Quartzite

[bikerdude1]

I.m leaving on my first rv trip in about a week, heading south from southeastern Utah. 1st stop Lees Ferry then Camp Verde. But i'm also interested in Quartzite also, but not sure its worth the extra miles. Is there anyone there now that would be able to give advice on the worth of the extra miles. Thanks

[twogypsies]

Here's information and the most festive and crowded time is during the RV Show. Lots to buy and do in the area. If you belong to a certain club or have a particular RV manufacturer there will most likely be a group around to park with or get information from. We've been for many years and after the first couple years of 'shopping' we then stayed pretty close to home (our RV) which was parked with the Boomers Escapee group. There were usually 100+ rigs parked with their group and we had non-stop activities - seminars, food event, hiking, boating, crafts, siteseeing, nightly campfire with entertainment, etc. We had lots of fun with the group.

I guess you would enjoy it depending what your expectations are. We always stayed two weeks with our group.

https://www.quartzsitervshow.com/attendee-info

[MtCamper]

Unless you have a group you meet up with I'd recommend Quartzsite as a one and done. It's really interesting the first time, the tent sale and vendors area are really busy. At the same time, given the crowding in this Covid laden world, it has a high probability of being a super spreader event. I'd recommend you weigh the benefits against your personal risk tolerance. We've been to Q for the last five years. We spent two days at the tent sale the first time just taking it all in. Haven't been to the tent sale since. We have a small group we meet with every year and we enjoy seeing and visiting with them. We'll be there again this year. If there is something specific you are interested in, there is a good chance you will find it there. Don't expect a full hook-up RV site. You may get lucky and find one but the go to place for us is about 5 miles north of town off Plomosa Road. It is a short term visitors area with unlimited booncock sites. HINTS: If you decide to attend the tent sale go at either 8:00 or after 3:00. The crowds are thinner. If you choose to park in the wash to the west, be careful. The sand is soft in places and it's really easy to get stuck.

[Bill Nourse]

We stay just East of Quartzsite for the winter and enjoy the area. There is a lot to see and do if you just look. Lots of old mines and mining settlements, hundreds of miles of ATV trails, historic places in Yuma, Wickenburg and Quartzsite, then there is Havasu City with the London Bridge and the 22 miniature replica light houses. Venture slightly further North to Laughlin, Bullhead City and the old mining town of Oatman. All these places are easy day trips from Quartzsite. Then the RV show starts the 22 of Jan. Something there for everyone.

[astrnmrtom]

Worth it? Hard to know, it depends on why you want to go.

We went last year just because we wanted to see what it it was all about. We left with mixed feelings. We did not camp with a group, and we aren't terribly social so take that into consideration.

What makes it good, also makes it bad. The town of Quartzite is small with few services, so when it's population suddenly grows to huge numbers those services get overwhelmed. It's a swarm of RV locusts descending on the town. Lines everywhere. Lines for gas, lines for dumping, lines for water, lines for groceries, lines for propane, and lines for a burger or pizza. It didn't take long before I dreaded even going to the grocery store for milk.

The positive is; it's thousands of fellow RVers of all kinds all enjoying their lifestyle, be it boondocking in the desert, or staying at a campground in town. We stayed a month doing both. We visited the show but probably won't do it again, because there wasn't much in the way of vendors that had stuff we were interested in. I did enjoy walking around the rock and gem vendors, but that's me.

I guess the short version is while it was an interesting stay, and we are glad we did it, for us it's a: been there done that experience. We could return at an off time because we did like the boondocking and there are some good campgrounds in town, but we won't be going during show time. You may feel differently.

Be aware when you do boondock that Quartzite is also very popular with ORVers so if you are boondocking close to a popular in and out gravel/dirt road, you'll get lots of dust.

[Dutch Star Don]

Quartzsite is a small town of about 7000 residents. During the winter, the snowbirds arrive and spend months living in the desert on BLM land. The population can grow to 250K - 300K people, especially during the RV Show and Rock and Mineral Show.

It's situated between two freeway off ramps, Quartzsite Blvd and Riggles Way. The off ramps are about three miles apart with fuel stations at both ends. The Riggles end has an AM/PM and a Chevron. The other end I believe is a Pilot. The center of town where the I-10 and I-95 cross has a Shell and another Chevron.

There is one really nice campground in the center of town (nice for Quartzsite) and several others on Main St and a few more on I-95 north and south of the I-10.

There is a large tent, football field sized, that set up for a couple of shows, including the RV Show. You have vendors inside and around the perimeter of the tent. A lot of RV dealers bring their used and excess inventory. La Mesa RV opens up a lot, but wasn't there last year.

