Salome KOA

Exploring the City

If there’s one compelling reason to book an RV in La Paz County, it’s the treasures that beckon from Quartzsite, about 40 minutes’ drive when you rent a camper near Salome KOA. Rockhounds will find Quartzsite a mecca for rocks, mineral specimens, gems, and even fossils when thousands of vendors descend here in January and February for the winter gem shows. And with thousands of acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land available for dispersed camping, RV camping here is an experience not to be missed. If two million winter visitors make you run for the hills, explore the Arizona Peace Trail on an ATV instead.Ghost towns are common in the Arizona outback, and Harrisburg, about five miles away, is one such example. Nothing remains of this town but a cemetery marker, but in the late 19th century, the place was awash in gold, which quickly dissipated a year or so later. By the turn of the 20th century, Harrisburg began to decline (ironically because Salome, being on the railroad, became the center of the local trade), and by World War I, became a ghost town.At Dick Wick Hall Historical Marker and Gravesite, meet one of Salome's most colorful characters. A humorist and prospector, Dick Wick Hall helped establish Salome in the early 20th century, opened a "Laughing Gas" gas station, and published the Salome Sun. He was also responsible for naming the town (which he liked to call "Happy Valley") after the co-founder’s wife who tried to walk on the hot desert sand barefoot but instead proceeded to “dance” to her destination. He died in 1926 a few weeks after he was diagnosed with Bright’s disease. His humble gravesite is located near where he lived.Salome is a tiny town in the middle of vast Arizona nowhere, but it takes you to big desert landscapes in the state. Experience it all when you book an RV rental in Salome, Arizona and dare to go where few venture.

The Great Outdoors

The 665,400-acre Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is only half an hour's drive away when RV camping at Salome KOA. In this huge slice of the Yuma region of the Sonoran Desert, only the rugged mountains of Castle Dome and Kofa break the monotony of the wide cactus plains. Come here to discover old mines, climb the rocks, and spy on amphibians, reptiles, and birds. The elusive Gila monster might make an appearance on cool mornings, the white-winged doves may be seen feeding on the red fruit of saguaro cacti, and the bighorn sheep may be spotted lurking within mountain caves to escape the heat.An hour away by Salome camper rental lies the clear waters of Alamo Lake State Park, a premier destination for boating and bass fishing in Arizona. The lake is surrounded by mountains dotted by cacti, brush, and wildflowers which bloom in profusion after spring rains. Year-round, the lake attracts foxes, coyotes, and wild burros as well as waterfowl. With the nearest city lights about 40 miles away (Phoenix and Prescott are farther away), the park can be a fantastic place to marvel at the night sky.The Harquahala Mountains Wilderness is home to the highest peak in southwestern Arizona. An easy-to-follow and well-maintained trail for most of its five-mile length, the Harquahala Pack Trail was built to service the people living at the solar observatory located at its peak. The trail gradually ascends, except for the steep climb on the last section, which rises to more than 1,400 feet in less than a mile. While there’s little left of the observatory, the views from the 5,681-foot summit are phenomenal.