(35 votes, average: 3.37 out of 5)
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Free camping along on a BLM lake. No services.
It is reported that this area is not suitable for large rigs.
Update! Stayed here for a couple of days in late February 2013.
It's a small (8.5 acres), elongated lake. It reminded me of a campground without actually being a campground. It receives heavy use. It is open on the north side and surrounded by Tamarisk trees on the other. The open side was bumper to bumper RVs. The south side is good for small rigs, tent campers, and those w/o solar. Big rigs cannot maneuver past the trees and low hanging branches. It also allows for some privacy. I squeezed into a spot in the trees with quite a nice buffer between me and my neighbors (100'+?)... until the weekend crowd arrived. Locals tent camp here with their kids on the weekends.
The ground near the lake is a hard packed sand and dirt mixture. The further you get from the lake or road, the softer it becomes.
The temperature was a pleasant 75F in the shade. The wind was constant and varied between a light breeze to down right gusty. The sky was clear and the sun was harsh.
Noisy yet peaceful. Happy people and birds talking during the day, coyotes talking at night. There was the constant white noise of a distant train. A couple times an hour, vehicles and aircraft serenade you as they pass by the area. Bombs close enough that you can feel them, slightly. Generators are all the rage at Fortuna Pond (on the south side anyway). Seek solitude elsewhere.
Amenities:
A wheelchair accessible (but sitting on gravel) portable toilet is provided and serviced multiple times a week. A trash dumpster is on site. No other facilities are provided. BLM and AZ Fish and Game officers visit daily.
Activities:
Fishing is the most popular activity. Non-motorized boats are allowed on the water. There are two dirt fishing jetties. Pond is stocked with bass, catfish, trout and sunfish. A valid Arizona license is required for taking wildlife (including fish) in Arizona. Details are available at the Arizona Game and Fish License Page.
The surrounding riparian areas, fields, and open water provide a multitude of habitats for wildlife viewing. Ducks adorn the pond's surface. Herons hang out in the trees. It's a good place to see Black Phoebes, migrant flycatchers and warblers.
Connectivity:
I received 3-4 bars (87-93dBm) of 4G cellular signal w/o an external antennae or amplifier.
Directions:
I came in from the west side. Take hwy 95 east from Yuma. Turn north (left) on South Avenue 7E/Laguna Dam Road (there is a brown sign on hwy 95 for Mittry Lake right before this turn). Go 1.5 miles. Turn right (east) onto E County 7 1/2 St (it's directly after the canal). The canal should now be on your right. This road was a flat, graded, and hard packed dirt road when I was on it. As you travel on this road, for 3.2 miles, the scene will largely remain the same: canal and farmland on your right, riparian wilderness on your left. The lake will be on your left, if you miss the first entrance, don't worry, there's another one in 3/10th of a mile.
Access from the east can be had by turning north on Avenue 12E from Highway 95.
Fortuna Lake AZ
BLM 14 day camping every 28 days. 5 acre lake. Lake side camping and some in the trees. Fishing great for Trout, Bass, Blue Gill, Grey cats. Good roads. Any vehicle in. Can be busy. When it's not its delightful. Dumpster and Porta potty. No other services. Yuma 5 miles away.
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Nice change from desert, saw Beaver, many varieties of fishing and other birds. One outhouse and one garbage container available.
Better suited for smaller rigs, but a few spots for class A. Usually lots of people. Fishing in stocked lake
Stayed here in a 21 foot-long Trailer (RV). Donna Dee would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 0 0
Really not bad
Nice spot. Pulled in with class A 34' & 10' trailer. Arrived Sunday pm after locals left. Dusty? Yes at times but this is stil desert land! Where exactly is it not dusty in the Sonora??
Says 14 days but some seem to live here! Lots of bird activity. Not the Everglades but still...
Nice. Quiet. Not much generator noise during our stay. Mostly solar.
Is this review helpful? 0 0
Popular, Dusty, Nice
Popular spot, I suggest coming midweek. There are a few spots that can handle big rigs, but they will likely be taken when you come. A bit dusty but a nice, laid-back vibe. Enjoyed my stay. I got 3 bars of 4G AT&T.
Stayed here in a 8 foot-long Trailer (RV). lindalufrance would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 0 0
Very dusty, dirty, and lots of flies and long termers
We read the reviews, thought it looked awesome but was not our cup of tea. Very dirty dusty area and lots of flies. Looks like a few people live out here for awhile. We stayed about 3 hours and finally had enough. Vehicles and razors kick up way to much dust constantly and its the very fine type of sand.
