T.K. Jones Campground

We decided to stay at T.K. Jones after driving through the Mad Max-like dispersed camping at the Imperial Dam LTVA site. Our main reason for staying here was that it seemed a little more organized and the bathrooms would be closer than they would have been at the LTVA.

However, it wasn't until we had diligently followed the instructions on the sign and self-registered for two nights, that we discovered that ALL vehicles have to be registered, even tow vehicles. AND the bathrooms and showers were closed and had been for about 6 months because they didn't have any electricity. (This is next to a hydro dam!)

As a side note, don't follow the instructions on the sign and self-register. Wait for the campground host to come around. You have the option of purchasing an annual permit for $75 instead of paying $30/night (if you have two actual vehicles). The sign only mentions that you can purchase the permit at the Yuma Field Office, but this is not true.

Anyway, we ended up paying way more than we expected to be able to park side by side in a parking lot with a lot of other folks. And without access to a bathroom! Not really impressed at all, but it was a pretty area with lots of songbirds around.

If you are headed to the Imperial Dam Recreation Area, please be aware that the area in and around the T.K. Jones Campground is currently (and hopefully temporarily) closed to camping and is day use only. All the bathrooms and showers are closed. There are ongoing power/electric issues at this location.

The Long Term Visitor Area on the Mesa opened on schedule on September 15th and the facilities on Mesa Road near the Contact Station (water, trash, sanitary dump station, bathrooms/outdoor showers) are operational.

Camping is also available at the nearby Senator Wash Reservoir on both the north and south shores at the same rates as the T.K. Jones Campground.

Love the place but it seems like every time I come here there are unkind people who run their generators for hours on end.

The guy behind me has been running his for several hours claiming to need to keep his motorcycle battery charged and yet hasn’t ridden it in a week.

Wild burros leave poop everywhere so if that bothers you don’t stay in this area…

Met some friends here for two nights on my way to Palm Springs. As reviewed, it is basically a parking lot and you are allowed two spaces. As arranged, you park your vehicle in the middle. I was there in early January 2020, before a lot of the snowbirds had descended so we had plenty of space with about 6 rigs in the parking lot. Not sure if I would like it as much if it was packed. Hiking trails nearby and dump station. This is a popular area for winter travelers and there is also boon docking close by. Went to the Yuma Territorial Prison and well worth it.

Our rate is 1/2 price. This is a nice campground for the lake and some fun hiking or gravel bike riding. The campground itself seems like it was once just a parking lot and then someone decided to make it a pay camping spot. We got lucky and were not near anyone using a generator. It was easy access for the kayak to the lake/river. There were some day use people bringing their boats, but the water seemed quite low, so not too many. At the end of the upper parking lot there is a trail that goes behind the hills and there are quite a few trails back there to explore. Showers/bathrooms were clean. Showers are pay - $1 for 7 minutes. ATT was nonexistent until we were packing to go, then we had 3 bars of LTE. Go figure.