Cheap Winter Camping in Arizona & California- Imperial Dam Long-Term Visitor Area (LTVA) Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video we provide a comprehensive review of the BLM Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) in Winterhaven, CA. This may be the perfect snowbird winter getaway. For just $180 you can stay for up to 7 months without having to move and from September 15 to April 15 dry camp (with services (water, dump and garbage) just a few feet away. There are 10 LTVAs in the SW Arizona, SE California area and your pass gives you access to all of them.
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11/01/23 Winter 23/24 Residents (updated again 04/24)
Update on the pay showers at the BLM campground across the dam. (see our video review for full review of the LTVA) The showers and restrooms are officially now back open and running. They were down for about 5 months but did reopen in March 2024.
Kyle
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Imperial Dam GPS
32.9014298, -114.4940826
Christian Services Center
32.8691764, -114.4914353
Showers at Squaw Lake Campground
32.9035441, -114.4770113
More info on the BLM LTVA
www.blm.gov/do...
Verizon LTE speeds: 20mbs down, 10mbs up
Starlink- No obstruction great speeds
Cheap Winter Camping in Arizona & California- Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) Review
#freecamping
#campingaz
#campendium
#freecampsites.net
#boondocking
#drycamping
#imperialdamltva
#dispersedcamping
#campingcalifornia
Did you know our website has a free interactive map with all our campsite reviews? Check out thewanderingshores.com/free-camping-site-reviews
The showers were put back in service about a month and a half ago, but they were down for about 5 months because of a broken electrical cable that could've been fixed by a journeyman electrician in about 15 or 20 minutes at the most. I saw the exposed broken cable while walking my dog Elviis.
Jeffrey, thanks! I actually saw an update on the Facebook group mentioning that the showers were back open. That's great news! It was really a deterring factor this past winter not having access to them. Thanks for the heads up. I'll update the video description with that information or just remove the info where I said it was closed. I appreciate you taking the time to update me.
@@thewanderingshores , No problem, glad to give you the info., this is a real nice place to stay for the price, whether you camp down at the Reservoir or up in the LTVA. Thanks for sharing this in a video, nice job.
We used to snowbird there. About 12 yrs. We stayed in the gravel pit. Finally bought a lot with single wide in the foothills. Now we “summer bird” to Oregon in the hottest months. Have a great time! We did. Many boast about Quartzite but we tried both and Senators Wash has much better facilities and a lot more conveniences. The “lake” is actually a reservoir they pump full and produce power with. This cycle is perpetual.
Wayne, we couldn't agree more, like you said everybody talks about Q but for us this is 100% a better option. Much more room, water, sewer and trash that is accessible very easily. Not to mention everything that's available in Yuma. Glad you settled down over in the Foothills and Oregon is beautiful. We're headed back there this coming spring as well. Can't wait to visit that amazing state again too. Thanks for checking out our video- Kyle
The 104° average high temp in September and 93° in October leaves me out. It would be nice if the government would establish some LTVA areas further north.
Yes, it would be great if they put some further north in Arizona. We typically don't get there till mid-November and by then things are much more reasonable
Im a Canadian and have stayed there for 2 winters loved it and nice people.
Thanks Bob. I'm sure we've passed each other several times. We've been there the last three Winters from about December through the beginning of March. Maybe we'll run into you this coming year
Great Video….. It’s my 1st season this winter, so I love all the good info.
I can’t wait to take my Revel and Fat bike to play in the dirt.
Dave
Dave, you're going to have plenty of places to ride that bike for sure. Have a fantastic time. We will be down there. Probably rolling in around Thanksgiving for a few months maybe. We'll cross paths- Kyle and Michelle
If you enjoy our videos and are looking for a little way to help support our channel, head over to www.thewanderingshores.com and you will find our apparel shop, our Amazon Storefront (where you can shop for anything you would find on Amazon).- Thank you, Kyle & Michelle
This sounds like a great way to spend a winter and still have the convivences of civilization nearby.
We agree it's worked out great for us. The last two winters would highly recommend this LTVA since it has all the amenities unlike a few of the other ones.
Nice video. We have stayed at Imperial Dam a few times over the last few years. A couple things to add. There are various types of entertainment at the Pavilion. Also, if you have a CB radio, it is a great way to communicate with others who have CBs. We havent been there in a couple of years, but when we were, there were nightly check ins on the CB radio, and also CBs are you for communication during emergencies.