Stayed here in a 18 foot-long Passenger Vehicle. Shirleyandtheroadrunners would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 0 0
Beautiful night by the lake.
Very nice and quiet. No wind so just the ground was dusty. Was able to park right next to the lake and be serenaded all evening by nature. Wife enjoyed the bullfrog singing. Would definitely stay again. We were here on a Wednesday night.
Stayed here in a 27 foot-long Trailer (RV).
Is this review helpful? 1 0
not coming back, but I'm not a "lake person"
Let me start off by saying I generally don't camp near bodies of water. I don't like the bugs, the humidity, and the party crowd that lakes tend to attract.
This spot was nearly trailer-to-trailer in March, everything from cars to Class A. Generators humming, dogs off-leash and literal tons of litter. Endless flies and gnats. Minimal signal on V, TMO, and ATT. The weekend brought ATVs blasting around raising dust and loud music to the mix. Overall not my kind of place, but then I prefer wide-open desert spaces with no one else around. Grain of salt and all that.
I did find a spot in a signed pullout north of the pond where it was quieter. Scrub and reeds were tall enough to make getting clear sky for solar harvest a challenge.
On the upside, there was a dumpster and it was emptied while I was here. There were also cool low-level night flyovers from cropdusters servicing nearby fields. Those guys are crazy in the best possible way.
Stayed here in a 19 foot-long Class B (RV). secessus would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 0
A favorite!
Feb 2021
This is a 14 day stay BLM camping area called Fortuna Pond!
The "Lake" is a stocked "Lake" managed by Fish and Game it is called Fortuna Lake.
There is a Porta Toilet that BLM has contracted to be managed by a rental company, the company only accepts phone calls for service from the BLM office. IF it needs servicing simply call the Yuma BLM office.
There is a Trash dumpster contracted by BLM to be mananged by the local trash company. This dumpster is emptied weekly except around the Holidays when they come 3 times a week. Locals and people renovating RVs/rigs often fill it rather than taking the short and FREE trip to the local land fill, which is pretty nearby actually. IF the dumpster is overflowing, please call the BLM office and report it.
Everyone that vists loves the wildlife and general neighborhood feel of the "Pond". Please encourage our neighbors to use campsite etiquette and a bit of common sense. Give each other a little space between rigs and don't walk through a campsite - like between a rig and the firepit in their "yard". No one minds a person walking close to the shore or day fishing along the shoreline. And please walk your dogs to do their business along the high road around the Pond if you are not willing to bag your fur buddy's poo. Also, there is a BLM leash 'preference' (might be a law?) for all fur 'children' which includes cats (why cats? because they kill the state bird quail that both BLM & F&G are trying to encourage to live here by leaving some piles of brush along the camping areas)
We are starting to have more off road traffic (like side by sides and Jeep clubs) as well as a few full-time sometimes challenging personalities in our general community. Be aware (not scared) and attempt compassion and gentle interaction. Generally we are a wonderfully friendly community out here!
Stayed here in a 10 foot-long Passenger Vehicle. SimplyLesa would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 5 0
LOUD AND DIRTY
I found a small spot for my van. VERY DIRTY, A WHOLE LOTTA dumped stuff, like toilets and fridges. There's been a lot of low flying planes/helicopters constantly since 4pm. One is currently circling above at 9pm. Uugghh.
Stayed here in a Passenger Vehicle. Suzie would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 1
Water front or tucked into trees, cozy place, blm patrols regularly and gives you a permit when they
Awsome place heres a tour on my ebike
https://youtu.be/gYjFI5uLSfU
Stayed here in a 20 foot-long Class C (RV). Greg would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Almost magical
If you want a place that is close to water, small but has a group of fun people, has trash, has a porta potty is close to town - stay here! This is BLM land so technically you can only stay 2 weeks but we have friends who have stayed there up to 6 weeks. As long as no one complains it seems that all are left alone.
We were there for December and hosted a pot luck for Christmas and had a dozen folks bring things and share a meal. We met several people that we are still in touch with.
All in all a very nice place. The only downside is the crop spraying. Don't know what to say about that other than it is surrounded by commercial growers.
Mainelycamper would stay here again.
Blog post: https://www.travelwithdave.org/post/fortuna-pond
Is this review helpful? 2 0
Your friends are the problem! 6 weeks really? Your going to screw it up for everyone else!
