It seems the spirit of exploration and discovery has been part of the American psyche since the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. We have always looked to areas and lands beyond what was already inhabited in our constant push west.
Today,
it seems that spirit has been lit in the hearts of new generations. RVs are no
longer your grandparents toys. We are seeing young couples and young families
choosing the nomad lifestyle. The lifestyle requires planning and staying on
top of the weather, thus making the western states (Florida if you’re in the
East) very important to RVers who flock to the warmth (commonly called snowbirds)
during the winter months.
Snowbirds
across the country either know about or have been to Quartzsite, and those who
haven’t been there likely have it on their RV travels bucket list! How could
this quiet little town just east of the Arizona-California border with a
population of approximately 3,000 year-round residents become so well known? This
tiny town explodes into a gigantic outdoor mall every winter with vendors,
dealers and individuals selling and bartering their wares and merchandise at
buying-selling exchanges ranging from swapmeets, sports, vacation and RV shows,
arts and crafts shows, to four fabulous rock and gem shows. From November
through February every year about 3,000 vendors from all across the country
come to Quartzsite — the heaviest traffic in January — to sell virtually anything
and everything, including serious dealers (about 500) of rocks, minerals, gems,
fossils and jewelry.
Most
show and swapmeet “shoppers” who make it to Quartzsite simply lodge in their RVs.
It’s hard to fathom that a town the size of Quartzsite would have close to fifty
RV parks, but that’s a direct reflection of just how huge and popular this
event is! Many thousands of RVers take advantage of the comfortable amenities
afforded by the RV parks, but many others prefer another form of RV “lodging”
during the Quartzsite shows: Dry camping (also referred to as boondocking).
Thousands of visitors each year choose to dry camp — RV camping without
hookups; no electricity, water or sewer connections — on the “BLM” land across
the I-10 freeway.
And
this is where I want to direct our discussion. The rest of this article might
be old-hat info to some readers who’ve been boondocking for years, but for
those who’ve never tried it, and to others who want to, here’s the dope on dry
camping that might spur you on to (or possibly even turn you off from) the
rough and tumble world of dry camping.
When and where you can dry camp
A few U.S. National Parks allow overnight RV parking and boondocking,
but generally camping is restricted to established campgrounds. USFS (United
States Forest Service) and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) high popularity
areas often have restricted-access camping areas. For instance, the area around
Mammoth Lakes, Calif., is extremely popular with tourists, and many areas allow
camping only in designated campgrounds. Information about camping restrictions
are available at USFS Ranger District and BLM Resource Area offices.
Generally
speaking, you can stay fourteen continuous days for free, but subsequent
camping days must be 25 miles away. This rule applies to most BLM and USFS
administered lands, but there are exceptions. For example, Inyo National Forest
in California allows 42-day stays at designated camping areas, while the
Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming has areas where only three-day stays are
allowed. BLM LTVA’s (Long Term Visitor Areas) allow stays of several months for
a nominal fee.
The
BLM in Arizona has created winter LTVAs. Thousand of snowbirds and RVers flock to them
every year. All but one are located south of I-10, which makes for warm winter
temps. Many of them are located in prime rock hounding locations. No tents. All
RVs must be self contained.
With
virtually everything you need for boondocking, you’ll find that Quartzsite is
equipped to welcome many campers beyond what their RV parks can hold, with
water, RV dump, fuel, food, and RV camping supplies. RV camping enthusiasts
looking for a remote desert setting will find a variety of locations on the
surrounding BLM administered lands.
Online resources
For a complete set of maps see your local BLM office or peruse the
valuable resources on www.rv-camping.org/quartzsiteaz. For a complete list of
rules and best practices visit www.rv-camping.org/boondocking. And for a
helpful search tool to locate free campsites near you visit
www.freecampsites.net.
The Golden Rule of boondocking: Pack it in, pack it out.
These isolated areas rarely
receive clean-up services. Please do not put glass or aluminum in the fire pit,
it is unsightly and the next user just has to clean up after you. All food
scraps and trash should be taken home with you, or take it to the nearest
landfill if you are on a long journey. It is best described on the PublicLands.org
site:
“While care of one’s own health is an individual responsibility, the
health of our public lands through stewardship is a collective responsibility.
Public and individual participation in management decisions is our forum for
meeting this obligation, while keeping in mind that such participation must be
based on a spirit of cooperation. Many people who return to public lands again
and again do so because of the solitude, and the power of solitude for
spiritual renewal. These are places where we can contemplate, perhaps comprehend
Chief Seattle’s wisdom: ‘The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the
earth.’”
— From the “Geography of Freedom” by the Public Lands Interpretive
Association, Inc.