Ideal winter camping locations

[enginewitty]

Hey there,

If anyone was following my last post, they may be able to discern what happened and why I'm writing this one.

Unfortunately my van didn't make it and it looks like camping is my only option. My thoughts at this point are to find a good, legal spot to camp on BLM land for the winter. My needs would be for said location to be close to town (probably around a mile or so away), have some sort of taxi service available so I can go do my wash at a coin laundry in town, a nearby storage facility as I don't think I can pack in and pack out quite everything own easily, and a shopping area for food that has reasonable prices. (I'm coming from Southern California so my guess is that pretty much anywhere outside of New York and San Fransisco would be cheaper than here)

I would like to be able to find solitude as much as possible but I'm guessing that if I'm gonna be so close to town this may not be possible.  Still, this will need to be dispersed camping, for financial reasons but mainly for personal reasons I'll need that away space to be by myself.

Is anyone familiar with any locations that might fit these parameters? Bob had suggested Cottonwood and then Quartszite as it gets colder but it appears that Quartszite dwarfs Disneyland as far as visitors in the winter. Maybe Utah or Idaho? Or would those be too cold?

(I'm currently without a vehicle and am planning on donating this one and saving up for another while camping.)

 

[skyl4rk]

Blythe, CA

 

[cyndi]

Utah and Idaho will be too cold, for sure.

 

[enginewitty]

Blythe, CA

Checked out some images on Google but didn't see anything appealing,

Why do you recommend Blythe?

 

[Yogidog]

Ocala Florida forest lots of people in similar situation. Little towns mixed in forest. Lots on bike warm! And water and showers

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

The Slabs, near Salton Sea, CA

 

[highdesertranger]

I think enginewitty needs to work. right? I think Quartzsite, Blythe or Yuma might be a good choice. you ain't going to find much work at the slabs. highdesertranger

 

[skyl4rk]

Blythe has most services that one would need. There is camping near the Colorado River. If I had to spend a winter with no vehicle, Blythe would be my choice.

There is a complication that I don't think you can cross the bridge on foot or by bicycle. The best camping is south of the bridge on the Arizona side, but almost all services are on the California side. There may be camping on the California side as well. I saw a few bicycle campers in Blythe but I don't know where they were camped.

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

Anybody have a map for where the free site(s) are in Blythe/Ehrenberg ? Also, is this long term camping or 14 day restricted ?
Thanks

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

A lot of people hear how many come to Quartzite and assume the camping is crowded. Not at all true, there's lots of room to never be seen or found. If you can pick up a used bike you will be able to go back and forth to town for supplies. I would think a bike would save money in the long run, I don't know what taxis service costs. A factor to consider is the weight of the water you will need, it may be carried on a bike fairly easily along with other supplies. You will not be the only camper without transportation I've run across.

Dragonfly

 

[Canine]

Ajo,Az.

 

[Vagabound]

BobD,

When I first saw this, I thought you were playing a practical joke on the OP and sending him to the epicenter of the illegal immigration hairball!  

Might still be true, but having never heard of Ajo, AZ, I enjoyed reading the following:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...order-patrol-agents-are-living-the-dream.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/06/rural-health-care-ajo-arizona/484409/

Still not sure I see the camping angle, unless Ajo is surrounded by BLM land.

Vagabound

 

[Richard]

I can't recommend a particular place because I'm quite new to the van-dwelling life.

That said, I can share a general area that I personally avoid at all costs:

https://www.aclu.org/constitution-100-mile-border-zone

 

[akrvbob]

You can't beat Eherenberg, AZ  for these reasons:

1) a few miles to $5 showers, trash and water you can ride the bike the whole way
2) no ranger enforcement
3) decent cell and data signal
4) 7 miles to good cheap shopping in Blythe, CA you can ride a bicycle the whole way
5) there will be a bunch of us camping there so you won't be alone.
6) You can leave our camp in any direction and go 1/2 a mile and camp and be totally alone and left alone.

 

[eDJ_]

If I were stuck in such a situation and had to commute that many miles to and from on a bicycle,  I'd find a good bike and buy an engine kit off eBay and fix up one of these.

This is posted on MotoredBicycle's message board about AZ.

AZ: 48cc or smaller, 20 MPH maximum speed. No license or insurance or registration required. Per A.R.S. 28-2516.  One of these could get up to 140 mpg as a 2 cycle.  It doesn't require a lot of tooling to bolt up a
kit but you do have to follow instructions carefully.  (pay attention to torque and tightness)   Having baskets
on your bike will help make it a good grocery getter. 

If you are out after dark,  have a head light and tail light working. 

http://www.moped2.org/mstates.htm

There are more and more of these showing up around where I live.  People who are without work are selling their cars to  eliminate insurance,  maintenance cost, and licensing.  I've spoken with several of them and they indicated they never drove the car much anyways rarely more than a few miles a day, so they went to the
motorized bicycle to save money.   They figured that within 2 months they broke even on the used bike and $130 dollar motor kit.  (kits being less expensive in the winter) 

These may or may not be for everyone,  but if you are stranded without transportation they can be a comfort to have.   Some simple tools and a few hours will ready one for the road.   You'll just need an empty 2 liter bottle to mix gas and 2 cycle oil in for refueling about every 70 miles of travel.  (this may be 3, 10 mile trips to and from town a week with a little left over for inner city travel/shopping at around $1.50 a week)  

But for the $60 or so dollars a year in the fuel cost for a motorized bike it may be a small luxury one can afford
themselves.   In a Car this would be about 3 oil changes if you do the work yourself.

 

[USExplorer]

I recommend Quartzsite if you want to work odd jobs and save a little money. A bicycle should be all you need to get to and from camp. It shouldn't be hard to conceal your camp in the paloverde trees that line most washes, but if you so desire you could join up with one of the groups of car-free vagabonds or hippies that hang around the town throughout the season. Free showers at the mission in town, free breakfasts at one of the RV dealers, and much more if you hunt around. Q is also a hotspot for hitchhiking, so if you don't like it or need to make a supply run you could get a ride out of town in any direction. With the exception of a high elevation portion near the Arizona/New Mexico border the entire I-10 corridor is hospitable in the winter.