> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Quartzsite Camping: Winter Shows, Ham Radio and La Posa - URL: https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/quartzsite-winter-camping/ - Published: 2026-11-07T18:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-07T18:00:00.000Z - Description: I took the EarthCruiser to Quartzsite before I was making videos. The crowds at the shows stuck with me. Here is how to plan a winter visit of your own. - Author: Brent Conklin - Tags: Camping, Overlanding, Ham Radio I took the [EarthCruiser](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/the-earthcruiser/) to Quartzsite a few years ago and camped on BLM land right at the hamfest. This was before I was doing YouTube or making videos, and I do not have pictures from that trip. What I remember most is the crowds at the shows. My take on Quartzsite camping is that everyone should experience it at least once. That does not mean you have to commit to a whole winter in the desert. A first visit can be about attending a show or spending time around other campers, then deciding whether a longer stay appeals to you. Free short-stay camping and a paid winter permit are different arrangements, and the January events do not all happen during the same week. The photographs here are credited images from other photographers, not a record of my visit. The camping information and upcoming dates below come from the land managers and event organizers. Use the current rules when choosing where to park. ![A truck camper and other parked rigs in warm sunset light at La Posa South.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/la-posa-south-camper-sunset.webp) Campers at La Posa South on January 19, 2025\. Cropped from a stitched panorama. Photo: [Gordon Leggett](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A2025-01-19%5F01%5FWide%5Fview%5Fof%5FQuartzite%2C%5FArizona%5FUSA.jpg), [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) ## Where To Start [La Posa](https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-posa-long-term-visitor-area) is the place to understand before deciding how you want to camp around town. From Interstate 10 at Quartzsite, the BLM directions send you south on Highway 95\. The entrances are approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of town. North, South, West and Tyson Wash are the four named La Posa areas, so check which entrance you need rather than treating the whole place as one campground. The BLM says the area covers approximately 11,400 acres (4,600 hectares) and was established in 1983 to accommodate winter visitors while protecting the desert from overuse. Its plants include palo verde, mesquite and creosote, along with several kinds of cactus. That is the setting for camp, but the decision about where to stay should begin with what you want to do during the day. Someone attending radio presentations has different plans from someone shopping for rocks or looking over RVs. Decide how much time you actually have before buying a season permit. A short visit gives you a chance to see whether this kind of camping suits you. The practical choice is whether you want the LTVA arrangement and shared services or can handle your needs while following the free area’s stay limit. If you would rather have a serviced campsite than manage your own water and waste, compare current RV-park listings separately. The public-land permit described here does not promise a full-hookup site. Ask about the specific services you need before making that part of your plan. ![Quartzsite’s camel-themed welcome sign beside Highway 95 with a motorhome passing.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/quartzsite-highway95-welcome-sign.webp) The Quartzsite welcome sign on Highway 95 south of town, January 2025\. Photo: [Gordon Leggett](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2025-01-20%5F01%5FSign%5Fon%5FHighway%5F95%5FSouth%5Ffor%5Fthe%5FTown%5Fof%5FQuartzsite,%5FAZ%5FUSA.jpg), [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) ## Quartzsite Camping: Free Ground or La Posa? The [BLM's regional camping brochure](https://www.blm.gov/documents/arizona-colorado-river-do-california-california-desert-do/public-room-frequently-requested) explains the two arrangements. Outside the designated Long-Term Visitor Areas, short stays on eligible undeveloped public land are generally free, subject to the local stay limit and posted restrictions. Inside an LTVA during winter, you need the appropriate permit. Paying for one does not change the rules on the other side of its boundary. | Camping arrangement | Cost and period | What to understand | | --------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Eligible short-stay BLM camping outside LTVAs | No charge unless otherwise posted; up to 14 days in any 28-day period | After 14 days, move outside a 25-mile radius of the original campsite | | Winter LTVA short-visit permit | $40 for 14 consecutive days | Valid during September 15–April 15; additional short-visit permits may be purchased | | Winter LTVA long-term permit | $180 for the season or any part of it | Valid September 15–April 15 at designated BLM LTVAs | The word “radius” deserves attention. The brochure requires the next site to be outside a 25-mile radius, about 40 km, of the original campsite. It does not say to drive 25 miles on a winding road or move a few spaces over. Do not build a winter plan around repeatedly shifting camp within the same small area and assuming the clock has restarted. The brochure also says short-term camping around Quartzsite is limited to five designated areas. That is a reason to check the actual entrance signs and local guidance, not permission to pull onto any vacant-looking desert ground. The broader [BLM dispersed camping guide](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/blm-dispersed-camping-guide-a/) covers finding legal sites and checking land status. Here, the immediate question is whether the ground you intend to occupy is a short-stay area or an LTVA. ![RVs camped behind tall saguaros with rocky mountains in the background.