, Grand Canyon Railway, Grand Canyon

Pros: Beautiful setting in the trees or meadows. Easy dirt roads to drive your rig. Lots of spacing between dispersed sites. Downtown Williams is 2 miles away. The Grand Canyon Railway is a delight for all ages and comes highly recommended. Tourist stores in downtown Williams is a fun place to visit, with vintage the name of the game in this historic town. Nearby grocery stores and laundromats are also offered. Flagstaff is about a half hour drive from this town for more amenities and things to do. The Grand Canyon is a must to visit!

Cons: Could be windy and very cold at times. Nearby campgrounds open May 1st and these may include hiking trails, which can be accessed at that time.

Location: Winslow

State Park: Homolovi

Cost: $18/night (no hookups, but water and dump available in the park)

Best time to visit: early spring, late fall and winter

Must see places: Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, historic Winslow

Pros: A quiet place to stay. A jumpstart to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Has nearby Walmart and laundromats. Close to the I40 freeway. Bathrooms with showers and toilets, very clean. Explore nearby archaeological discoveries. Winslow and the famous corner (standin’ on a corner…)

Cons: Extremely windy! Parked close together in the park.

Location: Apache Junction

Cost: $650 - $745/monthly plus electric

Best time to visit: November - April

Must see places: Superstition Mountains, Apache Trail, numerous dining establishments and some with entertainment..

Pros: Full hook ups available, seasonal activities, great management, lot of activities, stores and entertainment nearby.

Cons: Cozy neighbors (unless you do not mind it), sometimes you can hear the freeway noise.

We work camped at this park for a FREE site, but no pay. Got to know the guests and residents (yes, residents as there are people that live and work nearby). You can choose to go annual if you dare to stay here in the summer in your RV! Also, they have park models available to rent or purchase. Check this place out for your winter visits!

State Park: Lake Havasu

Cost: $35 - $40/night; water and electric only, dumpsite available at the park.

Best time to visit: early spring, late fall and winter.

Must see places: Lake Havasu, London Bridge, downtown Lake Havasu, Parker

Pros: Well spaced out sites, great views of Lake Havasu, a garden area to visit at the park, boat launch, beach to relax or play in the water, close to Walmart and laundry, overflow parking for extra vehicles.

Cons: If you have a long setup, the roads are narrow and a little tight when trying to park your rig. Some boat noise at night.

Overall, we love Lake Havasu, especially for the water. Water play is a must in this town!

Location: Bouse

Campground/BLM: Bouse-Plomosa

Cost: Free/14 days

Best time to visit: early spring, late fall, winter.

Pros: Peace and quiet on BLM land, plenty of space to park any size rig, easy dirt roads to park your setup, hiking and off-roading available, nearby Bouse Community Park for water fill-up and dump for a fee.

Cons: Could be windy, weather could fluctuate (warm to cool and vice versa), have to drive to dump and get water.

If you truly want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, then Bouse might be the answer for you! This area is slightly south of the small hamlet of Bouse and lots and lots of space to pick from for your camping needs. Lots of dirt trails to drive on with your side by side or offroad vehicle. Make sure to hike up on “B” mountain as there is something special on top.

Location: Holbrook

Cost: $15/night plus tax, up to guests

Hip Camp is a unique alternative to camping. For example, you can camp on someone’s land, as this example shows.

Pros: Away from the noise of I40, if the sky is clear you can see lots of stars, peaceful and relaxing, close enough to Holbrook for your water, dump, grocery and laundry needs. Close to petrified forest, which I highly recommend visiting.

Cons: It was confusing to find the exact location, there is garbage around the land (not necessarily the owners), dirt road to get to the spot, a nearby train can be heard at night.

Note: We stayed on a dirt lane as we could not find the exact spot due to vegetation in the way and no real road. I contacted the owner but he was unable to help us.