Across the street from the big tent is a large flea market selling everything from food to CBD oil to purses. Many hardware type booths, kind of like Harbor Freight on crack. This area, flea market and RV Show tent, comprise the bulk of the stuff for sale. However, there a few other flea markets and booths spread out through town. There are a couple of large solar dealers/installers in permanent structures.

We've been going to Quartzsite since 2005 and never missed a year. For us, it's about a half day drive and starts off the New Year as our first camping destination. On the way home we loop around to I-40 and visit Camp Verde and the Grand Canyon. This year we'll also stop at Monument Valley.

To see all of Quartzsite, you would need 3-4 days. We went every year to see the RV Show, but it morphed into a place to meet old friends. This year we have 6 couples and will potluck every night. They also have a golf course in the desert. Just flags and old benches and car seats mark each hole. We often see people playing.

In our younger days, we bought things at the RV Show, especially camping chairs, mats, and gadgets. Almost every year there is sone new gadget that everyone buys, that is half price a few months later. Unfortunately, they charge 10% sales tax to nonresidents to help pay for fire and police during the height of the season. This makes it tough for vendors to be really competitive.

There are a few restaurants in town, they're certainly not 5 stars, probably would barely make 2 stars. The wait times are long too. There are also a few fast-food restaurants, but we always plan to bring our own meals.

For us, there is a lot of junk there, but I usually find one gem every year, including an antique boat motor I added to my collection.

A lot of the used stuff at the flea markets, is stuff that you threw out 20 years ago and someone found it in your trash.

So......Quartzsite is obviously not a fancy or high-class destination, but it can be fun a place to visit and meet new and old friends.

[Gammel]

The last time I was at Quartzite- there was one other camper about 200 yards away.

[NevadaNick]

Quartzite is an acquired taste, we like it for a short time but don't think i could long term it like many do.

[Tiggersnap]

Originally Posted by bikerdude1

I.m leaving on my first rv trip in about a week, heading south from southeastern Utah. 1st stop Lees Ferry then Camp Verde. But i'm also interested in Quartzite also, but not sure its worth the extra miles. Is there anyone there now that would be able to give advice on the worth of the extra miles. Thanks

I am currently in Quartzite and it is a very small place. We found an RV site right on Main Street, the rates are very reasonable with water and electricity, there is a dump station here that everyone can use. The people are extremely friendly. We like eating pizza at Silly Al’s. We drive to Parker to shop for groceries because the one and only grocery store here has extremely high prices. Parker has a Walmart and a Safeway. This is our first year. We don’t belong to any groups or know anyone here, we stay pretty much to ourselves. It’s worth the trip to at least say you have been here. Hope that helps. Safe travels

[DKB218NYC]

Originally Posted by Gammel

The last time I was at Quartzite- there was one other camper about 200 yards away.

This is how I'd do Quartzsite. Doubt I'd go during the RV show.

[UTTransplant]

We will arrive in Q tomorrow for our seventh time. We meet up with a group from another forum, but people come and go. One couple generally stays pretty much long term. Some come only for the week of the show, some come for a week or two on either side of the show. If you like 4WD activities, there are lots and lots of opportunities in the area. Trails head to lots of abandoned mine sites and other historic spots. We try to stock up right before the big show because it gets CRAZY with people. I am not going in the Big Tent this year because it is always shoulder to shoulder with people; my risk calculus doesn’t feel comfortable. We will visit the funnel cake folks outside the tent though! Silly Al’s has really, really good pizza. Order it by phone and take it back to your site though because of crowds. We stay in the Tyson awash LTVA -$40/2 weeks. You just drive across Hey 95 for access to a free dump, water fill, and trash disposal. The LTVAs close to town are as crowded as a campground! Wall to wall people sometime. I prefer my privacy, and you can get it by going farther away from town.

[Souljourner]

Living in the northeast, enjoying boondocking, I am also intrigued by Quartzite, simply to try something new and to have a desert boondocking experience. I don’t like crowds, I like my privacy and seclusion, and I consider saying “hello” to be about as social as I get. I don’t think the January crowds would be for me, but wondering what Quartzite is like in December or April - two months in which I’m looking to do some traveling this year.

[Capt Steve]

After 9 years in a row of doing Quartzsite for the big RV show we skipped last year due to Covid. We hated to miss it as we have always had a great time and yes, 2 days and nights are usually plenty but reality is what it is.

The RV Show at the Q is the mother of all super spreader events. About 100,000
mostly seniors spending hours packed into a circus tent... what could go wrong?

We will be back when Covid is finally brought under control but once again we are going to pass. We will be winter and spring time camping in our 24' Class C but only in venues where we can control our exposure to the unmasked/unvaccinated like isolated campgrounds.

Good luck to all who choose to make the trip, you're going to need it.

[PKI]

Not this year. Probably not next year either. Worth a stop if it's on your route, but there are better places to spend your time. Definitely not worth the miles.