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/la-posa-rvs-among-saguaros.webp) RVs and saguaros at La Posa, March 2018\. Photo: [Heather Stacy / Bureau of Land Management Arizona](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La%5FPosa%5FLong%5FTerm%5FVisitor%5FArea%5F%2828586288338%29.jpg), [Public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/) (Wikimedia Commons) At [La Posa](https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-posa-long-term-visitor-area), the short-visit period starts when the receipt is exchanged for the official permit and decal. You can obtain permits at host entrance stations or through the BLM offices listed in the program brochure. The current site page also points to advance purchase options; follow its receipt and decal instructions rather than treating an online purchase as completed check-in. Additional short-visit permits may be purchased without a numerical limit. Both permit types work at the designated LTVAs during their valid periods, and you can move between those areas without paying a new permit fee each time. They are not passes for every public campground in the Southwest. Your America the Beautiful pass does not discount an LTVA permit. The program brochure specifically excludes that discount, along with the older Golden pass discounts. The winter permit period ends April 15\. April 16 starts a different fee and stay-limit arrangement. Buying the winter permit does not authorize year-round occupancy. La Posa has shared facilities, not hookups at each campsite. The BLM lists 10 accessible vault toilets and eight water faucets, plus a dry dump station, a dump station with water and trash service. A ramada and dance floor are also on the list. Those are shared facilities. They are not water and sewer connections at your camper, and you should ask which entrance and area provide the services you need. Before settling in, ask the host where the facilities you need are located and how to use them. Arrive with drinking water rather than making the first task at camp an urgent search for a faucet. It is also worth checking the [official regional LTVA map](https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2020-12/AZ-CA%5FLTVA-Map-508.pdf) if you plan to move between areas. Facilities vary, so do not assume another LTVA has the same arrangement. ![A white camper among green desert shrubs with rocky hills and distant mountains.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/la-posa-camper-desert-hills.webp) Camping at La Posa Long Term Visitor Area, photographed in 2025\. Photo: [Michelle Ailport / Bureau of Land Management Arizona](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACamping%5Fat%5FLa%5FPosa%5FLong%5FTerm%5FVisitor%5FArea%5F%2854963299297%29.jpg), [Public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/) (Wikimedia Commons) ## Self-Contained Camping Rules One of the more useful pages to read before leaving home is the full [LTVA supplementary rules](https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/LTVASupplementaryRules.pdf). The self-contained requirement is more specific than simply having a toilet in the vehicle. Under those rules, a self-contained camping unit has a permanently affixed wastewater holding tank with a minimum capacity of 10 gallons, about 38 liters. Portable toilet systems, portable holding tanks and permanent tanks smaller than that do not qualify. That matters if you camp in a tent, a simple van conversion or another setup without the required tank. At La Posa, non-self-contained units are restricted to camping within 500 feet, about 152 meters, of a vault toilet or restroom. The same exception appears for [Imperial Dam and Mule Mountain](https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2020-12/AZ-CA%5FLTVA-Map-508.pdf). It is not permission to camp anywhere within those areas and drive to a toilet when needed. A composting toilet does not, by itself, answer whether the whole camping unit meets the BLM definition. Check the wastewater arrangement as well, and ask the host where your setup is allowed. I would sort that out before choosing a spot and unloading camp. Having to move after getting comfortable is avoidable if you ask the right question at the entrance. Waste disposal is just as explicit. Sewage, gray water and garbage must not be dumped on the ground. A vault toilet is not a holding-tank dump station, and the rules prohibit depositing holding-tank sewage or trash in one. Use the designated facilities for the job they were