BLM Long-Term Visitor Areas: Locations, Season Dates, Permit Fees and Rules

BLM Long-Term Visitor Areas, or LTVAs, are designated stretches of desert in southeastern California and western Arizona where you can camp for the whole winter on one permit. The season runs September 15 through April 15. A long-term permit costs $180 and covers the entire season or any part of it. A short-visit permit costs $40 and covers 14 consecutive days, and you can buy as many short-visit permits as you need. Those were the fees on BLM's official LTVA pages when we checked in late October 2026.

LTVAs are not campgrounds in the usual sense. There are no assigned sites and generally no hookups. You pick a spot in a large area of open desert and set up within the rules. What you get, depending on the LTVA, is legal long-term camping plus some combination of trash service, water, dump stations and restrooms.

Where the LTVAs are

BLM's LTVA pages name the following areas. BLM's Midland page says one permit is valid in six California LTVAs and two Arizona LTVAs, so you can move between them during the season.

Facility lists on BLM pages change, and services can be suspended. Each LTVA page links to current closures and alerts. Check the specific page for your LTVA before you rely on water or dumping.

Permit fees and what they cover

A few rules about the permits themselves:

• Valid across LTVAs. One permit covers the California and Arizona LTVAs, per BLM's Midland page.
• No pass discounts. The Midland page says Interagency Annual, Access and Senior pass discounts don't apply.
• U.S. funds only, non-refundable, per the Midland page.
• Display it. Midland's rules require the permit decal on your vehicle windshield and on your camping unit, and permits can't be transferred.
• The 14-day clock on a short-visit permit starts when you exchange your receipt for the official permit and decal, according to BLM's La Posa page.

Where to buy

• On site from LTVA hosts during the season.
• Field offices: Yuma (7341 E. 30th St., Yuma, AZ), El Centro (1661 S. 4th St., El Centro, CA) and Palm Springs (1201 Bird Center Dr., Palm Springs, CA).
• Online at Recreation.gov, per the Hot Springs listing. You get a voucher that you exchange for the permit; the listing says to exchange it at the BLM Yuma Field Office.

Summer: outside the LTVA season

From April 16 to September 14, the LTVAs aren't in permit season, and the rules differ by office:

• La Posa and Imperial Dam (Yuma Field Office): $10 per vehicle for day use, $15 per vehicle overnight, or $75 per vehicle for an annual pass. Each vehicle covers up to five people, with $1 for each extra person. Stays are limited to 14 days in any 28-day period.
• Midland and Hot Springs: camping is free in the off-season, with the standard 14-day limit. At Midland, after day 14 you must move more than 25 miles away.

Summer in these deserts is dangerous heat, and most RVers leave by mid-April for a reason.

The rules that matter most

LTVAs have supplementary rules, and BLM publishes them in a brochure linked from each LTVA page. Midland's page spells many of them out, and they give a good sense of what to expect:

• Self-contained units only at Midland. Holding tanks must be permanent with at least 10 gallons of capacity. There are no restrooms, so tent and non-self-contained camping isn't allowed.
• Space between units: at least 15 feet.
• Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Speed limit: 15 mph unless posted otherwise.
• Pets: leashed at all times.
• No firewood gathering, including downed wood. Native woods like mesquite, ironwood and palo verde can't be possessed.
• No permanent setups: no fixed fences, dog runs or storage structures, and wheels must stay on wheeled vehicles.
• Don't leave a unit unoccupied for more than five days without BLM approval.
• Firearms restrictions apply within a half mile of the LTVA.
• No camping within 2 miles outside the Midland boundary.
• Carry water: at least a gallon per person per day.

Which LTVA fits you

Arriving and setting up

Because LTVAs have no assigned sites, arrival works differently from a campground.

1. Buy or validate your permit first. Find the host station or self-pay area, or come with a Recreation.gov voucher ready to exchange. On a short-visit permit, BLM's La Posa page says the 14 days start when you exchange your receipt for the permit and decal.
2. Drive in slowly and scout. Look for firm, level ground away from washes, which can flood in a desert storm.
3. Respect spacing. Midland's rules require at least 15 feet between units, and many campers leave more.
4. Stick the decals where BLM requires them, which at Midland means both the vehicle windshield and the camping unit.
5. Find your services. Locate the nearest water, dump and trash before you need them, and note their hours if posted.

If you will leave the rig for a few days, remember the rule on Midland's page: units can't be left unoccupied for more than five days without BLM approval.

Planning a winter at an LTVA

1. Check your rig is self-contained. You'll rely on your own tanks, battery and propane. Our boondocking for beginners guide covers the basics.
2. Plan power. Desert sun helps, but short winter days limit solar. Our battery guide and portable solar guide walk through sizing.
3. Plan water and dumping. Know where your nearest fill and dump are, and how many days your tanks last. Our dump station planning guide helps.
4. Pack for cool nights. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Blythe average a 43.2°F January low, and Yuma 47.9°F.
5. Confirm fees and status with the field office or LTVA page right before you leave.
6. Pick up the supplementary rules brochure and keep it in the rig.

If you want hookups instead, see our Arizona winter RV camping guide.