Driving Directions: Los Angeles to Crossroads Campground
The Driving Directions: Los Angeles to Crossroads Campground page is the result from our every other week driving experiences and pictures going to Crossroads Campground during the last 5 years. We included our own, home made, area map to help find it!
Crossroads OHV Area
Worth mentioning in the plus side is the big Crossroads OHV Area right across from Crossroads Campgrounds. It's an area of about 1500 acres designated for off road vehicles use, it includes hills and pads for a fun riding experience. Be aware, the rules of Crossroads Campground do not allow for riding “off road vehicles” inside the campground at all, not even to ride to the highway. This rule is strongly enforced by the campground host and the BLM Rangers (928) 505-1200 and you could end up in jail if found disobeying their rules.
Crossroads: Good & Bad
On the "plus" side of the scale; all sites have a barbecue pit for cooking, and a table for eating, the fish that you will be catching at the river. Lets point out a few thing you will lack at Crossroads Campground; drinking water, showers, flushing toilets, hookups or dump station for RVs and a swimming beach or life guards. On our first weekend at Crossroads Campground we saw a fishing family catch 5 catfish and 2 bass that measured, almost, 3 feet long each. Good luck to your fishing expedition!
Crossroads Campground’s driving directions with pictures and a map!
Crossroads Campground 
is located about 270 miles from Los Angeles, California. It's only a 4 1/2 hours trip if you drive at 60 mph. Start your trip by taking the interstate Fwy #10 going east. For the first half of the trip you will be trying to get to Indio, Ca, and to get out of the LA traffic. About 50 miles after passing Indio, Ca, you should start to see signs with directions to Desert Center and Hwy #177, which is also call Rice Rd. Once you find the Desert Center exit get off the Fwy and go left. You want to be going north on Hwy #177.
Desert Center look like this.
Afternoon picture of Desert Center during the middle of the week If it doesn't, you most be somewhere else... Ready to get to get back on tracks?
Even 
though it will shows Rice road in many traffic signs, you will really be driving toward Parker, AZ, which is close to 90 miles northeast from the freeway exit. This part of the trip is a very lonely, hot and boring drive with not much alive to look at. WARNING: Be extra careful, and very alert, for the oncoming traffic when passing a slower moving vehicle ahead of you. You are on a two way highway, the people driving toward you may be sleepy and tired so, make sure to turn your car headlights on, try to stay awake and sharp thinking about all the fun waiting for you only 90 minutes away at the river.
When 
highway #177 end, at hwy 62, you should go to the right. A traffic sign around this area indicate 58 miles to Parker
Picture of the 58 miles to Parker trafic sign so, you only got about one more hour to go the camper's paradise. Now you are going to Rice, east on Hwy #62, but there is nothing standing at Rice so you may not even noticed when pass it by. For all reality, let say you are shooting for the Vidal Junction. To make it easier to recognice when you are in the right place, check these pictures showing the Vidal Junction's California Agricultural Inspection station.
California Agricultural Inspection station picture. It's a stop point for all vehicles traveling from Arizona into California.
A 
couple of pictures of Vidal's unique gas station
This picture shows the place to get gas, food and goodies supplier at Vidal Junction and supplier of food and others goodies.
The intersection of Hwy 62 and the Califonia Hwy 95, the Vidal highways junction, should be showing in your rear view mirror by now. You are very getting close to getting wet, about 17 miles to Parker and around 25 to to Crossroads Campground...
A few miles before reaching the town of Parker, AZ, you'll notice big signs indicating to the "Big River" area. As you get closer to the Colorado River and Parker, you should see the old bridge, which is the entrance to Parker when coming from Desert Center, Ca. In the background behind Parker there are many hills. You will see one mountain with the white letter "P" to show the Parker initial to visitors from far the distance.
Congrats, 
you made it to Earp, Ca... Remember Wild Earp from the old western movies? It doesn't look much like a town but, Earp has a US Post Office
Earp US Post Office building picture building, a mini market, a storage yard and, usually, lots of beef jerky for sale at a stand by the road intersection. As you approach Earp you should see a sign that reads "Parker, AZ, 1 Mile" and point to the right at the other side of the bridge.
If you 
need gasoline, camping supplies, or anything from town, now is the time turn right and sop at Parker, Az. You can stop just to take a pick at the river view. One of the thing that I like about Parker is the first view you get of the Colorado River while crossing the bridge after a long ride from Los Angeles, Ca. You can also take the oportunity to get familiar with the town of Parker, AZ
Picture of traffic sign, Welcome to Parker, AZ, town details. You can learn a lot more... about Parker,AZ
If you need gasoline, camping supplies, or anything from town, now is the time turn right and sop at Parker, Az. If nothing is needed just keep on going straight toward the Parker Dam by way of the Parker Dam RD. Parker will stay to your right at the other side of the river. Next you will be driving by a section of the Parker Strip where you be able to see the Bluewater Casino at the other side of the river and will come across some spectacular river's views and luxurious riverfront condos.
After driving about 8 miles you will be looking, on your right, for the sign and entrance to Crossroads Campground. You better slow down because the dirt road that take you to the host trailer is very hard to see from the highway as you approach from the south on the Parker Dam Road. By the time you see the BLM sign it is always too late to turn right and you end up passing it by. We kept on missing it, even after we were familiar with the place. A year ago some the view blocking trees were trimmed down making it a little easier to see the sign but one should still pay attention to avoid a hard stop!
You will only have two driving choices, once you get to the end of the entrance's road, you can either go the right or left to check for available campsites. Crossroads Campground is made of just one internal road, about half a mile long, running parallel to the river with almost all the campsites on the river bank's side. On the west side of this road you will find the campground host's trailer and 3 motor homes campsites with roof, concrete floor and a lot space for a big RV or trailers. Their only disadvantage is that they are not by the river bank like the rest of the campsites. I was there on June 2007 and noticed that 2 campsites, number 9 and 10 had been closed to the public. That leave only 10 campsites available. If you are planning a visit on a holyday weekend I will suggest you check with the host for campsites availability. The Crossroads Campground host phone number is (760) 663-3852.
I guess that is enough tales for today. The best way for you to discover this hidden place is to follow the driving directions and check it out in person. Go in and meet the summer host, Gene, at his trailer in the entrance to the Crossroads Campground.
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