built to do. The rules require an LTVA permit for trash disposal and dumping within the LTVAs. Free camping outside the boundary therefore does not automatically give you access to those services. Before choosing the free option, decide where your waste will go and verify the terms for that disposal. A camping budget should account for the services your rig needs, even when the campsite itself costs nothing. For a question before arrival, the [La Posa listing](https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-posa-long-term-visitor-area) gives the Yuma Field Office number as (928) 317-3200\. Describe your actual wastewater setup when you call, including whether the tank is permanently attached and its capacity. Ask where that setup is allowed, then confirm the location with the host when you arrive. ## January Shows and Quartzfest The crowds at the shows are the part of my visit that stayed with me. If you are planning a first trip, I would leave some room in the schedule instead of trying to cover everything. Pick what you came to see, allow time to wander, and keep a break at camp as an option. For the upcoming season, these are the dates announced by the organizers. They are different events with different schedules. Recheck the linked pages shortly before leaving, particularly if you are arranging the whole trip around one show. | Event | Announced 2027 dates | Published hours or entry detail | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | [Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show](https://tysonwells.com/rock-gem-show/) | January 1–10 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily | | [Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show](https://www.quartzsitervshow.com/) | January 15–23 | 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; 700 S. Central Blvd | | [Quartzfest](https://quartzfest.org/quartzfest-flyer) | January 17–23 | The flyer states “$5 entrance donation” | The early rock and gem show lists rocks, minerals, precious metals and lapidary tools among its offerings. Its dates end before the two later events in this table begin. Do not assume that arriving for the radio gathering also catches that particular show. Check the calendar for the specific event you want, rather than relying on a general reference to “the January shows.” The RV show's organizer calls attention to changed dates and hours for 2027: a Friday opening and Saturday closing, with a 4 p.m. daily finish. That is worth noting if you have an older schedule saved. The table is a starting point for choosing travel dates, not a claim that it includes every event in town. ![A shopper examines rocks on outdoor vendor tables with RVs parked behind them.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/quartzsite-main-event-rock-shopper-2014.webp) A shopper at Quartzsite’s Main Event in January 2014\. This is an archival show photograph, not the 2027 event. Photo: [Chris English](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A2014%2C%5FRock%5FShopper%2C%5FQuartzsite%5FMain%5FEvent%5F-%5Fpanoramio.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) ### The Ham-Radio Gathering [Quartzfest](https://quartzfest.org/what%2Fwhere-is-quartzfest%3F) brings together amateur radio, camping and presentations. Its upcoming flyer lists seminars and license testing, along with radio competitions, fireside activities and a guided 4x4 ride. The organizer describes educational sessions for people new to radio as well as experienced operators. Check the current program for the activities that interest you; a list of planned activities is not a final timetable. The [current home page](https://quartzfest.org/) identifies the gathering with the BLM Roadrunner Short Stay area and says an RV reservation is not required. Follow the organizer's current arrival guidance and the land manager's camping instructions. No reservation requirement does not guarantee a particular spot beside friends. There is also a distinction between free short-stay camping and event admission. The 2027 flyer uses the words “$5 entrance donation,” while the home page calls it a very small fee event. I would use that current information rather than an old description saying everything is free. The flyer does not specify a per-person or per-vehicle basis, so ask the organizers if you need that clarified. For readers interested in adding radio to their camping setup, the [mobile ham-radio guide](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/overlanding-camping-ham-radio-adventure-mobile-hf-guide/) is useful background. You do not need to turn this visit into an equipment-buying mission. The organizer currently lists 146.550 MHz as the talk-in frequency. Recheck the event page before travel and keep the arrival instructions handy; this is current planning information, not a frequency I am claiming to have used on my earlier trip. ![Colored illuminated sculptures and an RV park entrance sign at night in Quartzsite.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/quartzsite-hasslers-night-lights-2014.webp) A January 2014 view of illuminated sculptures at Hassler’s RV Park entrance in Quartzsite. An archival town scene, not a current park listing. Photo: [Chris English](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A2014%2C%5FEvening%5FSight%2C%5FHassler%27s%5FRV%5FPark%5FEntrance%5F-%5Fpanoramio.