La Posa North Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) in Quartzite, AZ: January 3 - 17, 2026

After leaving the Road Runner BLM 14 day camping area we went to the La Posa LTVA. We got there about 20 minutes before 9AM to beat the major rush at the services area (trash, dumping, water). None of the Welcome Kiosks had opened yet so we went to the services area where we dumped and filled up and planned to pay the fee later. The water to fill is only available during certain hours of the day and we noticed that those hours were reduced from 6AM -  4PM to 9AM - 4PM. While we were waiting in the dump station line for an open dump station, we could see that the water was turned on. After dumping, we went to fill with water but had to wait a few minutes in line due to the reduced hours. When we got our chance to fill, the camper that was filling up next to us said the water came from a well and they fill a 20k gallon tank during the after hours to supply the campers. We didn't think too much of it at the time but after hearing about a new well the LTVA drilled that came up dry, I wondered if the flow from the existing well was low and it took longer than normal to fill the 20K gallon tank.

After filling up with water, we drove to Quartzite to wash clothes before heading to Parker, AZ (about 35 miles north) to shop at bigger stores like Walmart and Safeway (part of Albertson's grocery chain).

After shopping in Parker, we went to the La Posa North Welcome Kiosk to pay our 14 day fee. I had some questions for the attendant. The first question was about the sticker they applied to the truck that designated the two week end date. When we stayed at La Posa South in December, we arrived on the 6th of December and the sticker they applied to the truck was dated December 19. I am getting slow in my old age but I can pretty quickly add 6 and 14 and come up with 20. So this time, we were arriving on the 3rd of January and I saw the attendant write down January 16 as our end date. So apparently they were using different math than me and therefore I asked why the sticker didn't say January 17 which is the day we planned to move. The attendant said that putting the 16th on the sticker meant we had to leave the 17th. I didn't question their procedures, felt comfortable after hearing her response and moved on.

The next question I had was about the new services area (just dump and water fill stations) that had been constructed at La Posa Tyson Wash (we had seen this new area when we were at La Posa back in December) and when it would open for use. My wife had seen something online that said it was supposed to open in November and the La Posa South area would then be closed. This is the point in time we were told the well that was drilled for the Tyson Wash services area came up dry and she didn't know what the plan was now.

We then left the kiosk and headed to set up camp in an area of La Posa North that we had scoped out during our earlier stay in La Posa South. Here is the camper at that location.

                                                                                

I created a new bike route loop combining some of the routes from our earlier stays at La Posa South and Road Runner camping areas and adding a new section the paralleled AZ 95 and connected La Posa South to Road Runner. The length of the route was a little over 13 miles. The way I connected the loop included biking through the Magic Circle section of La Posa South. This area is officially recognized as a clothing optional area. Here is a picture of one of the signs that notifies visitors they are entering the area.

The sign references this website: https://magiccirclearizona.com/. I was able to stay on my bike for the entire loop but there were some sections that the wife walked her bike through including a large wash by AZ 95.

Update: Most of the bike loop I used consisted of a single lane vehicle dirt road or jeep trail. When we would encounter someone approaching us from the other direction, I would try to ride off the road/trail to be courteous even though the oncoming traffic would usually yield to us or ride to the side. After suffering a flat each week during our stay at La Posa North, the flat I had at Road Runner during the previous stay, and finding small thorns or more like a prickle in the tire at the flat location, I decided to look more closely at places where I previously rode to the side and then got a flat. Sure enough, there were instances of very small thorny/prickly vegetation among the mostly gravel terrain. I then stopped riding to the side and just stood off to the side for oncoming traffic and avoided further flats thereafter. I don't know what the plant was, but I don't think they were goat heads, since the plants weren't a vine but more like a small clump less than 2" in diameter.

On the day of our planned departure, January 17, we went to La Posa South to dump and fill with water. We got there a little before 9AM again and was able to dump almost as soon as we arrived but the water line was another story. It was longer than we had experienced before and some of the campers were commenting on the low flow rates. Luckily we were able to get to an open station earlier than we anticipated but unluckily there was an attendant there that was more vigilant and strict than we experienced during our previous stops. We had filled our camper's fresh water holding tank and were just starting to fill our bladder and recycling washing station when this attendant told us we were overdue based on our sticker dated January 16. At this point I was happy I had gotten clarification of the sticker dating process when we had arrived and likewise was also happy to inform the attendant of what I believe I was told. Well this attendant was having none of it. She told us based on our sticker situation and the fact that the water filling lines were long that we would have to stop filling now and move along. I should have thought to show her our receipt for our LTVA fee that showed our arrival date as January 3 but since we weren't planning on another two weeks of boondocking but only a short week, I decided to move on. We didn't need a complete fill up for the short week. Also, since Colorado was our next stop after our short week of boondocking, I also thought that it might be a good idea to have a less full bladder since we keep our bladder in our unheated truck and we would be experiencing subfreezing temperatures there. Should you go to La Posa, be aware of the sticker dating process if you pay the fee for the shorter than seasonal rate.

After we left La Posa North we headed to Margie's Cove Campground in the Sonoran Desert National Monument outside Phoenix for our short week of boondocking.