2019 Trip to the Southwest - Help/Guidance please

[Ryanjb01]

Hello Everyone,

On our quest to hit all 50 states within the next 3 years, the Southwest is next on our agenda.

More specifically, Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico.

The planned locations so far include:
The Grand Canyon
Bryce and Zion
Las Vegas
Monument Valley
San Diego(Warm Pacific Waters). Or another location/town near the Pacific Ocean.
Roswell NM

To start, I am looking for campground recommendations for the above mentioned locations. Full Hook-Up sites are a must and family/pet friendly. Eventually Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana will be added to the route.

Also like to know how many days are recommended to see each location. Our total trip, including start to finish is 5 full weeks. Many of our stops will simply be for an overnight stay, back on the road in the morning.

We are Coast to Coast Deluxe members, KOA, Good Sam and AAA.

Thanks for the help,

Ryan

[Ryanjb01]

2gypsies wrote:
I agree that if you're planning to do Zion and Bryce from one base then stay at Bryce (Ruby's RV) and day trip to Zion. Bryce will be cooler and then you can sitesee up Hwy 12 - beautiful drive!!

Otherwise, your trip sounds perfect as long as you're comfortable with the miles, distance and heat. You're giving the girls a great memory!!

This is great information that I have not thought of. Perfect. I am updating the itinerary right now. Many thanks!

[Ryanjb01]

ItsyRV wrote:

Ryanjb01 wrote:
Our dog, Labrador Retriever, Savannah, goes with us everywhere. She will be on the trip and stay comfortably cool in the RV as we are exploring. I only brought up that we had a pet, because I know some parks are not pet friendly.

Just be aware, California, Nevada and Arizona have hot car laws. These law essentially provides legal protections for someone who bust out windows or forces open doors to rescue an animal from a dangerous heat situation. There are requirements that must be met in the law from something as simple as calling law enforcement first before busting out the windows up to time requirements for air conditioning to be off before smashing into someones RV.

The odds of it happening are very slim (much more common in urban area retail parking lots) especially while in an RV park, but out in the public all sorts of things can happen. Just be aware on hot days so as not to give someone a reason to play Doggie Rescuer for a cheering crowd and the TV camera.

It is a sad day when we actually have to have a conversation about this. However, Savannah stays in the trailer, comfy in the AC.

[Ryanjb01]

MarkTwain wrote:
IMHO, I would skip southern calif. Because of congeston and traffic. Nightmare for RVers??????

I will tell you, this stop is the one that I thought about dropping myself. Pressed for time, and I thought I may like Northern California better. But wasnt sure!

[dedmiston]

MarkTwain wrote:
Having lived in southern calif. for 10 years I find the comment "It's not that bad" humorous:)

:B

An alternative would be to find an RV park 75 miles away from the Southern calif. area then just plan on driving without your RV then do your sight seeing.

They don't even need to go that far away. Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Pomona, and Ventura County are as close as 30 miles.

It all depends on the POIs they want to see in So Cal.

And yes, traffic is bad, but the roads are wide for the most part and it's easy enough to just tuck in with the semis to get where you need to go. I would take L.A. traffic over places like Atlanta, Houston, or even Denver where you're packed into two lanes until you get closer to town.

My only point is that I wouldn't write L.A. off just because of the traffic. To me, a bigger turnoff would be the scale and the sprawl. Things are spread all over the place, so it's harder to pick one location for a base camp. Still though, I've known a lot of people who set up camp in Santa Clarita or Pomona and were able to see everything they wanted to see.

[MarkTwain]

dedmiston wrote:

MarkTwain wrote:
IMHO, I would skip southern calif. Because of congeston and traffic. Nightmare for RVers??????

It's not that bad. Traffic is fairly predictable and there are routes known to be better than others. It all depends on what POIs they are hoping to see. If there's something they really want to see in So Cal, then they should plan a good route & time, and then go see it.

Having lived in southern calif. for 10 years I find the comment "It's not that bad" humorous:) An alternative would be to find an RV park 75 miles away from the Southern calif. area then just plan on driving without your RV then do your sight seeing.

[ItsyRV]

Ryanjb01 wrote:
Our dog, Labrador Retriever, Savannah, goes with us everywhere. She will be on the trip and stay comfortably cool in the RV as we are exploring. I only brought up that we had a pet, because I know some parks are not pet friendly.

