Moabi Regional Park is operated and maintained by San Bernardino County but managed by Pirate Cove Resort. A bit confusing but if you want to stay here then contact Pirate Cove. More on Pirate Cove later.
Moabi Regional Park is south of Needles just off of I-40 along the Colorado River. There are two main campground areas of the park, one area is on the mainland and the other area is on the peninsula with riverfront sites with full hookups. We stayed on the peninsula and never drove through the mainland campground.
The peninsula is arranged with 24 camp areas (called “campsites” by the resort) along the river with each camp area facilitating either 2, 4, or 10 full hook-up (50 AMP) back-in dirt sites (see map below for details per site). The main road to the camp areas is paved but the actual sites are dirt/sand. The majority of the camp areas have 4 sites right next to each other, A-D, with minimal site separation. All camp areas have a beach between them and the adjacent camp area. Campers can use the beach on either side of their camp area. The beaches provides for nice separation between camp areas. All camp areas have either a restroom or a porta-potty, a trash receptacle, and many have a shuttle stop to take you over to the resort. Water taxis are also available in the river inlet to facilitate movement around the resort and camping areas.
With the majority of camp areas having 4 sites this means that the best sites are usually either site A or site D as you may have a side view of the water. BUT this isn’t always the case as some sites are angled such that you may not have that desired water view from inside your motorhome. But the outside sitting area almost always have a view. If not, there is always the beach. Below are some photos of camp area 7.
We randomly selected site 8D and really enjoyed it. Even though we shared the camp area with 3 other large rigs it was nice and quiet and peaceful. The view from inside the motorhome out the window on the beach side felt like you were on a boat as it was all water on one side. We loved it. And our site had access to the Pirate Cove Wifi.
Campground: Moabi Regional Park – Peninsula Riverfront Campground
Location: Needles, California (just south of town along the Colorado River)
Site: Peninsula 8D
Cost: $39 (regular is $55 per night unless you stay 3 nights or more in March)
Services: FHU (50 AMP)
Comments: A great waterfront site with beach access. Perfect during off season as there were no crowds or unruly people there while we were visiting. We enjoyed the area immensely. During the peak season, especially holidays, the area may be too much of a party scene/spring break area and the noise and the drunks may be intolerable. Your choice. It seemed like a great place to have 3 other friends with motorhomes to get together for a week and share a camp area.
Here’s a few photos of some other sites.
Pirate Cove Resort not only manages reservations, check-in, and security for the campground but it also provides a general store, marina with fuel, restaurant, beach bar, and boat tours and rentals. The resort has strict rules and enforces them. Proof of vehicle insurance and registration is required at check-in along with signing a few documents regarding off-roading vehicles and not holding the resort liable for any incidents and potential costs due to damage of hook-ups or leaving the site messy. This is an obvious sign of party central! The resort sits along a river inlet which separates the resort from the peninsula campground. There is even some adventure activities such as Walk The Plank and Ziplines. Pirate Cove provides shuttle service from the campground and around the resort to visitors. It is a lovely place made all the better that we visited during off season and therefore didn’t have the crazy crowds and drunks that we understand can overcrowd the place during holidays and high season.
Pirate Cove sits along Historic Route 66 near the location of Old Trails Arch Bridge (now supports a gas line) and the Red Rocks Bridge (torn down) along with a historic sign of Rte 66.
And there’s nothing better than visiting the desert in the springtime when the cacti are blooming.
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