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3LittleDucks's avatar
3LittleDucks
Explorer
Apr 25, 2014

We're back! 20 days, 4500 miles.

Just home from an epic camping trip, wanted to give info on CGs we stayed at in case anyone is interested.

Pocatello, ID - Cowboy RV Park, was a very nice quiet spot, the CG is seperate from the mobile home area and really didn't get any type of bad feeling from being there. Well maintained, friendly people, good access from the highway.

Arches National Park, UT - Had a spot booked at Portal in Moab (paid for), but got to the CG in Arches, with trailer in tow after 7pm and got a spot that had been cancelled. Incredible CG, private spots, breathtaking views.

Grand Canyon AZ. Camped in Trailer Village. Definite parking lot style but good access to the south rim.

San Diego Area, CA - Guajome County Park. Great find, quiet, treed, great bathrooms/showers. Good access to Carlsbad (Legoland!) and easy drive to SD.

Anaheim, CA - Anaheim RV Resort. Well run CG, mostly pavement, good trees. Easy access to Disneyland, and fantastic Mexican food at Mi Casa!

Santa Barbara, CA - Carpinteria State Beach. TINY campsites, very hard to get in and out of. 21 foot max (which ours is, just squeezed in. Spots are wide enough to park the vehicle next to the trailer (but can't open doors of either lol), otherwise, parking is far or unavailable. FANTASTIC beach though, sandy, 'shallow', nice tide pools.

Monterey Bay, CA - Marina Dunes, up the highway a bit. Well run CG, some highway noise, further from beach than I imagined. We had very loud neighbours which didn't help our experience. Good clean buildings/laundry.

Giant Redwoods, CA - Ancient Redwoods RV. Great spot, well laid out campground (only a handful of units there!), nice sites, beautiful surroundings. Very nice people who run a lovely gift shop adjacent to the CG.

Oregon Coast - Camped at Beachside State Park. Incredible CG, hope to go back one day. Stunning beach, pretty large, well treed sites, good ammenities. Power/water only, dump station is at other parks 17 miles north or south.

Coeur D'alene, ID - Coeur D'alene RV resort. Large CG, pretty much a big parking lot, lots of permanent RVs (seemingly) but a quieter area at the back. We were near the gazebo/basketball courts. Very good ammenities and highway access. Would stay again for an overnighter or if we were visiting the area for a few days.

Great trip overall, no complaints at all about anything! HTT & TV were fantastic. :D

(mods, feel free to move to another forum if appropriate)

9 Replies

  • 3LittleDucks's avatar
    3LittleDucks
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Yes, I did. We only have 1 end that pops out, but it was fine. I had heard that Orange (something?) rv has a 'safer' feel, but I would stay at Anaheim RV again. Our spot was very close to the public road/bus stop, which bothered me at first but didn't turn out to be an issue at all. I do find it a bit strange that the part of the CG that is along the road isn't fenced, but has big sites for motorhomes lining the street (might be able to see what I mean on a map). If you are concerned, you could ask to be further from the road.
  • Wavesprite's avatar
    Wavesprite
    Explorer II
    Apr 25, 2014
    Can you say a litle more about the Anaheim RV Resort? Did you feel that it was "safe" in a hybrid? Is there security? We always stay at hotels, but have a week in October, so we're thinking of camping our way down and back to save some money. I just wasn't sure about being at the Anaheim RV Resort in a hybrid.
  • 3LittleDucks's avatar
    3LittleDucks
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Could be an age thing, we're both in our 40s (opposite ends lol). Was nice to have 3 days in San Diego, 4 in Anaheim. We didn't have any set up for our 1 night stops, which was helpful (had some 2 nighters as well). Could have EASILY spent another day or 2 at every stop, but still happy with how things went. :) Met lots of full timers, will consider it in the future!
  • dadmomh's avatar
    dadmomh
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    I know why you're not tired......you're younger than we are by a LONG shot. We loved every minute of our 17 day from from TN to the UP, back around through Green Bay, to northern IN to tour the ROO factory, south to Bardstown, KY for a night of rest from our vacation and then back home. It was a terrific trip and we'd like to do most of it again since I really didn't allow enough time at a few stops, but the set up/break down was the tough part for us. Most times we had 2 nites + in one place and that was the best. The times we had a set up nightly, were killers.

    We heading very soon to Durango, CO to meet DFs and take the Silverton train from Durango to Silverton and back. So looking forward to this trip and the stops along the way. Looks like it's stretched into more days than originally planned, but a mini-family reunion in OKC has sprung up and we were more than happy to allow time for that. The good news is that we have at least 2 nights in most places.

    Glad you had a good time....DH talks about Hoover Dam and that awesome bridge every chance he gets....he loves bridges!
  • 3LittleDucks's avatar
    3LittleDucks
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Sure, I'll head over! Thanks for the link.

    Not too tired, in fact we're all going through camping withdrawl so will head out for a day or 2 this weekend lol.

    Sounds like an interesting tour Fred!

    Got to see quite a bit (stopped at the hoover dam for a few hours, and spent a couple of nights in vegas, but stayed at a hotel), and other things on my bucket list like the Monterey Bay aquarium. Walked Cannery Row, drove the 17 mile drive and even drove along Fisherman's Wharf with the RV (lol GPS fail, had been there about 12 year ago, was fun to see it again). Kids had a great time, and of course, want to do it all over again!

    Have fun intheburbs, sounds like a great trip!
  • TucsonJim's avatar
    TucsonJim
    Explorer II
    Apr 25, 2014
    PLEASE, please, please. Go to RVPARKREVIEWS.COM and rate the campgrounds you visited. You have a lot of experience with these parks that should be shared. Thanks for your report. It's very helpful.

    Jim

    RV Park Reviews
  • intheburbs's avatar
    intheburbs
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Wow, you hit a lot of campgrounds. We're doing a similar trip this summer - GC, Moab and Colorado. 18 days, ~5000 miles.
  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    Apr 25, 2014
    Guajome County Park has a steam engine festival once a year, perhaps twice, around October. It is a great place to visit then as well.

    I see you took it all in, and all in only 3 weeks! Now I bet you need a couple of days off! That is a lot of traveling to do! Glad that you got to see Disneyland and Legoland.

    Giant Redwoods are great too! In Ferndale, there was a lumbermill that I toured back in 1996, it was self guided and interesting to see how they can take in logs as large as 8' across and trim them into 6" thick slabs that are then resawed into smaller 2X6 and such. There was even a section that takes clear lumber and saws the ends with finger joints to extend the length to well over 50', then it is cut to length (anything from 6 feet to 12' long, with many at 7 feet for door openings.) Clear wood has no knots, so it takes paint well.

    Fred.
  • Valkyriebush's avatar
    Valkyriebush
    Explorer II
    Apr 25, 2014
    Awesome! That's a lot of miles in 20 days. Those are nice places you stayed at too. You must be exhausted. lol

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