Quartzsite, Arizona

Terrain // Dirt Rock | Found On // Campendium

One of the World’s Largest RV Show

Quartzsite, Arizona, the rock capital of the world! Early on in our travels, we had heard about Quartzsite, Arizona from a handful of boondockers on social. We looked up how far away it was from Marana and discovered their yearly RV show was coming up. The show sprawls across over 40 acres of desert south of Quartzsite, with hundreds of vendors. According to the Arizona Highway Department, as many as 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, mostly in RV’s, travel here for the rock, gem, and mineral shows, plus numerous flea markets and the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show. The “Big Tent” is what locals call the annual Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, which takes place every January. This phenomenon started over 40 years ago and is now billed as “The Largest Gathering Of RVers in the World.”

It was certainly an interesting experience browsing the various vendors, seeing the latest in RV technology, and eating so much food truck food.

Favorite Vendors

There were literally hundreds of vendors at this showing. Everything from camping chairs and batteries to metal sculptures and geodes. And knives, SO MANY knives. Our bounty consisted of a portable battery box, several knives, jackets from Ecuador, mini animal figurines, and a leather belt.

Velvet Crocodile Rocks—Bryon Scott had a beautiful display of artist-level knives. Michael was looking for something more functional, but these knives were some of our favorites.

Glatz Knives – They had a deal Michael couldn’t pass up. We ended up with three new Damascus steel blades.

Photos By Rod Stark – Rod had an absolutely beautiful collection of aluminum photography prints. We enjoyed hearing how he captured several of his astrophotography compositions.

Food & Drink

Looking back on these photos is making me hungry.

Steve’s Smokin’ BBQ – They had jumbo turkey legs and ribbon fries made out of a whole-ass potato! We got their pulled pork with slaw and it was super tasty.

World’s Best Corndogs – They weren’t lying. This really was the best corn dog I’ve ever had, and it was only $7 for a foot-long dog. Dipped in honey, omg amazing. They’ve got trucks in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Arizona. They’re absolutely worth seeking out.

Beer Bellys Adult Day Care – This was a fenced-in bar area and restaurant with live music. We were the youngest people there by about 20 years, but overall it had cool vibes. The food was mid though.

Mellie’s Mini Donuts – A delicious little treat. You can watch the conveyer belt flop the dough which was pretty neat. Plus, she gave us extra, so that makes us big fans.

Land & Sea Express – They had a delicious fish fillet and tasty wings.

The Original Thrifty Brand Ice Cream – Seven bucks for a big ol’ double scoop.

Robins Roost – They had a pretty tasty Philly sandwich. Michael thought it was mediocre.

FreeWheelin Pizzaria – We tried their pepperoni and buffalo pies, and they were both phenomenal. They gave Michael some good tips about dough-making for high-temperature pizza cooking.

Blm Camping in Quartzsite

Quartzsite wouldn’t be as popular with RVers without a lot of land to stay on. Five different BLM sections surround Quartzsite. Below is a visual reference we created to help illustrate where these sites are in relation to Quartzsite. Arizona Georeferenced PDF Maps were used as a reference to create this illustration.

• Plomosa Road: Located about 5.5 miles north of Quartzsite on the north and south sides of Plomosa Road.

• Hi Jolly: Located about 3 miles north of Quartzsite.

• Dome Rock: Located about 6 miles West of Quartzsite.

• Scaddan Wash: Located about 3.5 miles East of Quartzsite.

• Roadrunner: Located about 6 miles south of Quartzsite.

• La Posa Long-term Visitor Area (LTVA): Located less than 1 mile south of Quartzsite. The camping area has four sections: La Posa North, La Posa West, La Posa South, and La Posa Tyson Wash. The LTVA long-term permit ($180) allows the continuous use of Bureau of Land Management designated LTVAs from September 15th to April 15th (a total of 7 months) or for any length of time between those two dates. The LTVA short-visit permit ($40) allows the use of the Bureau of Land Management designated LTVAs for any 14-consecutive day period from September 15th to April 15th, which begins on the day the permit receipt is exchanged for the official permit and decal.

Scaddan Wash Recreation Area:

Even though Las Posa was closer, we opted to stay in Scaddan Wash because it was a good bike riding distance to the RV show, and it was free. The road that runs parallel to Interstate 10 is kind of garbage and hasn’t been maintained well. We ended up camping in the middle part of Scaddan Wash. There were many spots to choose from, even with hundreds of other boondockers in the area.

Camping here is allowed for up to 14 consecutive days. After 14 days, you must relocate at least 25 miles away or move over to a Long-term Visitor Area, like La Posa.

Roadrunnner Market – We grabbed a few things from here, but you’re probably better off stocking up before you stay here, especially if you plan on coming for one of their events.

Refuse Transfer Station—You can drop off your trash for free here, but it’s only open Sunday through Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

RV Pit Stop – We filled our propane and water tanks here. It was fairly priced for both.

CAMPENDIUM

Campendium is a camping resource we use when looking for free or cheap places to stay. The app is free to use, but we have a subscription for $50 a year that provides an ad-free experience and detailed coverage maps you can filter by elevation, public land boundaries, and wildfire and smoke conditions. Plus, you can save your favorite places and trails in the area.

It is a leading online platform for camping enthusiasts, offering a user-friendly interface to discover and review campgrounds across North America. With detailed information, user reviews, and photos, Campendium helps both seasoned travelers and newcomers plan memorable outdoor adventures. If you're into camping, Campendium is basically your go-to sidekick for discovering awesome spots and connecting with a bunch of like-minded outdoor people. Learn more about Campendium.