Community Forums

f6ber · 11-24-2015, 01:20 PM

I am pretty new to this forum. Very new to motorhoming. We made 1 trip from Saskatchewan, Canada to the Palm Springs area in our "new to us" motorhome and enjoyed it immensely (2009 Safari Cascade DP). We found out there really is a lot to learn but that is part of the fun.

We put the unit in storage after 3 weeks and flew back to Canada. We are returning in January and have a park site reserved in Indio Ca for the month of January and another 5 days in the Tamecula, Ca area. We then want to drift in an Easterly direction for about 3 weeks. I would prefer not booking camp sites in advance so that we have freedom to move as and when we choose. That was why I purchased a motorhome.

Does anyone have advise with regard to how hard it could be finding places to stay (2 or 3 nights at time) as we travel. Booking camp sites that far ahead really would limit our feeling of freedom I think. Any suggestions of places to stay or things to see would also be appreciated.

Thanks, hope this makes sense.
F6ber

JohnBoyToo · 11-24-2015, 01:40 PM

The 'premium' sites will get booked first, but I've found that there's always 'A' site somewhere... even if walmart

coupevilleDF · 11-24-2015, 04:18 PM

Can't speak for all areas, but my wife has our MH set up in an RV resort south of Tucson. When I was there, I asked if they usually had a few sites for short stays, knowing that they primarily cater to snowbirds. They said that they try to keep 2 or 3 sites available but it is difficult to say "no" to someone that wants to stay a month or two.

From that limited sample, I would suggest that you should be able to do what you want by making calls/reservations for a particular area a few days before your arrival. I don't think I would just drop in if you want a quality spot.

bluepill · 11-24-2015, 04:50 PM

Southern Arizona and Texas are popular snowbird locations through the end of March.

This route worked well for us in early 2012:

I-10 from Indio to Phoenix.

I-17 to Flagstaff (stayed there a week and visited Grand Canyon 3 days)

I-40 to ABQ/Santa Fe

what next · 11-24-2015, 05:00 PM

You will find a place, if you can call ahead great . Don't drive late into the day if the first place is full they will send you to the competition.

f6ber · 11-24-2015, 07:03 PM

Thank-you all for your replies.

I think the consensus is to at least call a day or two ahead in order to get a decent spot. I have no problem with short term planning like that. I just would prefer not to have to plan my entire trip months ahead. When we are simply travelling from point A to point B we have used the Walmart Resorts. They are always an option. A good piece of advice that I have also experienced is to not travel too late. Start looking for a spot well before it gets dark and if one place is full, you can still have time to go to another.

We did travel through Flagstaff (very nice), through Phoenix and down the I-10 to Indio. I think we will now travel through Yuma, spend some time in the Tucson area and continue East. I will have to give some thought to the Santa Fe region. It does look very interesting.

Thanks again for your thoughts, much appreciated.
F6ber

twogypsies · 11-24-2015, 07:21 PM

Arizona will be warmer in Feb/March than New Mexico and Santa Fe will definitely be colder. If you make it up there perhaps on your return home, Santa Fe Skies RV will have a site for you. If you only have 3 weeks from southern California then don't plan on going too far into Texas. There's a lot of nothing from west to east until there's 'something'.

One place in Texas you could go is Big Bend National Park and perhaps check out the Fredericksburg, TX area on your return.

The Tucson/Benson, AZ areas at that time of year will be nice. Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson has a nice campground with hookups and the cave tour is great. If you want lots to do in Tucson, try to stay at the Voyager RV. You'll then be close to the area attractions - the Desert Museum is a must. It's not a typical indoor museum. It's outdoors with animals, butterflies, hummingbirds, flowers.

Have a great time!

f6ber · 11-25-2015, 08:34 AM

Thank-you for the suggestions. I will definitely check out the parks you suggest in Tuscon/Benson and Texas. Our general plan is to travel through the southern states into Texas and then head north. We want to avoid as much mountainous snow as we can. The Santa Fe region will probably be for another time. We want to be back home in Saskatchewan in early March - grandchild on the way!

Good advice, much appreciated
F6ber