Arizona: Camping by Lake Alamo

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Lake Alamo, Arizona, April 2003

During spring break in April 2003 we made a camping trip to Arizona. We crossed the California/Arizona border at Yuma and took the highway north from Yuma towards Quartzsite. The first two nights we camped in the KOFA nature preserve east of the highway from Yuma to Quartzsite. After that we drove on to Quartzsite and from there we continued northeast to Lake Alamo, which is an artificial lake in the middle of the desert created by a dam completed in 1968. We camped two nights also at Lake Alamo before returning to San Diego.

On this page you see pictures from Lake Alamo.
Click HERE to see pictures from KOFA Nature Preserve.

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Day 3
After two nights camping at KOFA Nature Preserve we continued north to Quartzsite where we filled our water containers, bought ice, and ate lunch at MacDonalds. From Quartzsite we headed northeast towards Lake Alamo. We took a break at these trees. They were pistachio trees and we had our fill of nuts. Lots were left lying on the ground after the harvest.

Here is the lake. Behind me Ingela, Eyvind, and Sunniva are coming up the road. We have walked on the dam and on the spillway next to the dam. The spillway is a wide man-made opening in the mountain with a flat floor where water can overflow, which never has happened since the dam was built in 1968.

As you can read here the permanent lake is 500 acres. Before the water reaches the spillway level the area of the lake will have increased 26-fold, to 13.300 acres.

Ocotillo in bloom against a background of lake water.

Day 4
We rented a boat and took it to the other side of the lake. It was quite windy.

On the other side of the lake we ate our lunch and took this photo with the self-release.

Because the Arizona desert is still quite empty of people there is much more freedom for campers in Arizona than in California. You are free to camp almost anywhere and you can gather firewood. So every night we made a big campfire.

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Day 3 After two nights camping at KOFA Nature Preserve we continued north to Quartzsite where we filled our water containers, bought ice, and ate lunch at MacDonalds. From Quartzsite we headed northeast towards Lake Alamo. We took a break at these trees. They were pistachio trees and we had our fill of nuts. Lots were left lying on the ground after the harvest.
Here is the lake. Behind me Ingela, Eyvind, and Sunniva are coming up the road. We have walked on the dam and on the spillway next to the dam. The spillway is a wide man-made opening in the mountain with a flat floor where water can overflow, which never has happened since the dam was built in 1968.
As you can read here the permanent lake is 500 acres. Before the water reaches the spillway level the area of the lake will have increased 26-fold, to 13.300 acres.
Ocotillo in bloom against a background of lake water.
*Day 4* We rented a boat and took it to the other side of the lake. It was quite windy.
On the other side of the lake we ate our lunch and took this photo with the self-release.
Because the Arizona desert is still quite empty of people there is much more freedom for campers in Arizona than in California. You are free to camp almost anywhere and you can gather firewood. So every night we made a big campfire.