29 ArizonaRealCountry.com November 2018 TO SEE OUR AZ ROAD TRIP VIDEO OF QUARTZSITE, VISIT ARIZONAREALCOUNTRY.COM PALM CANYON This is the only area in Arizona where you can find a canyon of palm trees. The palms are a short walk from the parking area at the base of the mountains. How to get there: Drive South on Highway 95 for 23 miles then turn left into the Kofa Wildlife Refuge and drive for approximately 7 miles on the dirt road until it ends. Side Trips for Rockhounds Hauser Geode Beds take the Wiley's Well Road exit from Interstate 10 and continue driving south to the graded dirt road just past the state prison. You will pass Wiley's Well campground (9 miles south of I-10), and Coon Hollow campground (12 miles south of I-10). You will see a dirt road on the right with a marker indicating the route to the Hauser Geode Beds. (This is also the Imperial and Riverside county border.) Opal Hill Mine is still producing fire agate, and rock hounds still frequent the mine for its gem- quality stones. The mine is privately owned but opens to the public for a fee. With some hard work and effort, almost everyone leaves Opal Hill satisfied with the fiery agate they take with them. Read more: desertusa.com/cities/az/quartzsite. html#ixzz5U2PLm1FM QUARTZSITE HAS A PLETHORA of camping options making it a popular choice for snowbirds, especially those on a budget. The value-priced RV parks and boondocking options make it easy to stay for the season and not spend a lot. You can also pass through town and quickly find a spot. Campendium shows over a dozen RV parks in the immediate area if you want full or partial hook-ups. That’s right, a dozen in this small town! If boondocking is more your speed, there are plenty of areas for that, too. There are many BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas with the typical 2-week stay limit and even a nearby national wildlife refuge where you can find a spot. We’ve stayed at a few boondocking spots around town using our solar set-up for power. For those who want to stay for the season without moving every couple of weeks, check out the long-term visitor areas run by the BLM. For $180, you can stay for up to seven months in the La Posa dispersed camping area. That’s the cheapest rent we’ve ever seen. If you’re just spending a few days or a week in the area dry camping, you’ll be happy to find fill and dumping options right in town. The most well-known being the RV Pit Stop. You can do it all here- fill up with fresh water, dump your tanks, and refill your propane. I think Quartzsite is the only town a place like this could exist! SHOPPING AND EATING IN QUARTZSITE Yeah…remember this isn’t a big town. While it may have over a dozen RV parks, it has only a handful of restaurants and a few stores. You can grab a pretty good pizza at Silly Al’s and there are a few other local joints or fast food places if you’re not in the mood for Italian. Silly Al’s and the Quartzsite Yacht Club (yes, a yacht club in the desert) are popular for a night on the town. There are a couple of grocery stores in town along with a Family Dollar. For other RVer needs, you’ll find a laundromat, RV supplies, post office, and Quiet Times. What’s Quiet Times you ask? Well, it’s a stationary store that becomes the RVers mail hub during the winter. They accept packages for a fee from all carriers, so you can get your Amazon packages while in town. It’s not like there is a mall or anything, but there are tables and tents and buildings of things to buy. You really should watch the video to understand this. It’s everything from cheap flea market stuff to overstock food to handmade goods to gems and rocks. There is a whole mish-mash of stuff happening there. As full-time RVers, we are very cognizant of how much our weight is and the stuff we bring into our home, so most of this isn’t really appealing to us. But we did get an electric bug zapper and a couple gifts for rockhounds. QUARTZSITE RV SHOW Towards the end of January, the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation, and RV Show is held bringing the big tent and more vendors. It’s pretty typical of any RV show filled with RVing accessories, hot tubs (always), kitchenware, and work/camping opportunities. There are RVs for sale outside. Actually, you can find these RVs for sale before and after the show as a few dealers have outposts in Quartzsite during the season. QUARTZSITE IS THE GATEWAY TO THE ARIZONA PEACE TRAIL A 750-mile off-road vehicle (OHV) loop trail system from Yuma to Bullhead City. Riders will experience dramatic elevation changes that range from 170 ft. along the banks of the Colorado River to the 7070 ft. mountaintops in the Hualapai Mountains. The Arizona Peace Trail is ideal for a day trip to explore around Quartzsite. Or take an overnight adventure or several days expedition! Combine the Arizona Peace Trail with over 1,000 miles of BLM designated OHV trails in the Quartzsite area. To learn more visit ArizonaPeaceTrail.org. Camping in Quartzsite Hi Jolly Cemetery