Howdy !
If you have never been to Quartzsite, AZ then I’ve got to tell ya something right from the start. Your will LOVE it – or – you will HATE it !! There seems to be no middle ground about this small town in Arizona that attracts over a million people a year during the cooler months of January/February.
Quartzsite is not a theme-park or a resort. It’s just a small town of only a few thousand souls in the middle of the mineral rich Kofka Valley directly on the intersection of US Highways-95 and Interstate-10. That’s 17-miles from the California/Arizona border. The town hosts the worlds largest rock and gem show known as the Pow-Wow and the worlds largest gathering of RV’ers who come to attend the famous Sport and RV show. Both of these events attract folks from around the world but attracting visitors in nothing new for Quartzsite. In the area around the town are the ghosts of past visitors like the Spanish Wall and a few miles away the French Wall. No recorded history tells who build them but they are made in the style of the Spanish and French countryside. The same with the oldest mines that were built using the same technology as 17the and 18th century European mines. Even older are the Indian petroglyphs and Intaglios that surround the town.
The town has a history unique even in the west and a wonderful tongue-in-cheek humor. Where else could find the Quartzsite Yacht Club, the failed bank that is now the “Buck stops here” discount store or even better yet, try Greasewood Greens golf course where you take your 2-ft by 2-ft hunk of indoor/outdoor carpet with it’s golf tee glued into the middle and go out to play 18 or so holes of golf.
If you want to stay in town you can use one of the 70-RV parks but if you want to really use that self-contained mobile home called an RV you can stay at one of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 14-day free camping locations or at the Long Term Visitors Areas (LTVAs) just south of Quartzsite. LTVA costs are $180.00 for a seven month permit that runs from September 15 through April 15th each year and can be used in any LTVA or a weekly charge of $40.00.
Quartzsite has more then you could possible write about in a few hundred words like the tale of Hi Jolly, the US Camel Corps, General Pattons training grounds, the five Quartzsite airports or the western fort that never was. You’ll be able to visit the Sports and RV show with almost 2-miles of stalls to flea markets, rock shows, clown school and so much more that it boggles the mind. One speical place is Celias Rainbow garden by the city park that is so unique that it’s worth a visit even if you do nothing else. If you just want to get away from it all then stay on the remote areas of the BLM sites to enjoy nature in one of the few unspoiled places left in the USA. Or you could do like I do every year and just make it a combination of both, your call.
Here are some web sites that you will want to checkout before going:
- http://www.quartzsite.com
- http://www.azoutback.com/quartzsi.htm
- http://www.quartzsite.az.us
- http://www.quartzsitemuseum.com
- http://quartsitervshow.com
- http://www.celiasrainbowgardens.com
There is only one real rule in Quartzsite and it’s the same one that most RV’ers adhear to – Thou Shalt Not Whine !
Latter – –
The Old Ranger