Paul, you are absolutely right. As of last winter, they're definitely was a strong CB community. I remember seeing the signs up on the information board as well as a lot of people with pretty serious setup antennas. I've also seen several times people down playing music and doing yoga at the pavilion. We're headed back there this winter for a month or so, so hopefully I can update the video as well. Thanks for taking your time to watch it and to comment.- Kyle
Good job on the review. The LTVAs are definitely worth the money and great way to spend the winter.
Thanks for checking out our video, We really enjoy the LTVAs. Safe Travels and see you soon.
Dosnt look like your everyday type of campground, but very cool to see. Seems organized by the staff. And a large area to visit. Thanks for the share Kyle!
Yes, I agree, they have it staffed and they do a good job at keeping things clean and organized and making sure people have permits etc
Welcome back to the LTVA. This is our 5th season so yes we like it here. If you make it over to Herman's Horse Path stop in.
Thanks so much, I actually see your Wi-Fi name the last 2 years but I thought it was for a different rig near us who was here last year :-). Will definitely stop by when we walk over that direction.
11/01/23 Winter 23/24 Residents
Update on the pay showers at the BLM campground across the dam. (see our video review for full review of the LTVA) The showers and restrooms are currently closed since there is no electricity. Found this out today and have been for about four several months. I spoke with the BLM field office and they said that there is no date for them to open back up. They are unable to pump water with no electricity running to the area.
Kyle
Great video! We should be there before Christmas! Appreciate all the info.👍🙋
You're very welcome, when you get here give us a shout out. Maybe we can meet up.
@@thewanderingshores Sounds good! I could not get any information about the LTVA on my Allstays app. Your video gave me all the information I needed. 👍
That makes us happy to hear. We enjoy making these videos
Another year at the LTVA! Great video. Good to see you settling down for the winter. See you in a month. :) Hi Hi HI Michelle!!! Take Care, Stay Safe!!!!
Michelle says hello.... I promise she will make a star appearance in the next video. Safe Travels and see you in January.
Lots of good info. Hopefully we will see you next year.
Thanks Melody, yes we can't wait to do some free camping with you, Lou and of course Milo.
You did a good job with this video! Very thorough! And we have to say, that is a pretty awesome front yard! We like having y'all and the donkeys as neighbors! 😁 ~ Shion and Matthew
We have some pretty sweet neighbors as well 🙂
I love this type of area… wish I had more
Yes, I agree, it's frustrating that they're so few places out east and we're going to run into that as we head that direction for next winter
Can’t thank you enough for the info, so helpful I have been looking for a place that is reasonable.
Happy to help! this is the second year in a row we have spent the winter here. We are actually over at one of the other LTVA (Pilot Knob) that is part of the network. Keep an eye out for a campsite review of this area either this Friday or next Tuesday. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.- Kyle
Great video I have seen a few of these and this is the best....informative and to the point I also appreciated the map over view....new subscriber. Planning on semi retiring in the future.
Wes, You just made our day. So glad the video was helpful for you. We really enjoy doing the campsite reviews. We actually have a new one coming out this coming Wednesday for an area outside of Durango, Colorado. We appreciate you taking the time to comment and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it enough to subscribe. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and congratulations on your depending semi-retirements :-)- Kyle and Michelle
GREAT VIDEO ON THE AREA,JUST WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR
Thanks Richard! I'm glad you found it helpful and if you have any questions let me know. This is our second season here so we're pretty versed about the area.
@@thewanderingshores i have a lot of questions,we were in Arizona last November to look at all the areas we might want to stay for 6 months a year,coming in October,we are a retired canadian couple,
@@RichardCockerill I definitely would recommend the imperial dam area. The access to the city of Yuma is a huge added bonus over the areas up in quartzite. The access to the dump station and water is much better here than up there as well because you can sit in a line for hours to get access because they are so busy up there. That really doesn't happen here.
Great video. We are considering Arizona next winter for the first time. This video was very helpful. Thanks!
Thanks so much, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to reachout. We spent 4 months here last winter so we know the area pretty well.
Useful information, thanks.
Glad it was helpful! If you have any questions just let us know. Not sure if you saw the written update in the info section but only real change this year is that the showers over at the boat ramp are not working due to loss of electric to that area. Not sure they will be back up and running this year. 8(
Thanks for the information very helpful
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. Glad the information was helpful. If you haven't seen, we also have an interactive map over on our website with all of our campsite reviews in a much easier form factor to find the one you might be looking for.
www.thewanderingshores.com
? , will the Christian Servies Center let you use their address for a permanent address location for mail? Thanks for the video it was very informative
I'm not 100% sure about the permanent address issue because I know they typically wrap up the mail service right around the middle of April when the season is over. Though there are people there year round, so I'm thinking you could give them a call and ask them about that. Glad video was informative. Will be back there again this winter.
