Albuquerque Balloon Festival Questions

[Powertour]

One of the bucket list type things the Mrs & I have is to take in the big annual balloon fest but we're unsure how to approach it from the RV side of things. We're thinking perhaps the 2020 one would be a target to attend.

Thought is to go there in the motorhome & stay for x-amt of days (2-3, maybe more?).

Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we checked out their website & are still not feeling which is the best option for people like us (more of less we're weekenders with a medium sized RV & usually rolling with our dogs).

Thanks

[Powertour]

Janss wrote:


I've heard that staying at the festival grounds is the best experience though.

Kinda what I've heard as well that's why I'm thinking of taking a run at staying there for at least a couple of days.

[Janss]

We went some years ago. Stayed at Enchanted Trails RV Park (with reservations far ahead). They offered a shuttle van to take us to and from the festival grounds (for a fee). Much less hassle for us. Have no idea what goes on now, but you might call a few RV parks to find out if they do this.

I've heard that staying at the festival grounds is the best experience though.

[CFerguson]

I've never been to this, but wouldn't there be some boondocking spots nearby?

[azdryheat]

RV park rates go through the roof.

[Powertour]

Two Hands - Would love to hear what they thought if you get any feedback from them post-fiesta!

Cliff - Will take you up on your offer! We're thinking it'd be cool to stay at the fiesta grounds (at least for maybe 2 nights) but have no idea what the difference really is between the options they have to pick from. I lived in NM for a # of years but not in the ABQ area although I am a bit familiar with ABQ & the surrounding area. I took full advantage of the NM outdoors back in the day... absolutely killer place to do nature for sure.

[ndrorder]

As an Albuquerque resident, I'll get the suggestions rolling. RV and Motel reservations fill up quick. Book a spot as soon as possible and cancel if plans change. Same goes for the area campgrounds.

A TOAD makes many more things convenient. Public transport to the fiesta grounds is provided by either the RailRunner train system and the local school buses are enlisted for Park and Ride services from places all over town. The Park and Ride doesn't change much from year to year and can be used planning RV locations.

The Balloon Fiesta is very dependent upon the weather. Add flexibility to your itinerary by planning to stay in the area for the week but not necessarily at the fiesta grounds in case the weather forces a change to your plans. There are many mountain camping opportunities (RV park and primitive) within an hour of the fiesta grounds. There are some beautiful places accessible with your rig.

If you'd like more specific suggestions of places to stay and things to do, please feel free to reach out.

Regards,
Cliff

[Two_Hands]

My brother and his wife are going this year. However, they waited to make reservations and the closer RV parks were all full. They could only get one that was quite a distance away.