Is this review helpful? 18 5
Awesome, however do not let your GPS bring you here via Madonna Road. This road is not a good one for any RV. There are multiple other routes on much better dirt roads. Madonna road is the northernmost access road off of 95 so if you are arriving from the North your GPS probably will try to use it.
Arrived on a Thursday, plenty of really good open spots with great water views and access. Choice of sun angles etc. We expect it to fill in for the weekend. Quiet and peaceful so far, keep our fingers crossed.
Bret would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 2 0
Great location. I've had been coming here for years. NOT BLM - this is Fish & Game territory. Stocked pond. Porta potty. Dumpster. Camping and fishing for all. Locals are here on weekends and it's rather busy. Stay limit is 14 days. This year the bullrushes are tall so not much 'beach'
Stayed here in a Passenger Vehicle. SimplyLesa would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 1
All the official signage I saw said BLM.
Is this review helpful? 1 0
Very cool but lots of generators
Very nice location and it's close to Yuma. Only issue is Generator usage. Some people use loud contractor generators. Boomers Boomers Boomers. Great place if you like sleep with generators running all the time. Wish everyone had solar.
Stayed here in a 29 foot-long Class C (RV). Justin would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 6 0
It's a pretty nice place to stay with a tent
The 10 upon that has lots of trees water nice place to visit and stay especially if you're in a tent a lot of campers and trailers stay there it's nice placealthough you do have to watch out for the baking homeless sometimes
Patricia Pickett would stay here again.Is this review helpful? 5 4
October 11 2019 I went and the gate across the west entrance was locked with a do not enter private property sign.overuse
Is this review helpful? 0 2
Great little pond to camp at! Plenty of pond side camping. Pond is surrounded by trees that are great for tent/van camping. I believe there are 4 kinds of fish stocked in the pond. Not sure if you need a permit for fishing. Locals come in to fish in the morning. Lots of bird watching!! Very nice, very quiet would definitely camp here again! 14 day camping limit.
Is this review helpful? 3 0
very quiet and relaxing
Wonderful place to camp! So quiet even tho there were at least 30 campers there! Very clean. You can fish there too. If you like to bird watch this is place will make you very happy!! Weird location, in the middle of all these fields. Occasionally people drove thru on their rhinos but they were very respectful. If your lucky you may see the beavers that are living in the pond! Really neat place, give it a try!!
Stayed here in a 30 foot-long Class C (RV). Enksmom would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 2 0
Beautiful site
Beautiful spot. Friendly neighbors. Dont be afraid of the dirt road. You'll love it.i had zero bars with ATT and Tmobile.
Stayed here in a 19 foot-long Class B (RV). Rixanne would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 0
Average Location
At best, this place should only be 3 stars. Anyone giving it 5 has not been anywhere else! I stayed here mid December so the pond did not stink and bugs were non existent. Porta potty is unusable ... Filled and overflowing ... c'mon people, treat this place with respect. Wind changed direction and the trains were loud. Also, airplanes were practicing night time landings and flying low, over the pond to land. It's still worth hanging out here though.
Stayed here in a 19 foot-long Class B (RV). Steve Shaw would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Quiet and Beatiful
We stayed here 12/08/2018 and it was fairly crowded, although I did find a spot to park my 34' class A. The road around the pond is hard packed sand so no worries about getting stuck. It was quiet and picturesque
DavesRVLife would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 1 0
Can't wait for the next time.
The North American Traveler
18 mins ·
Last February I stayed in this campground and turned out to be one of the nicest BLM areas imaginable. If your into camping, hiking, ATVs, dirt bikes this place has some of the best desert scenery and roads for exploring possible.
Stayed here in a 15 foot-long Trailer (RV). Gregory Aaron would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Yes there is a out house but poop to the top I would not use. Road ok gravel. Lots of shade. I loved the place. I have been to worse. I stayed in my van then in tent.
Lucille A Roe would stay here again.Is this review helpful? 2 0
This place was a letdown. Nice for free parking but there has been reports of people dumping in the lake causing near non existent fish. Met some cool people, also met people who have been living there a LONG time. Wouldn’t stay here again unless I was in a real bind
Stayed here in a 39 foot-long Fifth Wheel (RV). Isaac would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 1
Clean and peaceful.
A nice little spot to camp not to far from town. There was a very clean porta and a nice big dumpster available. There were many rvs around the pond but plenty of room and quiet. Would stay here again any time I was in the area.
