La Posa Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA), Quartzsite

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With so many vanlifers headed to Quartzsite every winter (the population goes from about 2300 in the summer to over 250,000 in the winter), one would expect to find lots of parking available – and there definitely is. There are several different options to choose from, depending on your length of stay, how accessible an external bathroom needs to be – and, of course, how much you are willing to pay.

If you’re like us, and are planning to stay for a longer length of time (more than 2 weeks), need an external bathroom, and don’t want to pay the heavy prices of staying in an RV park, then your best option is in the La Posa Long Term Visitor Area. The site is enormous (roughly 11,400 acres) and is split up into several sections: North, South, West and Tyson Wash.

There are several benefits to staying at the La Posa Long Term Visitor Area. There are vault toilets (accessible 24 hours a day and cleaned twice a week), you can purchase a pass that’s good from September 15th through April 15th (or shorter passes) either online or at the site, and you will be surrounded by vanlifers that tend to respect your personal space (they know your vehicle is your home, and won’t just stick their head in).

We had a really good experience staying at La Posa North. We bought the long term pass and spent most of our time just lazing about. For shopping, there is a grocery store nearby (expensive) and a tent store called Tyson Wells Market Square (limited variety) for quick stuff. We usually just bought a few weeks of groceries from the Wal-Mart #4543 in Parker (about half an hour drive), and hit the local stores if we ran out of something. Others went to the Albertson’s in Blythe, California (a 20 minute drive, so closer, but more expensive than Wal-Mart).

LTVA has you covered on other necessities. Each area has a large dumpster for you to toss your trash, and La Posa South has water fillup and sewage dump stations – all included with the pass, no matter which section you stay in (in fact, you can switch areas if you want at anytime – there are no assigned spots). And, as an added bonus, there are several different areas nearby (Yuma, etc.) that also accept the pass!

And for other needs, the local town of Quartzsite is there for you. Showers are available at the Love’s Truck Stop nearby (upwards of $15), but just down the road is the Quartzsite Beauty Salon that provides hot showers for $5. For the extra wait (there’s only one shower), it’s worth the savings. There’s also several laundromats available within a quick drive within the town as well.

The town also offers several big shows for their winter visitors, including a Rock and Gem show and an annual RV show. Guest speakers appear in town as well each winter (mostly popular #vanlife YouTubers). And, if you’re craving fast food, there’s a McDonald’s and a Burger King, as well as a local pizza place (Silly Al’s) and 2 Chinese restaurants (Bamboo and Stagecoach).

With no snow in sight at any point during the winter months (with highs in the 60’s even through the coldest months – although the nights can drop into the high 30’s), and with the town set up to welcome these “snowbirds,” the La Posa Long Term Visitor Area is a great place to spend the winter months in a van. Just be prepared to bring toilet paper – the provided stuff goes quickly.

Surrounded by fellow nomads, it’s a good experience for everyone, as you can be as social – or antisocial – as you want. Even if you need to be near a bathroom (like us), there are several located in each section, so it doesn’t mean you have to be surrounded by people (the closer to the main road, the more people). And, with the nomads ranging from the huge RVs to tents (with everything in between), there isn’t a class distinction either (like many RV parks seem to emit). And, you are able to build campfires with the rocks laying around (although you have to purchase the wood in town). Plus, there’s even a mobile mechanic that drives around if you have any mechanical issues with your vehicle!

If you’re only going to be in the area for 2 weeks or less, however, the BLM land a little further out might be better suited for you (if you don’t mind the lack of bathrooms). It’s entirely free – but the stays are limited to 2 weeks a month.