We have heard so much about the Quartzsite event in Febr. I would be very interested in anyones input at to how it works..in's and out's etc.. Thanks
SKOOBDO said
07:07 PM Jan 4, 2009
I've been there once so far (last winter). I think you would either love it or hate it I loved it! I guess since I'm a solo and by myself most times, being out in the open desert without any really close neighbors was "very" appealing to me.
I would advise you to look on the internet and find a map of the entire area to familiarize yourself. There are 14 day area that are free to stay on and there are long term vistitor areas that you pay to stay. The land is owned by the bureau of land management and the charges are very cheap. There is a dump, trash, fresh water included in the fee you pay for you spot. If you stay in the free area you use the city's rubbish transfer station to drop off your trash, and pay to dump and get fresh water. The charges are resonable, and there are also companies that rove around looking for customers that want to dump and receive fresh water without leaving their camping spot.
I would suggest arriving a week before the Big Show starts there if you want to dodge the traffic. If you want to be away from the traffic and noise I think Plomosa Road is the best place to stay. If you want to stay for a month of more I would suggest staying south of downtown at the LTVA (South) where you have access to trash, dump, water.....and it won't be too far to drive into town.
The Show consists of primarily "typical flea market vendors". Not too many RV Dealers on site. But if you need everyday gadgets the vendors will have it.
Also, on highway 95 south, going toward Yuma is a wild life refugee that is free to stay and also Imperial Dam, Winterhaven area near Yuma Proving Ground off 95. I stayed at several places in these areas too, which is also BLM land and nice and warm.
I won't be there this year, but I will definitely return next year.
Good Luck to you!
bjoyce said
09:49 PM Jan 4, 2009
The RV show is in January and I think the last day is the 25th, so it is not a "February" event. Most rallies are get togethers of like minded groups, like the Escapees Boomers, the Escapees Graduating Class of 2008 (those who became full-timers in 2008), Life On Wheels alumni, former Yellow Truck drivers, etc. Most of these meet up the second half of January to go to the RV show.
All hookup campgrounds are normally full in January.
Luvglass said
10:07 PM Jan 4, 2009
We weren't set up to boondock when we went last year at the last minute and found a great park in Blythe California, about 20 miles west of Q. The campground is called Mayflower Park and it's a little gem. The hookups are only water and electric, but they come around and pump you out twice a week for free. The rate was only about $14 a night.
We had an inverter installed while we were there and did meet with some of the Boomers for a few days at the end. It really is an experience just driving into the dessert and parking.
As Bill said, the show is nothing special, more like a flea market, but interesting to do at least one time. Even at the height of the show, driving through town is no big deal, parking is another matter.
thebearII said
10:07 AM Jan 5, 2009
Quartzite is split up into several flea market grounds. Like others have said the shows start at the first of January and end in early Feb. The shows really close by end of January but there are a few vendors that stay through til March or so. The big areas are The Main Event, Tyson Wells, The Big Tent (RV related show)and the newest is Rice Ranch. There are several other flea market areas as well.
Lots of entertainment like magic shows, side walk performers, muscians, plays..etc. You can find whatever you need or want to buy, from antiques to RVs. Old, new and unique stuff. It's a buyers paradise. It's usually nice, except for the dust...sometimes the cold, the rain and the heat...the weather can be tricky but not too bad.
There are RV parks and boon docking sites for miles around Quarzite. Some of the flea market areas offer RV spots for overnighters for a low price. It's best if you call ahead to make reservations if you want to stay in town. The chamber of commerce has a website that lists all of the flea markets and RV parks.
With the crowds comes the typical problems of crime, so be sure to lock everything up tight and take precautions against pick pockets. Also watch out for con artists. I was witness to a guy losing $1000 in a bait and switch scheme a few years ago. I've heard of lots of RVs being broken into. No more than you would hear about at any well attended event. It's just that RV'ers tend to be a more trusting bunch and we usually don't have to worry about our RV's and stuff in RV parks. Not so at Quartzite, especially at night. So don't leave anything of value outside.
