Community Forums

Gary.Jones · 08-14-2020, 07:03 PM

Jack

I am not sure what specific information you are requesting.

As you see, some owners on here go to Quartzsite simply as the place that they are going to spend the winter. Many of them make arrangements in RV parks. Some hearty souls spend much of the entire winter on Bureau of Land Management lands which are all over the area around Quartzsite. Thousands of those areas are simply open desert land that you are free to occupy for as long as you want (boondocking conditions) for no fee at all. There are smaller areas, but still very large, that are called Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs). There are four of those that I am familiar with that are south of the City of Quartzsite. Those are run by the BLM but they are run for fees and for those fees, you get certain services. On the four LTVA areas (LaPosa North, LaPosa West, LaPosa South, and Tyson Wash ), you pay a fee and you have access to potable water at watering station that are some distance from where you may elect to boondock. You also get dumpsters for garbage and there is a sewage dump station usually near the dumpsters. The fees have been $40.00 for 14 days from entering the LTVA areas or $180 for all the time from about November to March. The exact times/dates and fees are listed on the BLM web site. Google Bureau of Land Management for all the current information. The other free areas have no services and it is up to you to provide/buy your own water, arrange sewage dump services, etc. Obviously, none of the BLM sites have electricity. On the LTVA areas, there definitely are well enforced Quiet Hours for Generator use (really any objectionable noise).... my recollection is that the Quiet Hours are from 10 or 11 at night until 6:00 am. If you run generators during those hours, you can expect to have a BLM ranger come to your site and order you to stop running the generator. Outside of the LTVA areas, my guess is that you can run a generator as long as you want to run it and as long as "neighbors" don't complain about the noise. .

For the past Five Years, I have been the WagonMaster of an event that is called the ENTEGRA@QUARTZSITE GATHERING. It is associated with the Entegra Coach Owners Association. We started the Gathering with 12 coaches five years ago, and now we routinely get 55-60 Entegra coaches that spend roughly 10 days (you are good to stay 14 for $40) but the formal Gathering is about 10 days long. It is all boondocking on the LaPosa South LTVA area. You come with empty black and gray tanks and full fresh water tank and then last as long as you can on what you have available. I will formally announce registration for this Gathering next Month here and via email to all owners that have ever attended the Gathering.

There is some question if the RV show in the Big Tent is actually going to occur normally as it is a packed tent with people in close proximity and I have seen no announcement one way or the other on whether the RV show will occur. The Gathering is held around and during the time of the Big Tent RV Show. So, there is still some question of what the formal RV show organizers are planning on doing. There is typically a fee associated for attending the Gathering which has never been more than $50, and the fee covers some meals and events that are held during the Gathering. The fee for entrance to the LTVA area is a separate fee that everyone pays at the Ranger Station. If the formal Gathering and RV show continue this winter, there is the possibility that some of the events in the Gathering that have been traditional will be cancelled and some formal events which cannot be socially distanced will not occur. That all remains to be seen.

Look for a formal announcement here on iRV2, sometime next month. There will be announced a specific start date announced and you are free to come after that specific start date at any time you want and also you are free to depart any time that you want after that start date also up to your maximum 14 days. As I say, for an additional fee, you can stay longer pretty much either 14 days or all season ($40 versus $180).

There you have an overview.

Gary

GeezerViz · 08-14-2020, 07:50 PM

I can't imagine walking through the big tent during a highly contagious pandemic.
I really had fun the last time I participated with the Entegra group at Quartzsite but we'll be staying home this year.
Current AZ rules prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people, so unless something changes, this year Quartzsite will look very different.

darjacob · 08-15-2020, 01:09 AM

Well Gary, I think you've covered everything! Thanks. I read somewhere that the show will go on but the "Big Tent" will have one way traffic. They say they have other arrangements for safety purposes. I will look forward to being at the Entegra gathering this year. Thanks again. Jack

Grower15 · 08-15-2020, 07:59 AM

Here’s a link to an article in the RVTravel.com newsletter which discusses Q 2021.
https://www.rvtravel.com/quartzsite-...-2021-rvt960b/

ByeTheWay · 08-16-2020, 12:37 PM

Most everything you need for your rv can be found in Q. However, groceries are limited. 2 small mom & pop stores which are crowded all the time. Large food stores are available in Blythe, Parker and Yuma.

philnail · 08-18-2020, 11:44 PM

We are heading to Quartzsite in November and will stay till around April 15th. We love it as we stay in the long term blm land. Water, sewer and trash are close and once you boondock like this it makes you want to avoid parks

We have a 2013 Anthem and a friend who will be with me has a 2018 Aspire. There will be a couple other Entegras come out to join us until the rally late January where we usually have about 60 of us. If you want more in PM me

757driver · 08-19-2020, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by philnail

We are heading to Quartzsite in November and will stay till around April 15th. We love it as we stay in the long term blm land. Water, sewer and trash are close and once you boondock like this it makes you want to avoid parks

We have a 2013 Anthem and a friend who will be with me has a 2018 Aspire. There will be a couple other Entegras come out to join us until the rally late January where we usually have about 60 of us. If you want more in PM me

Phil,

That will make excellent use of all that solar you have.

