I live in the finger lake region of NY and camping is plentiful here, by plentiful I mean there are a plethora of beautiful campgrounds and areas to go camping. How is the RVing in AZ? is it all retirees in class a's sitting in full hookup parking lots or what?

missionman wrote:How is the RVing in AZ? is it all retirees in class a's sitting in full hookup parking lots or what?Yeah! all us old farts don't want you younguns' in our 55+ parks. We sit around all day watching TV, mostly jeopardy, wheel of fortune and playin bingo....:W.....Dennis

Hardly, those people mostly congregate in the big resort CG in or near the big cities. Az camping is very varied ranging from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Chiracahua NM. Top ten CGAnother listPlus you are near the big National Parks starting with Grand Canyon and going thru the whole grand loop of parks in Utah and SW Colorado.

Before you leave N Y cut a square of your lawn out and carry it with you to AZ. It will be the last grass lawn you will see.

:C Tucson is a neat city & easy to get around in. AZ National Forests Off US 191 in Arizona, Canyon de Chelly by Chinle is neat with a Navajo Trip campground. Been there when it was a free campground years ago. Hubbell Trading Post NHS is off 191 as well, maybe a small detour to get to it. Interesting. Navajo National Monument is located at the end of State Highway 564 off of US Highway 160. Which connects with US 191, north of Chinle. We have not been to this one, but sounds very interesting. Two campgrounds, one open all year, somewhat isolated but no fees are charged. Navajo Nat'l Mon'tChiricahua National Monument out from Willcox is so very dry at times. The fires they had in 2012 really left it changed as well. Much more barren. Still a neat place to see. White Mountains by Show Low to Springerville have many higher elevation campgrounds (many Forest Service) and a neat place to find cool tempts in the summer heat. Apache & Sitgreaves Nat'l Forests Flagstaff Area +: Coconino Nat'l ForestAZ National Park Campgrounds & CampingNew Mexico has many high elevation campsites as well. Camping Sites & Sights Santa Fe & Northern New Mexico: Hiking Santa Fe Nat'l Forest Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't area of New Mexico -A Trip Report 2012. This was in August.Los Alamos is a very neat small city in itself. Free bus system with very neat buses. Very pretty setting up in the high country. Somewhat of a gated community as well. We only drove through & stopped at a SuperMarket. A nice town. http://www.visit.losalamos.com/http://www.losalamosnm.us/transit/Pages/default.aspx Between Santa Fe & Taos as well. More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.Santa Fe (Eating):We had very good Asian from Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe last summer. Just stumbled onto it in a thunder/rain storm. We did carry out, but it was a very nice restaurant. Went back this summer & ate in the restaurant with our daughter & grandson. All enjoyed the food. Someone at the AAA office recommended Tortilla Flats in Santa Fe; it prove to be very good as well. Normally, we would eat on the Plaza, from Cart Vendors, such as Roque's Carnitas. Cart Cuisine, but they were not there that week-end. Due to the 'Santa Fe Indian Market', "a 91-year-old Native art market", we didn't find the normal street food venders on the Plaza. We did eat once at one of the 'Indian' vendors, but the lines were extremely long. Also at a roasted corn vendor.North of Santa Fe, almost into Colorado & on the way to Durango & on to Mesa Verde: Chama Area. The very neat Cumbres Toltec Steam Train runs from & to Chama & Antonito (Colorado); turns soon after Cumbres Pass Station & head cross country to Antonito. One can do a halfway trip (which we did a few years ago), a 'free' meal at halfway point (price included in tickets). Good food there & plenty of it. Cumbres Toltec Steam Train Depending on the time of the year, one might be able disperse camp above Cumbres Pass in Nat'l Forest (in Colorado). There is a campground there called: Trujillo Meadows. Not sure if it will be open when you need it or not.Or Going North from ABQ toward Mesa Verde: Two neat stops, north of Abiquiu, worth a see would be the Echo Amphitheater, a Natural rock formation, and the Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Education and Visitor Center, located on U.S. Highway 84 just one mile north of the main Ghost Ranch entrance, has exhibits and a gift shop. A very nice museum in "O´Keefe Country." The Echo Amphitheater is past the visitor center some miles.Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe (most of the state parks have free showers, but none there). Find a Park Map. NM State Parks: $10 no hookup, $4 for electric, not entry fee on top of camping fee. Cochiti COE Campground & Tent Rocks Nat'l Park in Northern New Mexico Off I-25: Near Santa Fe - Very Neat Area. Could be hot in summer. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument neat place to hike: Hikes and Ditto New Mexico Scenic ByWaysGeorgia O'Keefe Museum, in Santa Fe. A neat town with lots of arts to see. Not only the O'Keefe Museum will have her work, some of the NM State Museums do as well. http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/As for Indian Art & Culture, The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology is located on Museum Hill, which has The Wheelwright Museum. https://wheelwright.org/Lot of Indian Vendors on Sidewalk in front of the Palace of the Governors most of the time. As well of other vendors along many of the streets around the plaza & to it. Not to mention all the galleries & shops. Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe (most of the state parks have free showers, but none here). Find a Park Map. NM State Parks: $10 no hookup, $4 for electric, not entry fee on top of camping fee. More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.Just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, exit 242) in Bernalillo, is Coronado State Monument where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 300 soldiers and 800 Indian allies from New Spain—entered the valley while looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Next to it: There is a Bernalillo city campground (used to be a state park) at the entrance to the State Monument. Wasn't a bad site some years ago, haven't been there in some time. Coronado CampgroundOver by Grants (I-40 W from ABQ): El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.An old post Flagstaff - Gallup - Grants- Albuquerque - Santa Fe - PlusThis was a neat place to camp and visit (have not been to in it many years), even with a museum nearby, all close to Gallup at Red Rock/Churchrock just off of I-40 east of town. It was a state park when we used it.http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/11212/new-mexico/red-rock-state-parkBlue Water Lake State Park, by Grants, west of Albu'que on I-40. Bluewater not a bad area, but more of a fishing site. But not at all bad for an overnight, even some hiking trails. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/bluewaterlakestatepark.html :C El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.http://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm:C More on Santa Fe (Eating):We had very good Asian from Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe. Just stumbled onto it in a thunder/rain storm in 2012. We did carry out, but it was a very nice restaurant. June 2014, we ate there again inside. Very good food. Someone at the AAA office recommended Tortilla Flats in Santa Fe; it prove to be very good as well. Normally, we would eat on the Plaza, from Cart Vendors, such as Roque's Carnitas. Cart Cuisine, but they were not there that week-end. Due to the 'Santa Fe Indian Market', "a 91-year-old Native art market", we didn't find the normal street food venders on the Plaza. We did eat once at one of the 'Indian' vendors, but the lines were extremely long. Also at a roasted corn vendor. This was in August 2012.Off I-25, Sugarite Canyon State Park by Raton is a neat area. And a short drive from Raton is the Capulin Volcano Nat'l Mon't. A Neat Place. ------ But no CampingBetween Raton & Las Vegas, Not far S of Springer, just off I-25 is Fort Union Nat'l Mon't. At Las Vegas (older place than the one in NV) Storrie Lake State Park, but we have used the Walmart there to do a few overnights. Lot of mountains behind Las Vegas (west) with National Forests campgrounds. Off I-25 between Santa Fe & Las Vegas, Villanueva State Park. It is off the 25 a bit. Somewhat off the beaten path. However, one can use NM 3 to cut down to the I-40 from Villanueva. We did that one visit.Colorado & Utah are not far as well with loads of camping area. No, it is not like camping in the north east, IMHO it's better. See more distance & big skies. But it takes more driving to get to places, I would guess. But you don't have to stop camping in the winter in AZ.