Just be aware, California, Nevada and Arizona have hot car laws. These law essentially provides legal protections for someone who bust out windows or forces open doors to rescue an animal from a dangerous heat situation. There are requirements that must be met in the law from something as simple as calling law enforcement first before busting out the windows up to time requirements for air conditioning to be off before smashing into someones RV.

The odds of it happening are very slim (much more common in urban area retail parking lots) especially while in an RV park, but out in the public all sorts of things can happen. Just be aware on hot days so as not to give someone a reason to play Doggie Rescuer for a cheering crowd and the TV camera.

[2gypsies1]

I agree that if you're planning to do Zion and Bryce from one base then stay at Bryce (Ruby's RV) and day trip to Zion. Bryce will be cooler and then you can sitesee up Hwy 12 - beautiful drive!!

Otherwise, your trip sounds perfect as long as you're comfortable with the miles, distance and heat. You're giving the girls a great memory!!

[Busskipper]

Ryanjb01 wrote:
There is a lot to take in here!

I spent the better part of the day Sunday working on our trip plans. I will share it below.

But to help clarify our intentions, this trip is doing many things for our family. First, I love this country and everything it has to offer. I want my daughters to know and to see it the same way that I do. The second is to force us to set time aside and be a family. As you all know, life goes by in the blink of an eye.

Our dog, Labrador Retriever, Savannah, goes with us everywhere. She will be on the trip and stay comfortably cool in the RV as we are exploring. I only brought up that we had a pet, because I know some parks are not pet friendly.

As far as the heat. It is what it is. We will plan accordingly, and drinks lots of beverages!!

Take a look at our trip. Input, information would be great. Let me know what you think. Im open to suggestions. If I missed something that should not be missed, please let me know.

1. Leave Home
2. Whispering Hills RV Park, Lexington, Kentucky(overnight)
3. Catherines Landing, Hot Springs, Arkansas(2-3 Days New State for us)
4. Roadrunner RV Park, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma(1-2 Days, New State for us)
5. Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley, Utah(2-3 Days, New state for us)
6. Trailer Village RV Park, Grand Canyon, Arizona(4-5 Days, New State for us)
7. Zion River Resort, Zion NP, Utah(4-5 Days, New State for us, also plan to see Bryce Canyon from this location)
8. Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada(3-4 Days, New State for us, also plan to see Hoover Dam from this location)
9. San Diego Metro KOA, San Diego, California(2-3 Days, New State For us)
10. Carlsbad KOA, Carlsbad, New Mexico(2-3 Days, New State For us)
11. Travelers World RV Resort, San Antonio, Texas(2-3 Days, New State for us, plan to see the Alamo, and Riverstreet San Antonio)
12. French Quarter RV Resort, New Orleans, Louisiana(2-3 Days)
13. Whispering Hills RV Park, Lexington, Kentucky(overnight)

Here is a google map link. Not sure what it will allow you to see.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1F7a_Qs12VwS8ddUFIvJEw0C6SosIQr7c&hl=en&ll=31.728647140714507%2C-114.84360968750002&z=5

Thanks again for the input, look forward to hear from all of you.

Ryan

Ryan, sounds Great, The good is that you are spending some time at the planned stops - the bad not enough stops - Get up early - Use lots of SunScreen - Floppy hats to cover your Ears - start early and get off the trails by noon and you will be fine. Think about the drive to Bryce - will be a little cooler but still hot mid day - might be worth the effort to camp there, JMHO

You will Love the Trip,

[Ryanjb01]

There is a lot to take in here!

I spent the better part of the day Sunday working on our trip plans. I will share it below.

But to help clarify our intentions, this trip is doing many things for our family. First, I love this country and everything it has to offer. I want my daughters to know and to see it the same way that I do. The second is to force us to set time aside and be a family. As you all know, life goes by in the blink of an eye.

Our dog, Labrador Retriever, Savannah, goes with us everywhere. She will be on the trip and stay comfortably cool in the RV as we are exploring. I only brought up that we had a pet, because I know some parks are not pet friendly.

As far as the heat. It is what it is. We will plan accordingly, and drinks lots of beverages!!

