We’ve talked a bit about the BLM camping opportunities around Quartzsite, Arizona, but not much about the town itself. Today, we’ll dive into what things to do in Quartzsite, AZ, the snowbird capital of the southwest.
RV Facilities
Being surrounded by BLM camping, Quartzsite is also flush with full-service RV facilities. The two major locations are right off Highway 95: RV Pit Stop and RV Relief. Both locations offer RV dump stations, fresh water filling, propane, and ice. While we only ever went to RV Pitstop for propane, the operations were smooth and easy to navigate.
One thing we noticed about propane was the closer one was to I-10, the more expensive it got. However, both RV Pitstop and RV Relief offered price matching as of the 23/24 season.
Propane can be found throughout Quartzsite. Several RV parks in the city offer the use of their dump stations for a fee. The best deal for potable water and dump stations is still going to the LTVAs with a season pass (if you will be in the area for a few months).
Groceries
Quartzsite hosts several small grocers, from the Roadrunner Market to Dollar General. However, the selection is spotty at best, and the prices are what one would expect from a tourist town: high. Other than quick runs when you only need one or two items, I’d recommend taking the drive north to the Parker Walmart, or west to the Smart and Final in Blythe, California. Be sure to bring your own bags to California. It costs $0.10 a bag whether you go to Smart and Final or Albertsons.
Restaurants
There are several dining establishments in Quartzsite and almost all of them are independently owned. While we only tried Taco Mio, the food was excellent! Everything is available in Quartzsite. From sketchy-looking metal barns with “Chinese Food” banners to mom-and-pop greasy spoon diners off the main road. There’s even a “swanky” yacht club.
One word of warning: The fast-food chains in Quartzsite get really busy and raise their prices significantly in the height of the season. They rapidly lose their charm as a quick, cheap bite. If you’re looking for a fast meal, you’re better served to hit the deli at Roadrunner Market. It has everything from corn dogs to lasagna!
Mail and Packages
Not only does Quartzsite have a post office, but the staff there are incredibly friendly! They are strict about General Delivery rules, which state that one can only receive one package via General Delivery per month. However, if you’re in the area for a while, they have post office boxes with reasonable rates.
One minor fault with the Quartzsite post office is when it comes to receiving packages through carriers other than USPS. As of the 2023/24 season, they didn’t have the ability to receive packages from UPS or Fed EX for PO box delivery. In addition to the post office, there are two other PO box providers in town. One is Moon Mountain Mail, and the other is Ironwood Outpost, an authorized UPS dealer. When we were struggling to get a package from Amazon that only shipped via UPS, we asked about having it delivered to Ironwood Outpost and they said it was fine, for a $5 fee. While we weren’t able to test that, it’s an option.
Keeping Kids Occupied
Regrettably, there aren’t a lot of things for young children to do or see in Quartzsite. There is a semi-active homeschool meetup group that has weekly meetings at the park. Otherwise, there is hiking and one free museum.
The museum in Quartzsite is actually pretty adorable. Established in the remains of the first post office in town, it goes into great detail about the founders of the City and the history of the area. After touring the museum, you can’t help but smile when you recognize names on the street signs.
The town also has a pretty decent library that the kids were able to check out books from. Some libraries charge a fee for non-resident cards or don’t offer them. Quartzsite’s library is happy to issue one for free. They also didn’t bat an eye when we said we were staying at one of the BLM spots outside of town, which is so refreshing.
That rounds out the child-friendly activities. If you’re planning to spend a lot of time there with kids, it would be best to find another family or two to “circle up” with so the kids can entertain each other.
Other Activities
One thing there are a lot of in Quartzsite during the winter season is trade shows. Whether you’re in the market for a new rig, or just curious, the RV and Outdoor Show is the biggest, most expansive of the lot. However, there are also several rock and mineral shows, as well as a plethora of swap meets, flea markets, and fair-like booths and shops during the whole winter season.
If you have an OHV (or plan to either purchase or rent one while you’re in Quartzsite), there are a lot of great OHV trails. You can explore them to find petroglyphs and grinding pits or just enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, they’re not the greatest for hiking, though we did try.
Quartzsite has a little bit of everything to offer a snowbird, so however you choose to spend your time in Quartzsite, they are set up to give you a happy and restful winter, whatever your speed!