Very good information, very thourough.
Thanks Mike, I enjoy doing the campground review videos so its glad to hear people enjoy them.
I'm in my motorhome in Quartzite but would love to know some good places in AZ to go in the summer 🌞🙏
Carol, thanks for reaching out. We are actually in court site as well. Up on plomosa road right now. I'm not sure if you are at a RV park or boondocking in quartzsite, but we've done several campsite reviews is some great places in Arizona. I highly would recommend a Greer, Payson and of course the Grand canyon. Not sure if you saw, but we have an interactive map that will show you all of our campsite reviews, etc and you can narrow it in by state. thewanderingshores.com/free-camping-site-reviews
Thanks for the info, well done.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks, if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out. Safe Travels- Kyle
Thank you for sharing all the details about this LTVA; you did an exceptional job. Is it very crowded right
now (Feb 2023)?
Hello Ginny, Glad it was helpful for you. We are actually over at the pilot knob LTVA right now but headed back over to imperial dam next weekend. Currently pilot knob is not that busy at all, but I can give you an update when I get over to imperial dam next weekend
@@thewanderingshores Thank you! We are staying off Sidewinder Rd and were thinking of heading to Imperial Dam in the next few weeks.
Well you're just down the street then. I'm guessing. We just got to pilot knob today from up at Joshua Tree. I'm actually going over to pick up my mail at imperial dam tomorrow so I'll be able to see how things look then too
Hi , You'd think for the extra fee of $ 75.00 they'd pave or at least grade the road leading down to the recreation area. How much time & effort does it take to maintain a stretch of road that sees minimal rain , traffic & snow ? 😂
Agreed, I'm sure it is all part of the bureaucracy. Thanks for checking out our video.
Thanks for showing the showers!
You're very welcome, I'm glad you found it helpful. I know that those are the types of things that I often look for when I'm looking at a campground review as well. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment- Kyle
Good info and nicely presented. A drone would probably be worth the cost if you want to grow your channel further. Thanks!
Very true! We have discussed that a few times. I have a freind who might be able to hook us up with one. I appreciate you checking out the video and taking the time to comment too.- Kyle
Very informative video.
Thanks Shelley. I'm glad it was helpful for you. If you have any questions let us know.
What are the temperature ranges in the winter months there? December, January & February night temps and day temps?- Michelle
Hello Michelle, thanks for reaching out. So for the most part it can get into the low 40s. Most days are in the 60s or '70s. This is our third year here and there's been a few times. It got into the 30s at night but it's a short lived cold spell typically.- Kyle and Michelle
That is not too bad! Thank you for all the information. We are considering heading there instead of Florida next winter.@@thewanderingshores
@@airstreamerThat's awesome, be sure to let us know as it's a high likelihood that will be back in this LTVA at some point next winter as well.- Kyle& Michelle
Great! We will! But are you sure you can tolerate us Michiganders? LOL. 💛💙💚@@thewanderingshores
@@airstreamer no worries. Our friends Chris and Courtney are Michigananders and work camped here with them right now and they unfortunately root for the maze in blue too 🙂
What's cell phone service like and how close is the nearest market?
We have both T-Mobile and Verizon. In both circumstances, connections can be very very variable sometimes we will get almost zero data connection on eithers provider and other times it's decent. The closest grocery store is down in Yuma it's a frys grocery store and it's about 25 or 30 minutes away. Hope that helps- Kyle and Michelle
Well, at least you 2 haven't figured out the Hot Springs L t v a and i'm not gonna let you know about that one.
We haven't managed to make it to that one yet 🙂
Please tell us about the Hot Springs LTVA? lol
I like this!
Thanks for the video. When using a gas generator do they restrict it's use on the California side ? Also is the water salty at the LTVA free site? Thank you
No, we've had no issues with running the generator here at the LTVA. While we are officially in California, everybody operates on AZ time and apparently rules. I'm not sure that California restricts using them. It's just the selling of them. No that is freshwater at the lake. It is used for irrigation down in Yuma and all the crops they grow there.
@@thewanderingshores Thank you for your reply. I meant is the free drinking water at the LTVA salty? Thank you
@@jeffmorse8706 sorry about that 🙂 no actually it's not, we've been drinking it with no issues. Filter just because I run all of our water through that before putting it into either our water jugs or our camper. But have not noticed any salty taste. However, as you probably saw in the video, there is also one of the filtered water fill up stations over at the Christian service center. I think it's a dollar for 5 gallons over there
You mentioned the Christian Service Center. Is this area a religious campsite? Or is Christian in the name from a person? Thanks.
