Plomosa Road Camping Area

For me there are only a couple reasons to visit Quartzsite, the first being free camping and the second being it's one of the few places in the country where it's comfortable to camp in the winter. These are actually pretty good reasons to hit up the area for a week or two during the winter, just know that there's not really much to do.

Our first campsite in Quartzsite was the Dome Rock area which was a nicer area to camp at. We left Dome Rock because there was scorpionweed (itchy, and hard to keep kids away from) everywhere. We also had some animal encounters on our first morning (scorpion and non-venomous snake). Plomosa Road, on the other hand, was essentially a big flat gravel parking lot. This did make it less scenic, but it was much more kid-friendly than Dome Rock. Sites on the south side of the road overlook a dry creek bed, with great views of the rocky foothills.

It would be a great place to camp for ATVers, as there are endless miles of gravel roads in the area. I rode mountain bike a couple of days. It was just ok mountain biking, but better than sitting around the campsite.

The area is easy to access right off a paved road. Just register with the host to receive a free camping permit. At the end of March, the whole place was fairly quiet.

Limited stay this year due to the exceptionally cold winter. Everyone spreads out so can be as solitude as desired. Town of Bouse has everything needed - County Park has dump station and fresh water for very reasonable prices; there are water filling kiosks and propane at local RV park. A produce truck comes every Thursday and Friday with absolutely great fruits and vegetables at great prices.

You must check in with the host and limit is 14 days. Flowers were beautiful as there was a very wet winter. Place can get busy during Quartzite Rock & Gem or RV show. Not much to do unless you have off road vehicles. Plomosa Road is nice to Road bike on with little traffic and good visibility, you could bike round trip40 miles if going to Blouse.
You can camp on BLM land after 9 miles and over the top of the hill toward Blouse.

Moved up to the hills outside of Bouse (33.841948, -114.042016) to get away from the mass of snowbirds in Quartzsite and check out a new spot. Lots more space to spread out here. Tiny little town is well set up for RVers and has many of the essentials you might need. 30 minutes to Parker for anything else. Bouse Fisherman Intaglio nearby is worth checking out, and there are lots of 4x4 trails in the area to explore. Campsite requires a wash crossing that will weed out the bigger rigs, but there's plenty of space closer to the main road that anyone can access. BLM Land. Free Camping with a 14 day limit. 2 bars VZ 4G LTE unboosted.

Watch where you park. First place we parked (after the park host said park wherever you want with a fire ring). Well that’s actually not true you can’t park after mile marker 4, got a note 📝 n door from ranger (they work some) we were parked in NO CAMPING zone & had illegal firewood. Said we will move didn’t see sign but the firewood was there that’s why we picked that spot.
Moved down to area around mike 4 went to back & still moved to day use only spot. 🤬🤬🤬
Moved to LA Posa Tyson aWells for 7 days & all was well
Finally!!!!

I stayed here the first two weeks of March. I came prepared to drive right past if it was still busy from the winter crowds, but I was surprised to find that most people had left. The first week, there was an RV every 100 yards (and the generator and outdoor TV/music noise was annoying), but by the second week, it was almost deserted.

I camped right up against the wash on the south side of Plomosa Road, just about opposite the coords given at the top of the page. The whole area had a hard surface, and was perfectly flat and level. The wash was hard sand, and perfect for a daily walk.

Verizon 4G was excellent, with 24 Mbps download and 7 Mbps upload speeds. Since I had to go to Parker to find a Walmart, I had my mail shipped to the PO there instead of to Quartzsite. There are many horrifying online reviews of the service at the Quartzsite PO.

If you're headed to quartzite, capable of boondocking and have no clue where to stay once you get here look no further. Plomosa Rd is so big, easy to use for any rig, camping with friends or just want your own private slice of the desert you will find it here. It's a little drive into town but not bad. Best part is its free. We stayed here in January for the tent show and again in February after a trip to Yuma and this place is so easy it's a no brainer.
Cheers! OE