Hoping things settle down and the border opens this winter so we can come down.

philnail · 08-19-2020, 02:15 PM

I hope the border opens as well soon so you can come down and hang out with us [emoji4]

I am still working on the ac part as I really want to run ac off the solar and lithium batteries

buddy110 · 08-19-2020, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by philnail

We are heading to Quartzsite in November and will stay till around April 15th. We love it as we stay in the long term blm land. Water, sewer and trash are close and once you boondock like this it makes you want to avoid parks

We have a 2013 Anthem and a friend who will be with me has a 2018 Aspire. There will be a couple other Entegras come out to join us until the rally late January where we usually have about 60 of us. If you want more in PM me

Curious, how often do you have to refuel to keep your genny running?

Mark_K5LXP · 08-20-2020, 08:09 AM

My first "real" RV trip was to Quartzsite last year and it was generally a good experience. I boondocked south of town about 5 miles just off the highway. My only concern about being out in the dirt was getting stuck but there were plenty of tracks from where others had been, so I figured if others made it, I would too. The ground is surprisingly hard and flat so no issues with levelers. Once you're parked that's pretty much it- just you, the wind, saguaros, dirt and a few thousand others doing what they do. I'm not sure I get the appeal of that, surely if you're with a group you want to hang with it might as well be there as anywhere else. But I wouldn't count it as a destination by itself especially when it's not the week of the rally unless you're into wind, saguaros, and dirt.

Had great expectations of the rally in town but I thought it was kind of a bust. Expected all sorts of RV displays, vendors and maybe some forums but it was mostly geegaws and lot of that had nothing to do with RV's. Not unlike the hucksters at a state fair selling pots and pans, mops, purses and junk. For certain if you want to tour new and used RV's and trailers there's many to be seen around town. I wasn't looking, so that wasn't an attraction for me. There was a fleamarket in town which I liked and if you don't mind crowds there are a few eateries to hang out a bit. Not sure how the rally tent or restaurants are going to work with covid going on.

No issues maneuvering the RV, getting gas and water, and doing a dump run in town. Just be patient and you'll get there.

Maybe a Quartzsite veteran could pass on just what one does there for more than a few days. I was pretty much over it by about day three of the seven I was there. Maybe if I was retired with no where to go and months to get there just "hanging out" might have some appeal but there just isn't anything going on there, or anywhere near there that would make it a destination for me. Fun to go during the rally and see the mass gathering and scale of the event but once that's over, you're back to wind, saguaros and dirt. Does it come down to just a free place to park that's above freezing in January or what am I missing?

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

philnail · 08-20-2020, 09:01 AM

We are headed to Quartzsite in November along with another Entegra owner. We love it because it is quiet and peaceful and you can just chill out without having another coach 10 feet away from you. There are a couple other Entegras that will be out with us just not staying as long as we are.

We are bringing our side by sides to ride around in while we are there.

Then in January we will move our coaches to our group which is usually around 60 of us.

We stay in La Posa south which is the long term area which is close to water, dump and trash. We each carry 4 collapsible water jugs 5 gallons each and fill them up as needed. We will have firewood delivered and just have a great time. I do realize this is not for everyone but since we boondock 90 percent of the time it is perfect for us.

There is several places to fuel up close by so that’s not an issue

Gary.Jones · 08-22-2020, 10:15 AM

Well, we are talking about two very different situations. Phil is talking about spending the winter on BLM land for the princely sum of $180 last time I checked. Not as convenient as an RV park, and certainly dirtier than what you would expect for $30 - $120 per night in an RV park, but you cant get the essentials of RV life for 6 months for the princely sum of $180 anywhere else that I know of.

Now the RV show at the Big tent is accurately described earlier. Frankly, it is a largely worthless RV show(IMO) if what you are looking for is RV parts and upgrades. There are few RV parts manufacturers there.... forget about that.... maybe 5 or 6 total. Lots of RV park selling or giving away visits to their establishments, but other than that, the vendors are selling unnecessary junk. If you really want to be introduced to all the vendors of the equipment we have on our coaches, then the Big Show in Tampa is the show you want to go to.... everything is there, and the junk salespeople are maybe 10% of the vendors showing there.

