First time RV-ing ever, by renting.

[afauthentic]

Hello. Hubby and I just retired, want to check out if RV lifestyle is for us.
So we are renting one for the first time ever, a compact 19 feet Class C from Cruise America.
Five days, 1k miles from Vegas to Phoenix.
We are so nervous.
Which campsites that are safe for those 5 nights?
What is the easiest route?
What attractions to see with that route?
Can we park at the attractions?
As it's winter, we don't want to go through Grand Canyon, because we're scared of steep mountains, snow and cold weather.
What else do we need to know?
The trip is the day after tomorrow.
Thank you soooo much.

[ByeTheWay]

Welcome to the group. A lot of the fun is planning your route around what you want to see. If you like desert, there is plenty of that. Prescott, Wickenburg, Quartzsite, Lake Havasu City are all interesting places to visit. You can look at the route and the towns along the way with Google Earth. I even use it to check out camp grounds. You could try boondocking in Quartzsite and there will be 100's of other there doing the same thing. I like some paved back roads. Plan it around your interests. Have fun!

[afauthentic]

Thanks for the tip on Google Earth.
Is the route through Prescott and Wickenburg easy? Any steep ascend and descend?
Which town do you suggest we stay on the first night, taking off at 2 PM from Las Vegas and arriving at the campground BEFORE dark?
Thanks so much. We're nervous.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I'll let someone who's familiar with that area give you advice! Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Mudfrog]

Just went and looked, that 19 footer is a neat little rig. If you're comfortable driving the vehicles you have, then i think you'll be comfortable driving the motorhome. A few things to think about,,,

It'll drive nicely on the highway, with maybe a teensy bit of push from sidewinds and bigger vehicles passing. Even though there is no back window to see through, the large side mirrors make up for it. Backing is not hard but if you have to back for any distance, it's probably a good idea to have someone out of the motorhome to give directions, at least until y'all are more used to how it does. What's nice about that little rig is that you can park it just about anywhere you can a car. It is wider so it's sometimes better to park it away from the crowd, otherwise it should fit fine between the lines. One other thing is to keep in mind that the rig is taller than regular cars and trucks. It's unlikely you'll encounter this but just the same, it probably won't fit under a McDonalds drive through.

Don't know much about the area you're traveling in so can't give advice on campgrounds. My Family enjoys uncrowded/wildernessy areas and if you're the same, you might see if there are any state parks near your route. We like them because they usually have campsites that aren't real close together and offer some nice scenery. They usually have water and electrical campsites which are fine for a night or three at a time.

Whatever you decide, don't be nervous. Enjoy your trip and have fun!

[ByeTheWay]

Originally Posted by afauthentic

Thanks for the tip on Google Earth.
Is the route through Prescott and Wickenburg easy? Any steep ascend and descend?
Which town do you suggest we stay on the first night, taking off at 2 PM from Las Vegas and arriving at the campground BEFORE dark?
Thanks so much. We're nervous.

There is no way to avoid a steep desend between Prescott and Phoenix. I-17 from Sunset point to Black Canyon is 6% downhill for about 10 miles and Hwy 89 S of Prescott has switch backs for the first 20 miles but nothing very steep. However it is a steep desend just S of Yarnell with switchbacks for about 5 miles. I don't recall any steep grades on: Hwy 95 towards Blythe then I-10 to Phx. Probably your safest bet is Hwy 93 to Kingman, I-40 East, Hwy 93 South to Phx. This is the main road from Phx to Vegas and there fore has traffic.

As for a Campground, we mostly boondock so I would not be of much help. Also I think Lake Havasu City to Parker and Quartzsite would be a good route but not sure. When using google earth, placing the cursor on the road and watching the elevation change (located with the coordinates at the bottom of the map) will give you an idea of the grade, but not tell you in % what the grade is.

There are books on grades available.

[TonyDi]

Glad to have you here in the forum with us.

Vegas to phoenix you shouldn't have any mountain driving problems. Anything you encounter will be small in scale. A side trip to Sedona is worth stopping at.
To find a good campground load the APP: RVparky. We use it all the time.

Happy Trails!!!

[ScottyBye]

Welcome and Happy Trails.... Good Luck

[jfran304]

The wife uses the Allstays App to find the campgrounds and then she checks the reviews on Good Sam to or Woodalls to find out what other campers think about them.

Allstays | Campgrounds | RV Parks

RV Camping and RV Parks – RV Campground Search at Good Sam RV Club

[rvethereyet]

have fun