LTVA parking question

[justanothermaroon]

I'm going to spend the winter in AZ, probably imperial Dam LTVA. This will be my first winter in an LTVA. 

I know a lot of people go annually and get the same spot. Do they get upset if I arrive first and take their usual spot?

 

[highdesertranger]

there are no "spots". it is first come first served. however don't be surprised if you find yourself surrounded by a group because you are in their "spot". I know that doesn't make sense but that is what it is. don't worry about it, if you don't like your neighbors, move. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

The folks who have "their spot" tend to arrive early, like October or the middle of November. Some might even be there now. That's how they're able to defend "their spot." Depending on when you arrive you might have a problem finding a spot that suits you.

 

[Qxxx]

JAM, I was extremely disappointed with the Imperial Dam LTVA when I stopped there. Everyone was so mobbed around the 2 toilets near the entrance station, I didn't even have room to park my van where it wasn't within a few feet of someone else. Poo. I didn't even stay. If you have a non-self-contained van, then you have to park within 500' of a toilet. If your rig is self-contained, then you can camp 1/2 mile or more away from the mob and have a little elbow space.

This is one problem with the LTVAs. Tons of big rig RVs park close to the toilets so they can avoid having to dump their black water tanks as often, which no one likes to do. 

The following comments refer to La Posa:
As hinted by HDR, the big rigs, usually Class-As and 5th Wheelers use a trick to get small rigs like vans and tent campers to vacate. The rule says it's legal to camp within ... 15' ... of another rig, so these guys will come in, park close, and run their generators all night long to "persuade" the small guys to move. Two Class-As tried that with me last winter in La Posa, but I said to hell with them, and stayed until "they" moved.

The other trick the big rigs use is for a group of them to space themselves out so they have a large area that they cover, 100'-150' between rigs, but they're close enough that it dissuades small rigs from getting in between.

 

[buckwilk]

OP, The Imperial dam LTVA is huge and you will find it easy to locate a spot provided you are not tethered to a vault toilet as some seem to be. Boondocking is not like going to a campground and some folks don't understand that. The vast majority of boondockers are self sufficient. If that is you then boondocking at Imperial is fantastic. There are a couple of roads that go east out of the main area that have good size pullouts that no one can get close to you and most folks are looking for the same elbow room you are so you won't have any trouble. Folks tend to come and go in the LTVA, not everyone is there for the entire season. The other thing about that general Southern Az. area is the incredible number of boondocking areas available. If you are not an experienced boondocker you will find folks really helpful and love to answer questions. The Imperial site is close to lakes and beautiful desert. The morning sunrise and evening sunsets are something to see. Yuma is just a few miles away and if you find that boondocking is not for you there are tons of other options in the area.

 

[Qxxx]

Yeah, a lot depends on whether OP has a self-contained rig, as I did indicate. Who knows??? For that matter, the other 2 LTVAs near Yuma, Pilot Knob and Holtville, also require self-containment. OTOH, the big boondocking area around American Girl Mine is not an LTVA, so anyone can stay there.

 

[buckwilk]

Mule Mtn, Imperial and La Posa DO NOT have a self contained requirement. Self contained means a permanently mounted 10 gal wastewater tank.

Long term visitor area BLM map https://www.blm.gov/documents/arizo...ned units are those,are not available on site.

 

[abnorm]

.......... La Posa DO NOT have a self contained requirement. Self contained means a permanently mounted 10 gal wastewater tank.

All 4 La Posa LTVA's require you to park within 500' of a vault toilet IF you are not self-contained............I KNOW.....I got busted !

(I think Q already said that about the LTVA's)...........YARC camp is 1 mile past the last toilet in La Posa South......

Last year I permanantly installed a black tank/dump and toilet into my existing conversion so I could stay in CAMP........

