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Thursday, December 30, 2010

THE FORTUNA FOOTHILLS, YUMA, AZ

6665 signNot a campground, the “Fortuna Foothills” (usually just called The Foothills) is a sprawling, RV-friendly development of privately owned lots 10 miles east of downtown Yuma, AZ.  The area is bounded on the north by Interstate 8 and accessed from either Fortuna Road or Foothills Blvd, stretching south for a couple of miles.  The area was developed from I-8 to the south over several years, so the newest lots are south of 48th Street, with the newest and most “upscale” residential use in the southeast area.

Spacious RV sites can be rented from private owners, usually for 1-3+ months in winter.  Craigslist.com is a good source, or drive the streets and call phone numbers on the “RV Site for Rent” signs. 

Our Opinion: We liked the area south of around 44th Street, which is the part of the Foothills we explored.  We were happy with our inexpensive stay on a no-frills lot in this sunny snowbird destination.

Map picture
Date of Stay: December 25 to January 2, 2011.

Weather During Stay:  Ranged from sunny and warm to sunny and cool/cold, with a day of rain thrown in.  Usually breezy, sometimes windy.  Yuma is often windy is winter and spring.

Site Description:  We rented a gravel site on a gated double lot that had FHU for 4 RV’s, plus trash and recycling bins.  Lots of room, no frills.

The variety of residential options on these lots is amazing, ranging from graveled, no frills lots (like the one we stayed on), to lots with RV sites and patios, to casitas, park models, modular homes, and site-built homes, some selling for upwards of $300,000. 

What they all have in common: RV’s are allowed to park on all lots.  Streets are paved and wide enough to easily maneuver a big rig while turning into a gated lot.

No-frill lot in the Foothills. Walled, gated, but few improvements.
No frills lot in the foothills. Front wall, gated – a step up.

Rate:  We were told that the average monthly rate January through March is $325, which includes utilities.  Because we stayed prior to January, when the snowbirds flock to Yuma, we were able to rent short-term.  The typical daily rate appears to be $10-15, including utilities.  It is very difficult to find a short-term (less than monthly) rental during the high season.

Phone/radio/TV:  Good Verizon signal here for both phones and aircard.  Our site had no obstacles for our roof-mounted satellite TV, but some of the landscaped sites might have palm trees to avoid. The air antenna picked up several channels, including networks and a PBS station.  NPR on 88.9.

Double wide, landscaping, RV space. Typical Foothills lot that needs some TLC
Double wide modular home with RV space and landscaping. Typical lot that needs some TLC

Elevation/landscape/terrain: Not far above sea level, Yuma is one of the sunniest places in North America.  Foothills Blvd. rises slightly as it heads south from I-8, so the distant view improves as you continue farther south.  Local views are of neighboring rigs and homes; distant views are of arid, very rocky mountains. 

Lighting/noise:  NO streetlights in our area - YAY!  All nighttime lighting is low, on the 3-4 ft. high brick fences.  Very nice.  This is a very quiet area; no disturbing noise at night.

Hiking/Walking:  Walking on the wide roads is safe, easy, and interesting - good for biking, too.  Lots of variety and pretty views.

Foothills scene 1 Multi-hundred thousand dollar plus house in the Foothills
Typical scene of RV’s and a home on a wide street with palms. Couple hundred thousand dollar plus home, fully landscaped.

Comments:  Because of the difference in age between the lots closest to I-8 and those farthest away, there is a wide variety of appeal between the older lots and the newer lots.  We stayed in one of the newest areas and enjoyed it, but drove some of the older neighborhoods and found them less appealing and somewhat run down, varying from lot to lot.  If you rent via the internet, be sure to ask for photos of the site, the lot, the neighboring lots and the view across the street.

Plenty of businesses in the area, including a large Fry’s grocery store at I-8 and Fortuna Road, and a post office that accepts General Delivery mail on Fortuna Road.

11 comments:

Ray Fletcher said...

I live here in the Foothills, way out on 53rd. street, almost to 15e, and that's what I wanted to write a correction in your blog, (you said the Foothills was 10 miles from down town Yuma), 15e means that, way back when, the county set up a millage system, based on miles from the court house, on First street in old Yuma. As you have probably seen traveling through Yuma county the use of streets and roads marked by a number followed by an "e", "e" meaning east, as the town of Yuma is right on the border of the state at the Colorado river, and east is... well you get the picture. And that's the millage from the court house. the foothills are 14 miles from the court house, also foothills Blvd. is exit 14 on I-8.

Ray Fletcher said...

I see that I did not have my name on the blog comment, I fixed that... R.F.

Laurie and Odel said...

Hey, Ray - thanks for the info!

Empoweringminds said...

Thanks Ray:
My girlfriend an I are looking for a lot for rent around 300.00 mo or thereabouts.
including utilities. Her RV is 40 ft my RV is 21 ft.self contained. If you know of a nice spot, please share with me the tel number an name or street. I am from Montana and did stay there several years back. I love the mornings and evenings.
Roz 406 529-0055

Empoweringminds said...

Thanks Ray:
My girlfriend an I are looking for a lot for rent around 300.00 mo or thereabouts.
including utilities. Her RV is 40 ft my RV is 21 ft.self contained. If you know of a nice spot, please share with me the tel number an name or street. I am from Montana and did stay there several years back. I love the mornings and evenings.
Roz 406 529-0055

Dixie said...

Very nice write-up! I own a lot on 52nd St. Soon to buy another one two lots east of me. Putting house in Utah on the market so we can make use of our lot and travel some.

Dixie said...

Very nice write-up! I own a lot on 52nd St. Soon to buy another one two lots east of me. Putting house in Utah on the market so we can make use of our lot and travel some.

grampakoot said...

We have a 37' motorhome and my brother has a 27' motorhome. We are wanting to rent for Jan Feb Mar 2015. We would like to bring our rigs down in late Oct and leave them until we return in Jan. Anyone know what we might have to pay for months we are away?
Thanks,
Phil

Unknown said...

We are looking for a rv space for our 40' motorhome price to included all utilities. The time frame would be from November 2014 thru May 2015. Was wondering if anyone would know of any

Unknown said...

We are looking for a rv space for our 40' motorhome price to included all utilities. The time frame would be from November 2014 thru May 2015. Was wondering if anyone would know of any

Unknown said...

If you just want to drive to the foothills and then look for a place to stay, there are many options. I live here and see people getting off on Fortuna Rd or Foothills Blvd and they just cruise around between those two main streets.
Many lots have for rent signs up and it doesn't hurt to ask someone if you see them walking.
You may also want to check out Craigs list Yuma for RV winter rentals.

Everyone has an RV lot next to their homes here.