Beat the heat in the Southwest
We're new to camping and live in Las Vegas. Trying to find good campgrounds no more than 3-4 hours away that will allow us to get away from the heat. Any ideas?
Forum Discussion
- We live in Vegas currently. As already mentioned Duck Creek, Navajo Lake, Pine Valley, parts of Arizona etc. Big Bear Lake CA is another one we frequent. They all all within 3-4 hours away and nice and cool in the summer.
Not sure what size your RV is but we can't fit up in Mt Charleston. - Head up 93 to Ely. There's a nice KOA CG up there and mid 80's highs in July.
- Alright so it takes 4 hr and 15 min to get from LV to Flag.
Scormier wrote:
We're new to camping and live in Las Vegas. Trying to find good campgrounds no more than 3-4 hours away that will allow us to get away from the heat. Any ideas?
We found the weather very comfortable at the Golden Shores RV Resort in Long Beach, CA last summer, which is about 4 hrs from you. A nice location next to the Catalina Express and near the Queen Mary. Great bike paths that includes access to restaurants and shopping, as well as the beach.Janss wrote:
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If you like Forest Service campgrounds, try Bonito or Pinegrove campgrounds in Flagstaff (on the outskirts). Weather is cooler in Flagstaff due to high elevation (about 7000').- Take a drive up Hwy 395 in California - the eastern Sierras. Lots of 'cool' places in beautiful country.
- We are originally from Las Vegas...lived their most of our lives (my wife was born there!). Two years ago, we moved to the mountains of AZ for cooler weather, trees, and better family-friendly atmosphere. The city was really a downer, so we turned to camping, going at least once or twice per month. Fortunately, there is such a variety within short distances from the Las Vegas valley.
Your closest options are on Mt Charleston. Avoid camping in Kyle Canyon. Its proximity to the city means it's easy for the "riff-raff" to get to also. Our one and only time in Kyle Canyon, we camped next to pot heads. While they were super friendly, their "clouds of happiness" kept drifting our direction. Lee Canyon has nice campgrounds in the pines. It is worth the extra drive to get there. Our favorite spot on Mt Charleston was Hilltop Campground, on the mountain road between Kyle and Lee Canyons.
Duck Creek and Navajo Lake, east of Cedar City, UT are really nice, especially in the fall and spring when Vegas is still so hot. A little closer than Cedar City is Pine Valley, northwest of St George.
Arizona also offers a few close spots. One is Windy Point (not for larger Rvs), on the mountain just before you get to Kingman. I believe it is near the town of Chloride. We stayed up there in May and got snowed out. Thank you, El Nino. There is also some great camping on Hualapai Peak, the mountain looming over Kingman.
If you are willing to drive a little farther, in 5 hours you can be on the ocean beaches. Our all-time favorite beach camping spot is San Elijo north of Daygo (San Diego). There are many, many more opportunities (including in Central Nevada), but I don't want to overwhelm you. There are also great spots to go during the winters as well. Let me know if you want some tips on those as well. Lots of great camping treasures within a few hours of you. That was probably the only thing we liked about living in Las Vegas.
-Trampas - If you belong to TTrails, they have a nice RV park up at Idyllwild, Ca. at seven thousand elevation. Stays nice and cool in the summer.
- it's about 6000 feet at the Grand Canyon NP and there is a N Forest campground just south of the the south gate.
- Cedar City UT is about 7,000 ft and has a very nice RV Park that is a KOA.