Now, if you want entertainment, then Quartzsite is not where you want to spend a lot of time. The ENTEGRA@QUARTZSITE GATHERING is for owners who want to spend a week or more in the same area as about 120 other owners, learning things, talking to other owners, learning how to cure problem with your coaches, drinking your favorite beverage outside around a bonfire every night until early or late. There are dinners (usually), pot lucks, talks, services (AquaHot repair), etc. etc. Very informal but compared to organized rallies, this is the type of Gathering Dee and I enjoy.... I attend the other rallies because it is expected of me as a VP of the Entegra Owners club. But Q certainly is not for everyone.

The reason the ground is good for our coaches is that it really is not sand most places. The sand covers a solid layer of volcanic rock that is as solid as concrete. However, you cannot just mindlessly driving through the desert as there are also areas that are largely nothing but a foot of loose sand, and if you watch while in the desert, you will see more than a few drivers that don't use their head and bury their coach drive axle in the sand and are about to be towed out. It is very peaceful and very quiet om the LTVA areas. I usually run the genny at least 4 to 5 hours daily, and the AquaHot heating every night. You will burn through a surprising amount of diesel in 10-14 days. So be prepared to either bring in diesel in 5 - 10 gallon tanks or drive to the truck stops with EFS discount every couple of weeks to fill the tanks.

Gary

buddy110 · 08-24-2020, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

Jack

I am not sure what specific information you are requesting.

As you see, some owners on here go to Quartzsite simply as the place that they are going to spend the winter. Many of them make arrangements in RV parks. Some hearty souls spend much of the entire winter on Bureau of Land Management lands which are all over the area around Quartzsite. Thousands of those areas are simply open desert land that you are free to occupy for as long as you want (boondocking conditions) for no fee at all. There are smaller areas, but still very large, that are called Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs). There are four of those that I am familiar with that are south of the City of Quartzsite. Those are run by the BLM but they are run for fees and for those fees, you get certain services. On the four LTVA areas (LaPosa North, LaPosa West, LaPosa South, and Tyson Wash ), you pay a fee and you have access to potable water at watering station that are some distance from where you may elect to boondock. You also get dumpsters for garbage and there is a sewage dump station usually near the dumpsters. The fees have been $40.00 for 14 days from entering the LTVA areas or $180 for all the time from about November to March. The exact times/dates and fees are listed on the BLM web site. Google Bureau of Land Management for all the current information. The other free areas have no services and it is up to you to provide/buy your own water, arrange sewage dump services, etc. Obviously, none of the BLM sites have electricity. On the LTVA areas, there definitely are well enforced Quiet Hours for Generator use (really any objectionable noise).... my recollection is that the Quiet Hours are from 10 or 11 at night until 6:00 am. If you run generators during those hours, you can expect to have a BLM ranger come to your site and order you to stop running the generator. Outside of the LTVA areas, my guess is that you can run a generator as long as you want to run it and as long as "neighbors" don't complain about the noise. .

For the past Five Years, I have been the WagonMaster of an event that is called the ENTEGRA@QUARTZSITE GATHERING. It is associated with the Entegra Coach Owners Association. We started the Gathering with 12 coaches five years ago, and now we routinely get 55-60 Entegra coaches that spend roughly 10 days (you are good to stay 14 for $40) but the formal Gathering is about 10 days long. It is all boondocking on the LaPosa South LTVA area. You come with empty black and gray tanks and full fresh water tank and then last as long as you can on what you have available. I will formally announce registration for this Gathering next Month here and via email to all owners that have ever attended the Gathering.

There is some question if the RV show in the Big Tent is actually going to occur normally as it is a packed tent with people in close proximity and I have seen no announcement one way or the other on whether the RV show will occur. The Gathering is held around and during the time of the Big Tent RV Show. So, there is still some question of what the formal RV show organizers are planning on doing. There is typically a fee associated for attending the Gathering which has never been more than $50, and the fee covers some meals and events that are held during the Gathering. The fee for entrance to the LTVA area is a separate fee that everyone pays at the Ranger Station. If the formal Gathering and RV show continue this winter, there is the possibility that some of the events in the Gathering that have been traditional will be cancelled and some formal events which cannot be socially distanced will not occur. That all remains to be seen.

Look for a formal announcement here on iRV2, sometime next month. There will be announced a specific start date announced and you are free to come after that specific start date at any time you want and also you are free to depart any time that you want after that start date also up to your maximum 14 days. As I say, for an additional fee, you can stay longer pretty much either 14 days or all season ($40 versus $180).

There you have an overview.

Gary

How is the cell service at LaPosa south?

philnail · 08-25-2020, 12:37 AM

Cell service is great except for the week of the show. That is because you have thousands of rigs using the towers. Night is always a lot better during the time of the show.

All I can say is we love going to Quartzsite and the Entegra group is a blast

Thank you Gary and Dee for putting on the rally