Wellton Canal

Some abandon trailer/RV - looks like they where there for some time. Lot's of flat space, easy in/out, u-turn for big rigs - great cell (Verizon). Be careful after rain (mud) or going towards the green boundary (sandy).
Arrived on Sat Presidents Weekend 2023 at 1pm, plenty of space. Some had their "toys" out (ATV/Dirt Bikes), to me it's a sign of louder crowd. Nothing wrong with it, just a preference. Nearby were heavy working trucks and machinery, at work, ploughing the field (dust) and spreading cow manure (smell). The wind direction was in our favor: it blew everything the other way. Otherwise I would have left. They stopped working at 2:30pm and it was very quiet. Maybe it's only a seasonal activity to worry about.
Best to have a plan "b" though. I personally would not stay longer, just because it's not very "cheery" .
Have stayed on other AZ State Land, this one has a lot of dead brush/trees. Perhaps overuse of the place, or harsh winter 22/23. But, impressively very clean. Except the couple abandon trailer/RV, I did see almost no litter (!!)

Officially, you'll need a permit, which currently is $21.00 p/Y.
It is huge space which can easily get Hundreds of RVs.
The advantage is that the location is 2 miles from HW8, which provides quite, and still accessible fast enough back to the HW.
I recommend the Geronimo, Mexican Restaurant which locates about 4 miles northern from thos spot.

My first thought when I saw this place was that it was nice, far enough off of I-8 that you didn't really hear any highway noise, and enough space to spread out. That was until I was scouting out a space to park and landed myself in sand where I got stuck. I tried to back out, but it wouldn't budge, so I went forward and made it worse.

The only good thing is the 3 wonderful men who came to my rescue. They informed me that this was a regular occurrence in this area and some of them had in fact gotten stuck before as well in this campsite area.

I ended up calling a tow truck and $270 later I was out.

I really appreciated these guys for helping me out and giving me all of the moral support as I just cringed at this mess.

It's not a bad area, just has lots of bad spots for sand. When I drove into the area where I got stuck, it did not look like sand nor like I would sink.

Just beware if you camp here.

We didn't get stuck in the sand! Fiou!

We went where there was a lot of RV's, we were ok. There's a lot of Class A and Fifth-wheel. We have a 22' feet Class C.

Mountains all around. Nice sunrises and sunsets. There is fish in the canal nearby. Nice place to take walks.

One negative is the noise, not very noisy but better to know it. Some RVers had generator (you never heard about solar panels guys?!). A few trains. There was coyotes howling one night and my dog kept barking back at them. That's nice but also annoying in the middle of the night ;)

I was shocked to see Fifth-wheel and caravan that probably can't move from there no more (flat tires and in really bad shape). Full of scraps all around them. 5-6 golf carts dismantled. But hey... it's a free place, you outta expect this... I guess.

Do your part and be respectful. Leave only footprints.

We traveled east down the dirt road along the canal for about 1/4 mile or so, past the main area where there were a few RVs parked; so we had a large area totally to ourselves. No danger of getting stuck in the sand in the area we camped...and we arrived after sunset. Also, it was very level, so we didn't even have to unhitch to level the tongue of the trailer. Great spot overall, which was close to I-8 but not too close...

I wanted a place to test my new solar system that was still close to things. I found this area on my way back from Tucson. Sunday 10/18/20. Full bars on Verizon. Flat and no sinking in sand. There are clearly marked No Trespassing signs around borders but no fences so be careful. No amenities.

Close to Wellton and provisions. Large flat desert area. Can get dusty. "No Trespassing" signs posted at entrances. This area is State Trust land and a permit is required. It was enforced by the local sheriff when we visited in spring 2020.

This free campsite is about two miles off the highway. Very easy to get in and out of. Some of the review mentioned bad sand but I didn't find that. Just be careful where you go. There are dozens and dozens of RVs here this holiday weekend, yet I don't think anybody is within a hundred yards of each other

Arizona Trust Lands (requires a permit) that is convenient to the town of Wellton. We parked in the first large flat area facing Ave 29E. There were only about 5 other RVs in this area and quiet. Drive only on the visible dirt roads/paths and there is no problem with thick sand. Wellton has two golf courses (we played at the city’s Butterfield Course which was surprisingly good), one market, two dollar stores and a couple of restaurants and fast food chains. No television over antenna but good Verizon for streaming. Closest laundromat is Yuma.

We found affordable RV camping on Arizona State Trust Land at Wellton Canal. Big rig friendly and just two miles off I-8, this Arizona State Trust Land provides level RV camping with mountain views. An Arizona State Trust Land Permit is required to camp here. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 61.9 Mbps download speed and 9.44 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 148 Mbps download speed and 6.36 Mbps download speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 63.7 Mbps download speed and 3.13 Mbps upload speed.