Stayed here in a 18 foot-long Class C (RV).
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Quiet, but very buggy!
We arrived after dark after not being able to find Kool Korner a bit further away. It was much easier to find, there's a left turn off a dirt road, just be careful of the steep drop-offs on both sides of the road and you'll be fine.
It was a fine spot to sleep in our tent for the night, it was pretty quiet besides the sounds of the water and a few planes overhead. There was plenty of space and fire pits available, however if you can't deal with bugs I'm not sure it'd be a good option. We didn't realize it so much at night, maybe because they flocked towards our lantern? But this morning while we were packing up we just couldn't deal with them. There's still a few flies in my car because they were all over our camping stuff.
However, with that said, it was a good spot for the night!
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Dissapointing location
We drove a bit over a mile on the 2 lane dirt access road. mostly smooth and level but a bit narrower in places with 45 degree drop-offs on the sides, you better not drive here in dusty conditions at night (following another vehicle or just crossing paths with traffic heading the opposite way). We did not see big rigs here, probably not easy to maneuver. We arrived at the pond and there were plenty of places to set camp, however we were disappointed from the murky stagnant water, I was not going to let my kids in there! If you submerge your foot to the ankle and you won't see your toes. Don't know how people fish here and eat a fish that grew up assimilating all this bacteria. Didn't want to wait until it was 5-6pm and be surrounded with bugs from all the bush around this area and had nothing to do and not be able to swim and cool off. Probably OK if you bring dirt toys since there is a network of sandy trails all around this area. I made a U-turn and left, not worth it to stay there for the night. I was towing my off-road overland type compact camper.
Stayed here in a PopUp Trailer (RV). Luis would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 1 1
It was beautiful and peaceful until about 1 am when the crop planes started circling overhead for about 1/2 hour. I would definitely say to rely on your GPS to guide you to the site. The roads are gravel and unmarked, so when your GPS says "turn right here" trust it and turn!
Cynthia hiked in and stayed here with a tent. Cynthia would stay here again.
Blog post: https://ashieldoffaith.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/fortuna-pond-yuma-az/
Is this review helpful? 6 0
Just got in and it's beautiful! Seems there's only two other trucks. Plenty of space to tent camp, I even found a fire circle. Watch out for the sandy road on the way in. I didn't have great traction. Overall, a great place. I suggest arriving during daylight hours.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. Clark Vacilador would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 2 0
Pleasant place
Seems like the rating should be closer to 4 stars. Perhaps the place gets a ding for no services (there is a porta-potty). It's also a bit tricky to get to but once you're there it's fairly pleasant Plenty of sun/shade options around a small, stocked lake. Maybe a dozen campers when I was there March 2016, but still fairly quiet. I had a nice free stay.
Stayed here with a motorcycle and a tent. rvanzo would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 0
Level, clean & near the water
Late January, early Feburary. Lot's of spaces for small rigs, a maybe on the larger ones but that's because there are a lot of larger rigs already here. You'll have to take a chance.
This is a plesant place
Is this review helpful? 2 0
Is my favorite spot as the fishing is pretty darn good. You could get a larger rig in here, but this place is so not suited to the likes. Small rv or trailer or tenting and there is no issue.
Is this review helpful? 2 0
We stayed here for 2 nites in mid March 2015. It wasn't that hard to find a good spot for our truck camper and 12' utility trailer. People were camped with some fairly long buses/trailer (maybe 30' at least). There was one porta-potty and a trash dumpster. Very quiet at night. I rated it 3 stars but would give 3.5 stars as for a free site it was pretty darn good. Fishing was not good while there. Lots of birds (herons, egrets, ducks, etc.) Most other campers extremely friendly.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
We really like this place. We stayed over two weekends and it does get busy but during the week there's plenty of room. Very friendly people. It seems like some of them come back year after year. The road along the canal can be rough.
Is this review helpful? 3 0
very nice place, you can go with large vr . we pass 2 weeks, nice temperature, fishing, toilets,
Is this review helpful? 1 0
Fortuna Pond can accomodate large RVs. Ours is a forty-footer. However, sometimes it's hard to get a space. One of us drives in with the car, then phones the RV if there is room.
We didn't stay last winter because they mowed it down. Before you had privacy. Now it looks pretty naked.
Is this review helpful? 2 1
No long free overnight camping. Day use only picnics, fishing.
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