Davis Camp Park

This was our first stay at Davis Camp. Appreciated the opportunity to use the dump and fill up with fresh water amenities, but otherwise took advantage of the dry-camp sites, at the north end, right on the water.
PROS: Clean and quiet sites with stunning river views. Laundry was a top priority for us and we found the laundry room tidy, with a small trade-a-book library. It was $1 to wash and $1 to dry. Internet (Verizon and ATT) was fine, due to proximity to Bullhead City and Laughlin.
CONS: Though we didn’t use the washrooms, at the north end, we weren’t tempted! They could have used a bit more service. Otherwise, we were a little put off by the wind. When asked if it this wind was normal (steady gusts between 15-25 mph the entire stay) the Ranger joked , “it blows from the north for 6 months, then the south for 6 months.” !! Still, a great overall experience.

First of all, there are several camping options - FHU, W&E only and No Hookups. We stayed in the no hook-up area which is right on the river. $20 is expensive for no utilities, but the spots are literally on the river and comes with a shelter and picnic table. Plus, we used the dump station on our way in (from boondocking in Lake Havasu) and again on the way out.

It's also only a 2 mile walk to Laughlin if casinos are your thing. Even if you don't gamble, there are so many casinos they compete for your attention with some good restaurants, cheap drinks and live entertainment.

There is a laundry mat on site as well ($1 each for washer and dryer). AT&T (116 down / 25 up) was a little stronger than Verizon, but both worked well and we were able to get lots of work done (and stream some shows).

Overall, it's a great spot to dump your tanks, fill up with water and get some laundry done before heading back out on the road. Would be a great place to stay overnight to take care of the above mentioned, or to spend a week enjoying the Colorado River as we did. The only drawback for us was the wind - which was relentless for several days before calming down.

We have been going to Davis Camp for years, but only for day visits. We go to photograph migrating birds throughout the year. Now that we have our cargo trailer camper conversion done, we actually wanted to try camping here. We originally planned on staying two nights but ended up staying just one. Reason for leaving early was the fact that as we were relaxing by the water in the evening we had a skunk walk through our camp, then another, then another. You get the picture. Then a raccoon. Normally we would just let them be, but we had our dogs, and every time a skunk appeared our dogs would go crazy and the last thing we needed was a sprayed dog! I truly think it had a lot to do with our campsite. It was located at the end of the dry campsites which allowed for easy passage to the water for the animals. So on that note we will come back in a few months when it’s cooler, pick a different campsite away from animal travel and closer to a water spigot. My only negative feedback for the Park is they need to rake the sites on a regular basis to get rid of old bottle caps, and small trash. Have more water spigots available.I know the wildlife is beyond their control and usually enjoyable.

Positive feedback: trash cans easily accessible at each site.
Shade canopies, with tables.
Sites right on the water ( dry camping)
Regular restrooms and showers on the upper level with portable toilets near campsites for people who don’t want to or can’t walk up the stairs.
Plenty of sites to choose from ( dry )

My tips for camping here:

If you enjoy the quiet, camp here in the winter. Summer brings the party crowd and extreme heat.
IF you don’t need full hookup sites take advantage of the waterfront sites. Beautiful views, birdwatching, resident ducks. It’s also cheaper.

SIde note: Dry sites are first come first serve. There is a 5 dollar fee for each pet up to 2 pets.

If you don’t need full hook-ups, the partial and dry camping areas looked much better. We stayed in the full hook-up area which was about 40% snow birds 60% trailer park. It was not a clean area. The day-use area near the river is nice. If it had not been as hot of a day, it would have been way better to just stay in a casino parking lot for the night, but it was nice having access to showers.

I read some of the other reviews and they are right as far as close sites but if you want to dry camp it’s fantastic. Right on the water. 20.00 a night plus 5.00 per pet (up to two). We have stayed here several times during the winter months. I imagine that summertime would be packed with people and boats. Close to Laughlin, Bullhead for shopping and laundry. This is one of our go to places when passing through. And they didn’t charge us extra for an additional car like the state parks do.

Your experience will vary depending on the time of year you visit this park. I arrived around noon Friday 6/15 for waterfront dry camping ($17) and both north and south beaches were packed with day-use locals. After most people left I grabbed a cabana site at the north beach planning to stay Friday and Saturday nights. Around 7:30 am Saturday morning carloads of people started rolling in and completely took over my site. Before noon the entire waterfront, north and south, was completely packed with thousands of people.

Sadly as much as those people seem to enjoy the park they let their trash blow away without a care. The wind was blowing so trash was all over the park and floating down the river.

This was not the relaxing river experience I was looking for so I left Saturday afternoon.

Overall, this is a very large and fairly nice park. There are several restrooms with showers and the RV sites (away from the river) were mostly empty.

THIS IS OUR THIRD TIME AT DAVIS CAMPGROUND AND THIS IS A MAY 2019 UPDATE: Mohave County has unfortunately allowed this lovely park to become rundown and we will no longer be coming here.

B Section is long-term residents, most of whom live in old broken rigs (shredded awnings, some rigs sitting out of kilter on their axles), surrounded by scattered trash, rusty junk, and debris. Dogs can be seen off leash. Parts of this section looks like a homeless encampment.

Waste disposal is inadequate. The county puts out lots of open barrels for trash, but these are often overflowing food waste onto the ground and in an area known for high winds paper trash blows everywhere. (Although there is lots of space for dog-walking, food waste on the ground meant my dog was constantly diving for garbage bits, which made it a miserable experience.) Broken glass and beer bottle tops are everywhere in the tent/picnic areas.

What makes it such a shame is that Davis Campground was beautifully designed and is right along the river with beautiful views. On the plus side, it has good laundry with $1 wash and $1 for 45 minutes of dry. It is nicely situated within 1-3 miles of fast food, Sam's Club, and Safeway in Bullhead City. No broadcast TV channels and a fee for wi-fi, which we didn't use.

If you're in need of a place for a couple of nights, Sections A (water/electric only) and D (FHU) and the dry camping areas are okay, especially during the week and during the winter. Weekends the place is packed and trash is blowing everywhere.

It is sad to see this lovely place so run down. The park is seriously in need of private, contracted management.

I wanted a place for my 11 years old son and I to relax by the Colorado River.

Can’t be more please with Camp Davis. The park is huge yet almost Empty on Saturday February 10, 2018.

There is plenty of signal to upload videos and pictures to our social media and more then enough to stream movies from Netflix.

Most sites are as even as they can get, our site isn’t but it is so close to the water that we are very happy with it.

There is a road nearby but it is not too loud.
A Laughing Riverside Casino is about 1/2 miles away on the other side of the bridge.

The $25 is for a dry camping sites, for partial hookups add another $5.

We stayed at the North Beach dry camping area for one night. There were maybe two other campers, which was nice for November in Arizona. The sites are nice and big, with direct access to the water. However, there was lots of glass lying around. Each campsites has their own shelter and trashcan (yay!).

The south beach was completely empty but looked more like a big parking lot,even though you had direct water access, too.
The next night we stayed at loop A with partial hookup. Very nice sites, almost empty and nice view of the river. The other loops (full hookup) were much more crowded and cramped and appeared to have lots of long-term residents.

At the time of our stay the Dump station was closed and you had to use one of the pull through sides close to the south beach.

Bullhead City appears to be the poor little brother of Laughlin, NV on the other side of the river. Empty streets and lots of closed stores. If you're looking for some fun, I'd rather stay in Laughlin. If you're looking for nature, I'd rather stay at Lake Mead. It's ok for traveling through, but not worth the money for dry camping with all the casinos providing free spots.