DOME ROCK BLM, Quartzsite, AZ

Sinni set up. Looking north. 

DOME ROCK BLM

RUN BY: Bureau of Land Mgmt

LOCATION: Quartzsite, AZ

UTILITIES: none

COST: none

OUR RATING (1-5): II - 5

View out our window in the morning 

NOTES: This was our first experience at drycamping in the desert and, after six days, we're very happy with our decision and the experience. We look out our window at Sugarloaf, a dominant geological feature in the Dome Rock Mts. There are lots of ATV trails but we have not been bothered by ATV or motorcycles. In this area you get a 14 day permit for free. We haven't seen any signs of BLM authorities checking permits but we've been told they do exist. You have to go to Quartzsite to dump, load up with fresh water, etc. There are BLM areas called LTVA (Long-Term Visitor Areas) where you pay $40 for 14 days ($180 for the entire season - Sept. thru March). They have places to dump and get water. At Dome Rock you are definitely on your own. Our nearest neighbors when we arrived were >100 yards away. Our nearest neigbors right now are at least 1/4 mile. We considered moving to the LTVA area but right now we're really happy here. We won't move until we're forced to go empty our black-water tank. We have used about 1/2 of our fresh water and we have 224 AmpHr battery power for our small trailer which we've hardly tapped even using the furnace at night. We have 160 Watts of solar producing 9+ Amps. Even after dumping we may come back to the Dome Rock Road area. Click here to read my blog about Desert Living. Click here to read my blog about hiking in the desert.

SPECIAL NOTE: Every January there is a major RV Show at Quartzsite that draws tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of RV enthusiast. It lasts two weeks. We arrived on the last day of the show and crowd was unbelievable, and a lot of people had already left. This is just a warning if you don't want to get caught up in the chaos. There's still a lot of season. Even some of the local shops close up at the end of March.

Environment: desert. During the winter the highs get in the 70s with the lows being 30-50. You are out on the hard rocky earth surrounded by Saguaro, Ferocactus and the Cholla cacti along with some bushes and stunted trees (hardly bigger than a bush) which I still have to identify. Always 100% exposed to the sun. The weather starts getting really hot starting in April. Last year the locals told me they had days of 122 degrees. Locals also tell us that the wildflowers in March and April are magnificent.

Amenities: none

Phone Service: Fairly good Verizon probably because you're only 5-7 miles from Quartzsite.

Location: West Southwest of Quartzsite, AZ. You can see I-10 from high points. Near Dome Rock Mts. Get off I-10 at the Love's Truckstop, follow Dome Rock Rd, keeping right at a Y, and stop at the BLM host site a short distance down the road.

Proximity to shopping: Quartzsite is 5-7 miles away depending upon where you camp.

Camping Population: Old hippies, Old cowboys, just old, all enjoying peace a solitude. Some prospectors and lots of ATV.

Sites: pick a spot on the desert floor. Avoid washes. The ground is soft and you'll probably get stuck.

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RATING KEY: category - score

Categories: I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

II - boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

one might choose to stay for more than a night.

III - over-night areas

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service