possible transfer to Tucson, AZ, RVing? | Good Sam Community

SCVJeff
Explorer
May 02, 2015
Deserthawk: NICE write up!
OP: 3 letters u need to know that aren't well known in your neck of the woods: BLM
2gypsies1
Explorer III
May 02, 2015
Arizona has awesome state parks at all elevations.

The metro Phoenix area has great Maricopa County parks with hookups.

Tucson has Tucson Mtn. Park which is gorgeous - for 8 months - hot the other 4. Catalina State Park in Tucson has wonderful hiking.

For summer months there are many opportunities for 'cool' RVing in the Flagstaff or White Mountain areas at 7,000' elevation and up.

...and yes, there is even green grass in Arizona!
trailertraveler
Explorer
May 02, 2015
Arizona allows camping on their Public Trust (School Trust) Lands with a permit. You can see the locations on this webpage. If you click on the land ownership icon at the top right of the page, it will show lands owned by BLM and other agencies.
mileshuff
Explorer
May 02, 2015
Every type of RV'ing can be found in AZ. From 55+ parks to boon docking and everything in between.

In the winter RV'ing will be in central and southern AZ desert areas. In the summer RV'ing will be in the northern and eastern parts of the state where summer temps will be in the 70's while the desert regions will be well into the 100's.

AZ is fantastic because of the ability to RV year round in perfect climate.
RWDIII
Explorer
May 02, 2015

nice boony camping near Bouse in the Fall or spring

had our first 101 degree day yesterday
Will cool off by Oct.
tpi
Explorer
May 02, 2015
First off you have 12 month camping out of Tucson. Immediately nearby or southern CA. into southern TX winter huge range of opportunities.

It is far from just snowbird RV parks.

Secondly in summer you have a nice access to Flagstaff, White Mts, Bisbee, Mt. Graham, Rockies, Pacific coast, etc. etc.

You should have fun exploring a new area, and there is great stuff near and moderately distant.
Lauren
Explorer
May 02, 2015
The O P asked about AZ; Desert Hawk did another NM spiel! (Pretty much his canned pitch :-) )

We moved south of Tucson 12 years ago and after having rv'ing here for 5 years before that. We have been all over the state and there are all kinds of places - really neat places - to be in a private park or BLM.

Yes, gets hot in the summer - it IS AZ ! But - if I recall right - AZ has more peaks over 10,000 feet than any other state. Whether that is totally accurate or not there are many, many wonderful places with elevation and 4runnerguy named a few. We live only 45 miles from it (other side of Tucson) but we love Catalina S P. And Grand Canyon. And Benson as a base.

You will be the age restricted places mostly in and around Phoenix; some in Tucson and Yuma areas.... but those are only a small fraction of the state.

Come join us!
missionman
Explorer
May 03, 2015
Ill know more tomorrow regarding the position in Tucson and keep you folks posted. Thanks for all the info, much appreciated
Lauren
Explorer
May 03, 2015
Let me know - PM or email - if I can help you further with Tucson info. Be glad to help.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
May 03, 2015
The only CG in AZ we've stayed at is Catalina S.P. Awesome CG and we hope to go back some day.

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