We hired an RV last year and played pretty safe with stops in Yosemite, Vegas, Williams, Anaheim, Pismo and Santa Cruz. We loved Yosemite and The place near Santa Cruz (within a Red Woods area). Anyway, we are coming back again in 6 weeks time (late booking I know!) and struggling to figure out an itinerary - we will have a 30ft RV and there 2 adults and 2 teens. We collect and drop off in Vegas (we stay a week in Vegas after dropping it off), our initial plans were to go to Utah and do the big 5 but for several reasons we've scrapped this idea. We are possibly going to do Zion as our camp ground is already booked. So our loose idea is the Valley of Fire State Park (although I believe you can't advance book which is unnerving!), possibly Lake Mead but all the info I can find is not really to our taste - it seems very commercial. We love the natural places with comforts such as full hook ups and shows - a pool if possible but not essential for 1-2 nights. I'd love to stay on sites that have streams or the side of a lake, where you can relax, possibly swim, wade or kayak (hire). We are then hoping to head to Zion for 2 nights. From here we are a little stuck but we want to end up in either LA or San Diego or somewhere in between for about 4-5 days, again a beach side or close by to a beach location would be great. We may hire a car while in this region. In between my husband mentioned Mojave but the videos I've seen don't entice me - it's June/July and it'll be boiling hot and it seems to just be hiking/long walks with no shade or facilities. The maybe Joshua Tree?!?! We like to be on main sited areas or with good transport links (eg. Springdale to Zion) as we don't have a car with us (as we are overseas visitors). Our dates are 18th June for 14 nights. Any suggestions for itinerary or parks? Thank you in advance for any assistance offered!
Hi and welcome to the forum. From what you are saying you have a lot on your plate along with a wide variety of activities that you want to see and do. Having 6 weeks to do it all in is a good thing.but with short notice during the upcoming summer months will make it a tad difficult to find and stay at RV parks and campgrounds that offer what you want, without advance reservations. School will be out and there will be many families traveling in RVs so finding a place suitable for your requirements probably won't be an easy thing to do. Going from Las Vegas up into Utah, possibly thru Arizona and then over into California and south to the San Diego area leaves a lot of space in between and you would be best off mapping out a specific route to take for all this and then start contacting several RV parks and campgrounds asap to make sure you will be able to get in on the days you expect to be there. If you have questions about a specific place by all means post on the forum and you will for sure get several responses and suggestions, but for any of the RVPR members to try and plan "your" route for you probably isn't going to work out very well. Personally I can give you the names of several places to stay at but not knowing exactly where you want be, go, or when, etc. I doubt it would be of much help. Once you have established that route, then would be the time to start asking the forum about specific places you want to see. Not wanting to be negative here but to just rent an RV in Las Vegas is going to leave a lot of open space to roam around in that 6 week time period. Hope you don't take this as being negative or non responsive to your post as it is most assuredly not that at all. You've done this before so you have some idea of what's going on out in the southwestern areas of the U.S. Decide just where you really want to go to and then use the RVPR site to find places to stay that meet your requirements would be my suggestion. I realize what I've said hasn't been much help, perhaps a few others will jump in and take this further for you than I've been able to do. Hope your upcoming trip works out to your satisfaction and that you enjoy a wonderful vacation trip in the RV you will be traveling in............. Regards, BankShot
I have only one suggestion, and im sorry, it's out of your way, but it sounds like you would like to visit a large lake or water. May I suggest you skip lake Mead, and head further east, maybe go to Grand canyon, then go to Lake Powell for a couple of days, then head north to Zion. I really think you would enjoy Powell, and you can take a boat tour to some of the secluded coves, or rent a houseboat. Chris g.
Valley of Fire State Park is a great place for photographers. I agree with Fitz on doing Lake Powell instead of Lake Mead. Those boat tours are excellent, but they bend the credit card. If you're going to San Diego, and have not already done so, I would suggest that you hop over to Tijuana, Mexico and get that t-shirt. There is a railway system from San Diego to Tijuana with any number of stations where you could park the RV. There are lots of shops and restaurants just across the border. Good Luck.
I will throw in a couple of other interesting places to see just in case you pass thru these areas on your trip. Meteor Crater just south and east of Flagstaff, Arizona is a real eye opener and there is a nice RV park to stay at while there also if you wanted to. Another neat place just south and west of Tucson is the old Tucson Movie Studios where many of the old westerns were filmed. Fun place for adults and kids to visit and again, quite a few RV parks in the immediate area. So many interesting places to see in the Southwest, the list is endless but I imagine you will put together a really great trip that will leave you will countless memories in the years to come............... Travel Safe, BankShot............(aka Terry)
Flagstaff for sure many things to see and do; Indian Ruins/cliff dwellings @Walnut Canyon;Wapatki/Sunset crater(together in same place) have huge Native ruin sites,with lava flows, lava tubes,lava cinder flats;hiking up Elden mt. or the San Francisco Peaks,all these are right on outskirts of Flagstaff great day trips.RV parking right on site for all the Native ruins. Lost Dutchman Park and Salt River & Tonto National are both to the east of Phoenix beautiful areas. If your going towards the south Tuscon area Bisbee is really nice. Meteor crater and Petrified Forest are to the east of Flagstaff. Arizona is absolutely beautiful from the cacti of the hottest of deserts to the pines,aspens and junipers of the snow capped San Francisco peaks and everything in between.
