SQUAW LAKE, Imperial Co., CA

SQUAW LAKE, CA

RUN BY: Dept of the Interior

LOCATION: Imperial County, CA

UTILITIES: NONE

COST: $15/night (Senior Pass is accepted for 50% discount)

OUR RATING (1-5): II - 4

NOTES: Pamela and I talked for some time about what category this campground should be in. It is an organized campground but it isn't laid out like a regular campground. It is more like boondocking or dispersed camping but it is more organized than that. So we decided to put it in Category II - boondocking. There is a 14 day stay limit. People will leave at the end of their 14 days, spend a couple of weeks elsewhere - at the BLM LTVA just a couple of miles away or at one of the casinos by Yuma - and then return. For $75 you can buy a camping pass that is good until the end of the same month a year later. For example, we bought our pass on Feb 2nd. 2017. It will be good until Feb 28th. 2018. Thirteen months! With the 14 day limit that still leaves you with 28 weeks of camping for $75. Included in that price are dump stations and drinking water at a number of BLM LTVA (Bureau of Land Management, Long-Term Visitor Area). That's worth $14 a visit in that part of the country. We stayed 14 days and the pass had paid for itself before we hit day 10. Next year our stay there will be free. You are close to other campers, but it was not uncomfortable. There is quite a sense of community and commradery. For example, our neighbor had made a fire pit out of a washing machine drum. They had it out in a large common area and there were always two of three couples with them each evening. The view from the upper parking lot was spectacular looking out over the lake toward the Colorado river. The fishing is excellent. The favorites were large mouth bass and talopia. If you are a boater or like to fish, you want to consider this place. There were times when generators were problematic. As you probably know, if you've been following us, Pamela and I much prefer to be boondocking in the wilderness where, if we have any neighbors at all, they're >100 yards away. Squaw Lake is a bit tight for us, but we made some good friends and we'll return because it is a good place to spend some time when you want to be a bit closer to a town and there is a lot to do nearby. An addendum: Last night, in the middle of the wilderness on the Colorado River, we got talking with another nomad who was probably in his 50s. When we asked him if he had stayed in the Yuma area he said "I don't do the Yuma thing. They're too old." We laughed. There is no doubt that Pamela is the baby wherever we go around here.

Environment: Desert. Winter temps with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s. By March it is pushing into the 90s.

Amenities: There is potable water available by the bathrooms. They have very good showers for only $1 per 5 min.

Discounts:  Senior Pass is good if you pay by the night. The pass is a better deal if you're going to stay a week and dump.  

Dump & Water: There is a dump station at the LTVA a short distance away if you have a pass.

Phone Service: Very good Verizon

Location: At the base of the Imperial Dam on Squaw lake which adjoins the Colorado River. GPS will show the town as Winterhaven, CA. since you are in California. You are 23 miles from Yuma, AZ

Proximity to shopping: Yuma is 23 miles away.

Camping Population: People from everywhere but mostly full-timers and snow-birds from Canada and northern states like Washington, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Oregon. Rigs of every size and shape from giant Class-A to car and tent-campers.

Sites: There are two large parking lots with lines as you would expect in a parking lot. You get two spots ... one for your unit and one to either park or to use as living space outside your door. There are nearby places to leave your tow vehicle, so we used our second spot as living space.

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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