It's a fun place to experience, the weekdays are less crowded. Plan to do a lot of walking and being stuck in lines of vehicles to get from one place to another. On the weekends, we usually start out around 8AM (no traffic) and head to one of the flea market areas and shop until 1-2PM and then fight bumper to bumper traffic back to the RV to relax for the rest of the day. Here's a website for a couple, they are campground hosts at one of the BLM campgrounds near quartzite http://jggrafx.com/ftroadrunners/
If you can stay somewhere to the south of town along highway 95, you'll have less traffic to go through to get to Tyson Wells and Rice Ranch areas. North of town along Hwy 95 and the trip to to any of the flea markets requires going through an intersection that can tie up traffic for miles on the weekend. One year (on a saturday) it took us 45 minutes to go 1 mile.
Thanks
I've been there once so far (last winter). I think you would either love it or hate it
I loved it! I guess since I'm a solo and by myself most times, being out in the open desert without any really close neighbors was "very" appealing to me.
I would advise you to look on the internet and find a map of the entire area to familiarize yourself. There are 14 day area that are free to stay on and there are long term vistitor areas that you pay to stay. The land is owned by the bureau of land management and the charges are very cheap. There is a dump, trash, fresh water included in the fee you pay for you spot. If you stay in the free area you use the city's rubbish transfer station to drop off your trash, and pay to dump and get fresh water. The charges are resonable, and there are also companies that rove around looking for customers that want to dump and receive fresh water without leaving their camping spot.
I would suggest arriving a week before the Big Show starts there if you want to dodge the traffic. If you want to be away from the traffic and noise I think Plomosa Road is the best place to stay. If you want to stay for a month of more I would suggest staying south of downtown at the LTVA (South) where you have access to trash, dump, water.....and it won't be too far to drive into town.
The Show consists of primarily "typical flea market vendors". Not too many RV Dealers on site. But if you need everyday gadgets the vendors will have it.
Also, on highway 95 south, going toward Yuma is a wild life refugee that is free to stay and also Imperial Dam, Winterhaven area near Yuma Proving Ground off 95. I stayed at several places in these areas too, which is also BLM land and nice and warm.
I won't be there this year, but I will definitely return next year.
Good Luck to you!
Lots of entertainment like magic shows, side walk performers, muscians, plays..etc. You can find whatever you need or want to buy, from antiques to RVs. Old, new and unique stuff. It's a buyers paradise. It's usually nice, except for the dust...sometimes the cold, the rain and the heat...the weather can be tricky but not too bad.
There are RV parks and boon docking sites for miles around Quarzite. Some of the flea market areas offer RV spots for overnighters for a low price. It's best if you call ahead to make reservations if you want to stay in town. The chamber of commerce has a website that lists all of the flea markets and RV parks.
With the crowds comes the typical problems of crime, so be sure to lock everything up tight and take precautions against pick pockets. Also watch out for con artists. I was witness to a guy losing $1000 in a bait and switch scheme a few years ago. I've heard of lots of RVs being broken into. No more than you would hear about at any well attended event. It's just that RV'ers tend to be a more trusting bunch and we usually don't have to worry about our RV's and stuff in RV parks. Not so at Quartzite, especially at night. So don't leave anything of value outside.
It's a fun place to experience, the weekdays are less crowded. Plan to do a lot of walking and being stuck in lines of vehicles to get from one place to another. On the weekends, we usually start out around 8AM (no traffic) and head to one of the flea market areas and shop until 1-2PM and then fight bumper to bumper traffic back to the RV to relax for the rest of the day. Here's a website for a couple, they are campground hosts at one of the BLM campgrounds near quartzite http://jggrafx.com/ftroadrunners/
If you can stay somewhere to the south of town along highway 95, you'll have less traffic to go through to get to Tyson Wells and Rice Ranch areas. North of town along Hwy 95 and the trip to to any of the flea markets requires going through an intersection that can tie up traffic for miles on the weekend. One year (on a saturday) it took us 45 minutes to go 1 mile.
-- Edited by thebearII at 10:13, 2009-01-05
Is anyone here definitely doing? We're thinking of going 1/21 - 1/24.
Suzanne
http://campingandtravels.blogspot.com