 

[Cammalu]

If you are self contained you can park in YARC Camp. PM me for directions

 

[justanothermaroon]

I am self-contained and dry camp experienced. I chose Imperial because I want to stay put for 3 months and it is close to good water, dump stations (I have a portable container, too), mail delivery, groceries, health care, and internet. Also big-ish city amenities (Chinese take-out, barber, laundromat, etc). I just want some room to walk the cat!

 

[Qxxx]

JAM, that's good, now we know. As I implied a couple of times, Imperial should be ok if you're self-contained, so then you can camp 1/2 mile or more away from the RV mobs situated directly around the toilets. The mobs thinned out exponentially away from the toilets. The dirt road goes back for several miles around the north side of the reservoir, but at some point, it leaves the LTVA and turns into pay-by-day camping. There may even be some free camping back, but I don't know.

For that matter, there is another popular place right nearby called Mitry Lake, that you can drive around from the Imperial access road. It's nice but there are limited camping spots on the water, due to widespread cattail (???) growth. Also there is one toilet, and when I went by, it was mobbed sardine to sardine by self-contained RVs. There is also Fortuna Pond much closer to Yuma, but people really fight for spots there.

So, you're good for any of the LTVAs or boondocking. Sweet.

 

[bullfrog]

The bugs can get really bad around the lake as well at times.

 

[MrNoodly]

...There is also Fortuna Pond much closer to Yuma, but people really fight for spots there...

Also, the roads into Fortuna Pond are very washboardy, there are flies, train horns in the middle of the night, flies, overflights from the Marine Corps Air Station, flies, sometimes there are crop dusters filling the air with who knows what, flies, occasional earthshaking explosions from Yuma Proving Grounds, flies, locals crowding in on weekends for fishing and drinking and littering, flies, coyotes, flies, barking dogs, flies, and flies. Oh, and flies.

 

[Qxxx]

Yeah, there is an area approx 10 miles by 15 miles south between Imperial and Yuma that is heavily agricultural. The roads were bad, covered with mud sloughed off tractor tires, and whatever else. Crop duster effusion?

There is a road S24 that goes up the northwest side of that zone, and there is/was supposed to be some actual boondocking spots on it up towards Imperial. I looked but couldn't find them. Any of you flyswatting guys know where they might be?

Also, how bad is the road going up to Picacho?

 

[bullfrog]

We looked at some campsites north of there along the river on the back road. It was some kind of government area maybe county or state but it did have a host and a fees. It was crowded so we moved on to the lake till I ran out of windshield washer fluid. Made the mistake of getting out of the truck as then I had to clean the inside after killing several flies. Drove into American Girl Area way after midnight.

 

[Qxxx]

I greatly preferred boondocking at American Girl Mine over anything I found around the Imperial Dam area. It's also an easy drive into Yuma. For you window washer fly lover guys, no flies that I remember, either.

 

[bullfrog]

There are some really nice camping places at the base of the Chocolate Mountains a little farther north.

 

[Qxxx]

Looking at my Benchmark Maps of California, I don't see many access points going from the highways in towards the Chocolate Mtns. 4WD only? It also indicates they are "Gunnery Range (Live Bombing - Keep Out)". Now I do remember a number of other boondocking spots right off the east side of Olgilby Rd going towards Hwy 78 and north of Americal Girl Mine.

 

[wayne49]

One might consider giving a wide birth to any military test ranges.

They just had an air to air collision this week between an airborne refueler and a fighter jet, that crashed west of the Salton Sea, during training involving a test range east of the Salton Sea.

Standard practice is for air to air refueling to occur away from a combat zone, outside of the test areas.

I have seen ADS-B tracks of Marine C-130s out of Yuma MCAS, flying ovals, east outside of the Twentynine Palms Air Ground Combat Range after dark, in support of night ops. Call signs used were RAIDRnn, indicating they were supporting Marine Raiders.

 

[nature lover]

I know nothing about your local geography out there. But living near Hershey PA all my life my ears perked up when I read about chocolate mountain. I wonder is that near the “big rock Candy Mountain“ from oh brother where art thou? Just from the name chocolate mountain I think I’d like it.