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) ![](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2024/04/DCE3EBDDC3444BE58991C72BF74A14FE9006A09317AA96DB8119A41F4AB010198A8.jpg.webp) ## Sign up for Whiskey 7 Backroads Don't be left behind!!! Let us send you our latest posts right to your inbox!!! Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Living at Camp The [LTVA rules](https://www.blm.gov/documents/arizona-colorado-river-do-california/public-room-frequently-requested/brochure/long-term) require at least 15 feet, about 4.6 meters, between dwelling units. That is a minimum separation. When choosing a spot, also consider the access people already use and where your own vehicles will sit without blocking a road or trail. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., unless otherwise posted. The rules also prohibit unreasonable noise, including generator noise, outside those hours. A sensible power plan should let you manage the evening without assuming you can run a generator whenever you please. Before the trip, consider what needs charging and how your camping setup will handle it. Pets must stay on a leash, and owners are responsible for cleaning up after them. Campers and trailers must remain mobile, with wheels left on wheeled vehicles. Manufactured jacks for trailers and pickup campers are allowed, but the permit is not permission to turn a camp into a permanent structure. You also cannot leave the camping unit or campsite unoccupied for more than five days without advance approval from a BLM officer. ![A fifth-wheel trailer, pickup, ATV and other RVs on open desert ground at La Posa.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/la-posa-rvs-truck-atv.webp) Campers and vehicles at La Posa, March 2018\. Photo: [Heather Stacy / Bureau of Land Management Arizona](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La%5FPosa%5FLong%5FTerm%5FVisitor%5FArea%5F%2828586291058%29.jpg), [Public domain](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/) (Wikimedia Commons) The LTVA speed limit is 15 mph (24 km/h) unless signs say otherwise. Motorized vehicles must stay on the existing roads, trails and washes permitted by the rules; that does not mean cutting a new track through the plants to save a turn. At [La Posa](https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-posa-long-term-visitor-area), use the legal access roads along Highway 95\. Do not make a new entrance or move a barricade because a route looks convenient. Firewood deserves a check before you load it. The supplementary rules prohibit wood collection within LTVAs and possession of native firewood there, including mesquite, ironwood and palo verde. Ask about acceptable wood and current fire restrictions rather than assuming fallen branches are available for the taking. Permission for a campfire remains subject to current rules and posted restrictions. The full list is longer than these points, and posted rules take precedence where they differ. Read the entrance information and keep the official rules available for reference. That leaves fewer things to sort out once you have found a site and would rather be enjoying the visit. ## Winter Weather and Dry Washes Winter camping in Arizona still calls for a plan for cool nights. [Extreme Weather Watch's January compilation](https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/quartzsite/month-january), labeled for the 1991–2020 period, lists an average daily high of 66.6°F and low of 40.2°F. Rounded, that is about 67°F (19°C) during the day and 40°F (5°C) at night. Those averages are useful context, not the forecast for your stay or a promise that temperatures cannot fall lower. Pack for the actual forecast and make sure your sleeping setup suits it. Warm layers belong on the list alongside sun protection and drinking water. If heating the camper is part of your plan, account for its power and fuel needs before arriving. Steven's [diesel-heater guide](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/diesel-heaters-for-campers/) covers those questions and the safety considerations in more detail. ![Black Mesa and desert ridgelines silhouetted under an orange and pink sunset.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/plomosa-black-mesa-sunset.webp) Black Mesa in the Plomosa Mountains near Quartzsite, December 2011\. Photo: [Chris English](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANear%5FQuartzsite%2C%5FAZ%2C%5FPlomosa%5FMountains%2C%5FBlack%5FMesa%5Fat%5FSunset%2C%5F2011%5F-%5Fpanoramio.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) The other weather decision is where not to camp. Overnight camping in desert washes is prohibited at La Posa and Imperial Dam under the supplementary rules. The [National Weather Service's camping and hiking guidance](https://www.weather.gov/media/rnk/outdoors/Flood%5FSafety%5FCamping%5FHiking.pdf) explains why dry ground is not enough reassurance: rain elsewhere can send water through a dry streambed even when it is not raining at your campsite. Check the forecast before heading out and have a way to receive warnings. If flooding threatens, get to higher ground and do not enter floodwater on foot or in a vehicle. When you look over a potential campsite, consider how you would leave as well as where you would park. A shaded or sheltered-looking spot does not override a wash restriction. ## A Separate Outing to Kofa For a break from the shows, [Kofa National Wildlife Refuge](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kofa/visit-us) is an option to research. The refuge lists Palm Canyon and Crystal Hill among places to explore and does not charge an entry fee. This is a suggested outing based on the refuge's visitor information, not a trip report from my Quartzsite visit. