Experiencing Quartzsite, Arizona

Tom and I enjoyed five days boondocking, exploring, and hiking in the Quartzsite area of Southwest Arizona. We also took a day-trip to Cattails Cove State Park in the Lake Havasu area.

Boondocking at Roadrunner 14 Day Area

We arrived in Quartzsite the last day of a big RV show and swap meet. Because it was the last day, and people were already starting to leave town, we had no problem finding a boondocking site. Although, given the endless acres of desert parking, I can’t imagine having trouble finding a site even during the busiest days!

Tom and I chose the Roadrunner 14 Day Area which is on BLM land and allows free camping up to 14 days. It’s about 5 miles south of town and there are no services… but there’s plenty of space! Aly loved her big campsite and the friendly neighbors that stopped by to say hi. She especially liked the lack of sticky burrs. Tom and I loved the big fire pit and beautiful sunsets… and the FREE!

Exploring Quartzsite

This was our first visit to Quartzsite and we didn’t know what to expect. We’d only heard about Quartzsite as a place where big RV rallies are held. We were there between big rallies but can easily understand why it’s perfect for such events. What we didn’t know was that it’s also a popular destination for off-roading. While Tom and I drove our Jeep into town to explore, many people drove their side-by-sides. The whole town revolves around the RV and off-road lifestyle. Most people are snowbirds enjoying the warm winter weather and getting the heck out of town before the summer heat.

The shopping options in Quartzsite match the retirement RV lifestyle both in product supply and pricing. Many of the “stores” are in tents, garages and warehouses. I suspect it’s to accommodate the large but temporary influx of shoppers each winter. Many vendors are only there for the big RV shows and swap meets. Others stay until April, or so, before heading for cooler destinations.

Tom and I enjoyed touring the huge RVs. They’re so tempting until we think about hauling them around the continent. Nope! Our truck camper is just right for us! But, we did discover a great place right next to the RV show. Beer Bellies Adult Daycare was the perfect meeting spot where Tom could belly up for a beer while I shopped. We enjoyed their daily live music and homemade ice cream. It’s made with a very unique ice cream maker. We also enjoyed one evening at the nearby Quartzsite Yacht Club.

Hiking Cunningham Mountain Trail

The All Trails app shows many hiking trails in the Quartzsite area but very few have much elevation gain to get our hearts pumping. And, after two weeks of indulging in food and drink without exercise, all three of us needed a good workout.

We could see Cunningham Mountain, with it’s antennas, from our campsite and set out to hike it. It was so close but yet the base of the mountain was a 30 minute drive down dirt roads in our Jeep. From the base, our hike to the top was 3.5 miles with 1800 elevation gain. The trail itself was a maintenance road and wasn’t particularly pretty. It was quite steep and the steepest sections were paved, presumably to minimize erosion. The trail went up up up with only two very short sections that were a little flat.

As we hiked higher, and away from the power lines, the view were spectacular. From the top, towards the west, we could see the Colorado river with California on the other side. Towards the east we could see Quartzsite and the endless desert scattered with RVs. Ours is down there somewhere!

We had the entire trail to ourselves… maybe the sign at the trailhead warning of potentially unsafe radio frequency levels discouraged the smarter people!

Visit the Tucson or Bust 2025 page to follow our route, read blog posts, and view our photo album.