Take a look at our trip. Input, information would be great. Let me know what you think. Im open to suggestions. If I missed something that should not be missed, please let me know.

1. Leave Home
2. Whispering Hills RV Park, Lexington, Kentucky(overnight)
3. Catherines Landing, Hot Springs, Arkansas(2-3 Days New State for us)
4. Roadrunner RV Park, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma(1-2 Days, New State for us)
5. Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley, Utah(2-3 Days, New state for us)
6. Trailer Village RV Park, Grand Canyon, Arizona(4-5 Days, New State for us)
7. Zion River Resort, Zion NP, Utah(4-5 Days, New State for us, also plan to see Bryce Canyon from this location)
8. Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada(3-4 Days, New State for us, also plan to see Hoover Dam from this location)
9. San Diego Metro KOA, San Diego, California(2-3 Days, New State For us)
10. Carlsbad KOA, Carlsbad, New Mexico(2-3 Days, New State For us)
11. Travelers World RV Resort, San Antonio, Texas(2-3 Days, New State for us, plan to see the Alamo, and Riverstreet San Antonio)
12. French Quarter RV Resort, New Orleans, Louisiana(2-3 Days)
13. Whispering Hills RV Park, Lexington, Kentucky(overnight)

Here is a google map link. Not sure what it will allow you to see.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1F7a_Qs12VwS8ddUFIvJEw0C6SosIQr7c&hl=en&ll=31.728647140714507%2C-114.84360968750002&z=5

Thanks again for the input, look forward to hear from all of you.

Ryan

[docsouce]

We did our first southwest trip this summer. If you can time it right the Roswell UFO Festival is a hoot. The Town and Country RV park is a great spot a couple miles from downtown and there is a lot of tree shade available.... For now we can only travel extended trips during the summer months. The heat and rain during our visit, all of July, wasn't that bad. 95 to 100 degrees. We dealt with it. We tried to stay in parks with swimming pools and the cooler mountains are only 1 or 2 days away. I would reserve 4 or 5 days out and keep our miles to 150 to 200 miles.per day. This made for easy travel and we had no problem what so ever finding a campground. Our greatest observation was that around ever corner there was something beautiful to see. We only saw a fraction of the area (New Mexico, Arizona,southern Utah) but you will have a ball!!!!

[Busskipper]

obgraham wrote:
Good heavens we are a negative bunch around here!

Do you think everyone moves out of the Southwest in the summer? (Well, I do, but I digress!) There are plenty of people out camping and RVing in the summer in the SW. That's why it's too crowded!

OP can manage just fine if he deals with the heat. He wants to use hookup parks -- i.e. run fans and an a/c when needed.

As long as he routes himself so he will be at higher elevations periodically I think he will be fine. We had a great time at Arches one July years ago, in a popup. Sure, it was hot!

So I asked my friends who have lived there - Southwest - Phoenix and Las Vegas - for years what do they do in the Heat - Just like you do in the Winter - Park the Car and Run inside, you are looking for heat - we are looking for A/C. Just too hot to do anything outside.

JMHO,

[2gypsies1]

I'd also advise leaving your dog home for this trip. Hopefully, a friend or relative can take care of it. It will be very uncomfortable for him in the heat.

The trip for the rest of the family is very doable and that's family RVing time. Just know what to expect and for any serious hiking or siteseeing, plan to begin at 6am and finish by Noon. Afternoon is indoor time or siesta time.

[dedmiston]

MarkTwain wrote:
IMHO, I would skip southern calif. Because of congeston and traffic. Nightmare for RVers??????

It's not that bad. Traffic is fairly predictable and there are routes known to be better than others. It all depends on what POIs they are hoping to see. If there's something they really want to see in So Cal, then they should plan a good route & time, and then go see it.

[obgraham]

Good heavens we are a negative bunch around here!

Do you think everyone moves out of the Southwest in the summer? (Well, I do, but I digress!) There are plenty of people out camping and RVing in the summer in the SW. That's why it's too crowded!

OP can manage just fine if he deals with the heat. He wants to use hookup parks -- i.e. run fans and an a/c when needed.

As long as he routes himself so he will be at higher elevations periodically I think he will be fine. We had a great time at Arches one July years ago, in a popup. Sure, it was hot!