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages it, with different rules from the BLM camping system described above. The photographs from the Palm Canyon Road area show the mountains in evening light, but they are not an assessment of today's road conditions. The refuge says most roads are not maintained that many require four-wheel drive, and some may be passable with high-clearance two-wheel drive. Ask staff about the route you want to take before committing your vehicle to it. A destination name on a map does not tell you whether the whole approach suits your rig. ![Red evening light on jagged Kofa peaks with saguaros and desert plants in front.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/kofa-palm-canyon-road-red-mountains.webp) The Kofa range from Palm Canyon Road, March 7, 2014\. Kofa is a separate refuge, not La Posa. Photo: [ALAN SCHMIERER](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AKOFA%5FGAME%5FRANGE%2C%5FPalm%5FCyn%5FRoad%5F%283-7-14%29%5Fkofa%5Fgame%5Frange%2C%5Fla%5Fpaz%5Fco%2C%5Faz%5F%2816%29%5F%2813086226035%29.jpg), [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) (Wikimedia Commons) The refuge warns that drinking water, gasoline, towing and sanitation facilities are not available out on the refuge. Restrooms at the headquarters in Yuma during business hours do not solve that problem at a desert trailhead. Cell coverage is absent over most of the refuge, according to its visitor page. Bring what you need and let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Follow the [refuge's own rules](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kofa/visit-us/rules-policies), rather than assuming an LTVA permit applies. Vehicles and bicycles are limited to designated numbered roads, and off-road driving is prohibited. If you plan to camp, sites cannot be within a quarter mile, about 400 meters, of water sources, and vehicles must remain within 100 feet, about 30 meters, of the road. Check the full rules and current conditions before making an overnight plan. Rock collecting has its own boundary here. Recreational collecting is restricted to the designated Crystal Hill area, without tools or metal detectors. Elsewhere, protect the plants, wildlife and cultural features rather than treating the refuge as an extension of a rock show. ![Red and purple clouds above silhouetted desert mountains in the Kofa area.](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2026/11/kofa-palm-canyon-road-sunset-sky.webp) Sunset from the Palm Canyon Road area at Kofa, March 7, 2014\. Photo: [ALAN SCHMIERER](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AKOFA%5FGAME%5FRANGE%2C%5FPalm%5FCyn%5FRoad%5F%283-7-14%29%5Fkofa%5Fgame%5Frange%2C%5Fla%5Fpaz%5Fco%2C%5Faz%5F%2820%29%5F%2813086541324%29.jpg), [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) (Wikimedia Commons) For a first outing, choose a route that leaves enough time to turn back and return before dark if conditions do not suit your rig. Do not use a sunset photograph as a reason to press farther along an unfamiliar road. The refuge recommends contacting staff for current road conditions, so make that call part of preparing for the outing. ## Before You Head South Choose the show or gathering first, then put the camping dates alongside it. Confirm whether your intended site is free short-stay ground or an LTVA, and check that your rig meets the requirements for the spot you want. Work out water and waste disposal before camp is set up. Recheck the forecast and the organizer's schedule close to departure rather than relying on information saved months earlier. The [BLM dispersed camping guide](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/blm-dispersed-camping-guide-a/) is a useful next read if legal campsite selection is your main question. For the radio side, the [mobile ham-radio guide](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/overlanding-camping-ham-radio-adventure-mobile-hf-guide/) gives more background. And if gathering with other campers is the part that appeals to you, Gary's [Roll Your Own camper rally guide](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/roll-your-own-camper-rally-guide/) has ideas for organizing something with your own group. I liked Quartzsite, and I think everyone should go at least once. You do not have to decide in advance whether you want to spend a whole season there. Pick a reason to visit, make a sensible camping plan and give yourself time to see what you think of it. ![Brent Conklin](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/content/images/2022/06/free-image-resizer-cropper--2-.webp) ### About the Author Brent Conklin [View all posts by Brent Conklin →](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/author/brent/)[Website →](https://www.whiskey7backroads.com/)