It is a Christian organization and church that offers the services there in the area.
Can you tent in these campgrounds
Joey, I'm pretty sure that is allowable, but there is a restriction that you can not camp beyond a certain distance from the vault toilets. If you're not a self-contained unit. You might want to check on the BLM site for ltva. It will have a clear indication but I know I've seen other people out there intense but they all need to be within a certain number of feet of the restrooms
Joey, here is the The link. At the bottom of the page you will see a supplemental download. You'll see on that supplemental download that certain LTVAs do not allow tents, but others are not listed. It appears imperial dam you can use a tent.
www.blm.gov/documents/arizona-colorado-river-do-california/public-room-frequently-requested/brochure/long-term
Maybe the reason most people don’t use those showers is because water is free as is dumping your tanks So only someone who wants to do it the hard way wouldn’t use their shower
Yes, I think you're right, the access to the water and the dump here is a huge convenience thing for many people. For us either getting a poop wagon to drag around or hitching up and taking up front seems more cumbersome. We enjoy the showers but also have the bonus of being around family where we can use their house as well. We appreciate you watching the video and taking the time to comment- Kyle
If that’s California, what do you do with your firearms?
Charles, yes, you're absolutely correct. Personally we don't carry any with us but many of our friends have and I just think they keep them in the rig. I've never seen anybody have any issues with it. There are a few storage options around Yuma which is right back across the border, but a lot of them at the gun shops won't allow out of stators to utilize the service. I've had other friends who have gone to a pawn shop and pawnd it while they were out of state in California and then come back and just got it back for whatever the small interest amount would be.
so we could camp right next to where the post office and everything else is?
Yes, there are spots over by the Christian service center that are part of the LTVA. However, if you're going to need easier access to water and dump, it's probably better to park over in that section and just go over to the post office when needed. It's really up to the individual.
@@thewanderingshores ok thanks
Does The campsite that's 75.00 a year , is that for only 14 days a year? or can you move after 14 day's and come back at later date during the same year 🤔
The $75 is for an annual pass. There are a few other areas around Southwest, Arizona and California that you can use that pass in as well. But yes you can come back and use it again. I think you have to stay outside of that particular one for 30 days I believe.
Here is the link for more information on that area www.blm.gov/visit/senator-wash-north-shore
@@thewanderingshores$75 for the year. 14 days then out 14 days then you can return for another 14 days.
Thanks Wayne
@@thewanderingshores Thank You 😁
@@MoParRus340 Thank You 👍
To many crazy people there for us
Yes the area is not for everyone, but we have found it a guys option for us. Thanks for watching
You did a great job with this video. But this is definitely not for me. I would be there an hour and dying of boredom.
Thanks for watching, and we can completely understand the feeling of boredom out there, we expreince it was well, everything is brown and dusty. We get a change of pace because my parents live in the area as well. Thanks for the kind words- Kyle
how is the 4g service out there
Thanks for checking out the video, we have starlink but we also have a Verizon hotspot. We've had no issues with the Verizon hotspot and are getting pretty decent service. Most of the day. It gets bogged down a little bit in the evening, especially on the weekends. But I think it's still usable for most things. If you're going to be streaming TV, TH-cam, etc. You're probably going to be fine if you're going to do video conferencing that might be a little bit of a struggle, at least with the Verizon. Our friends had T-Mobile and I would say most of the time they had very reliable, fast service through that provider as well. Don't know anything about AT&t as none of my friends have that that are here now.
@@thewanderingshores ill be moving out there, or near there next month, i have at&t and t-mobile and they seem to work out there as well with the rite equipment or 4g routers
@@thesecret2Yes, I route all of my stuff through a pep Wave so I'm pretty sure most of the time you will have decent too. Good service out here
Couldn't I just grow crops and save money and gas on food?
Sounds like a decent plan to us. Thanks for checking out our video and taking the time to comment- Kyle
Cheap until 2025 where the U.S
Government is planning to raise the rates! Many poor campers that stay on BLM land to survive, may not be able to afford it in 2025
Yeah we saw all the updates they are proposing. I hoping that the press this issue has gottent from people like RV Miles will get them to reassess the increase to $600. I understand the need for an increase but that is crazy. Maybe to $300. Thanks for watching- Kyle
I need to get out there and away from this urban boondockin. Do they allow a sprinter van non self contained?
Yes, they definitely do. There are quite a few out here right now. I think the rule on self-contained is that you have to be within x number of feet from the pit toilets that they have spread out around the area. But I think it's kind of a loose rule
@@thewanderingshores awesome thanks!