Glia Bend, AZ

GILA BEND, AZ

RUN BY:   Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

LOCATION:   32.844355  -112.322108

UTILITIES:  NONE

COST:   NONE

DISCOUNTS:  N/A

OUR RATING (1-5):  Category III.  Rating 4.5

NOTES:  This is a spot just off I-8 east of Gila Bend. It is no more than a pull-off but there is almost no traffic on the road and you have a beautiful view. There are signs put up by the US Border Patrol warning you about smugglers and illegal immigrants, but no one we’ve talked to or read has ever had a problem.  You actually have a very nice view and the highway is far enough away that traffic doesn’t bother you.

Environment:  Desert.  Very open with campsite along the road.

Amenities:  NONE

Dump:  NO

Public Water:  NO

Toilets:  NO

Showers:  NO

Laundry:  NO

Phone Service:  Verizon 4G, 4bars

Nearest Propane:  Gila Bend and Hwy 85 about 25 miles west  

Location:  On I-8 east of Gila Bend,  get off at Exit 140 and go south on Freeman Road. At T-intersection turn right and start looking for a good site.  Coordinates to our site  32.844355  -112.322108

Proximity to shopping:  Gila Bend. 25 miles

Camping Population:   You’re all alone. Boondocking.

Sites:  They vary a great deal.

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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 

* There are people who are not full-timers and van-dwellers by choice. We try hard not to be demeaning or assume that they are bad people but sadly, as you find in the poorer parts of a city, there seems to be more crime. Many call these people van-dwellers. That isn’t really accurate even though they do often live in vans. We know quite a few van-dwellers who have good incomes, are full-timers by choice and prefer a van to other types of vehicles. To try to show some respect for people who have a difficult lot in life, I’m calling them ‘residential campers’.  It is only when you get a high proportion of residential campers in an area that you find an increase in petty theft, etc.