Hi,We are planning a road trip across south west parks between 20th of june and 5th of july (15 nights) starting and ending in LA. We will rent an RV in LA, since we are two adults and a kid we were thinking to rent a ford c 22 at motorhomerepublicThe trip should include LA, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, and back toward the coast with 1-2 stops like Joshua Tree park or Palm Springs.It should be 1-2 night per location. The idea of doing this trip by rv is to get flexibility on duration of stay in each location, depart and arrival time.On other non specialist forum like on tripadvisor I have been told I necessarily have to book at each camp ground but this will not allow that flexibility we are looking for. I have seen there are several different solutions which include campground,campsites, rv parks, free rv areas, with without hooksup, dumpstations etc etc.Would you suggest to do this road trip with a c22 RV equipped with a generator in that period of the year without reserving rv parks?Main issues are 1) safety of the sites where to spend the night, so we are not considering random stops along the road in the middle of nowhere 2) Ease of finding a place to spend the night. I.e. avoid long research of sites moving from park to park ti find an empty place, or waiting hours to check-in the camp ground etc.Since it is our first rv trip ever in us these may appear obvious questions for you but not for usThank you for your repliesGiangi

Ambitious. Have a great trip. I for one have to plan extensively and I'm not the serendipitous type.Since you are planning in the middle of the summer there will be plenty of rigs on the road and you may not always find a spot easily, especially in Yosemite.years ago one could show up at the CG gate at 5 AM or so and get any open spot. Its not so easy now.I've tent camped at Sequoia in years past with no problems. Ruby's at Bryce had plenty of space, and Zion campground was nearly full but we had reservations.Since you want to 'wing it', I'm sure you will have some small problems but you will have some great stories to tell.

In the south west earlier would definitely be better. July 4th is a national holiday here and usually the week leading up to and the week after are very crowded. Weather in the SW can get very hot that time of year also. If this time frame is locked in, you might want to check weather that time of year. Reservstions are a definite must. I know, it takes the flexability out of things, but thats the way it is out west now days. If you want a bit cooler weather, you might consider coming north and stay on the coast.

Death Valley in June? Going to be very hot.

No you do not have to prebook campground sites unless you want to stay inside a major National Park. Since you have a generator you can stay at many National Forest (NF) sites and other no-utility sites. These are called boondocking sites by rvers. Two weeks is not a lot of time so I suggest concentrating on a few parks rather than spending most of your time driving from one place to another. From LA I'd think about the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which has a lot of good NF sites right outside the park, followed by Bryce Canyon which has good commercial campgrounds right outside the gate with a shutter services, and Zion NP where you can camp outside the park. Spend 3 or 4 days at each. With drive time that will use up your time and allow you lots of time to explore these interesting parks.In my experience once you are away from major metro areas you will find that that the campground crime rate drops to near zero. In 30 years I have never experienced any sort of criminal activity while we were camping. I think you'll find most people here have had the same experience. If you stop at Walmarts or other overnight parking locations then you need to be a little more careful. If the store has armed guards then probably it's a good idea to move one. I've only seen this a couple times, once in Homestead FL. I've never done this but others have frequently mentioned it. You may want to check into flying into Las Vegas, which is supposed to be very cheap. And renting your RV there. That would add 3 or 4 days to your actual vacation time and allow you to add another park. Maybe Arches The best thing for you to be doing right now is this: get a good road atlas, study the maps of this area and look at the area you want to go to. There are a number of smaller parks you can visit on the way, Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP is one example. Visit the national park website and look at the parks. You really are thinking of doing a subsection of the Grand Loop which is:South Rim Grand CanyonNorth Rim GCZion BryceArchesCapital ReefI suggested the North Rim since it is closer to the rest of the loop and is less crowded, but lots prefer the mob scene at the South Rim.

So, you think it would be better to make reservations at each site? How much would be the the average cost per night in rv parks?

Two weeks RV road trip | Good Sam Community

OutdoorPhotogra
Explorer
Dec 26, 2017
You could fly into Fresno as another alternative although Vegas will be cheaper. I avoid driving in LA as much as I can in a car, much less an RV.

I vote reservations for parks near 4th and to cut your list in half. Maybe Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and Tahoe. Or, you could do Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, and as many of the Utah parks as possible.
padredw
Nomad
Dec 25, 2017
You're going to need to run the air conditioner at night and that means full hook up sites. You won't make any friends boondocking and running a genny all night. You're going to need to make reservations, and it may already be too late for July 4th.

This is extremely important--good advice. We were in Italy in June of 2009 and we found nothing to compare with the heat in the American South and Southwest. You will need electricity to run the air conditioner.

Taking Los Angeles as a given, I would suggest heading straight up to Sequoia/Kings Canyon--about 200 miles and four hours. That makes 2 nights in Los Angeles and a minimum of 2 nights in Sequoyah.

If I were that close I'd add in Yosemite. You will probably have to find a campground outside the National Park, but Yosemite is one of the outstanding parks in the United States. Add minimum 2 nights

Again, taking Bryce Canyon as a given you've got a two day trip across Nevada (I'm bypassing Las Vegas for the moment to go straight to Bryce.) There is a northern route along US 50 which is known as "the loneliest road in America," or a southern route that dips down via Hawthorne, NV. Add 2 nights for overnight for two long days (about 650 miles total).

At Bryce for 2 nights. The drive down to the North Rim is just over 100 miles so you can get a good view on the afternoon of arrival. We stayed out at Jacobs Lake, but that is a good 45 (slow) miles into the rim. Still we had a long afternoon to get view all along the rim and wound up at sundown at the lodge, before returning to our trailer waiting out at Jacobs Lake. So you can add 1 day here.

Around to the South Rim is less than 200 miles, so a relatively easy drive. May as well see both "rims" so add 2 days here.

We are already up to 13 days and that's by moving on more than many would advise, but it's entirely possible. That brings us to Las Vegas and July 3. This may be a critical decision of your trip: where will you be on July 3 and July 4? I'd bypass Las Vegas and
scoot across to Antelope Valley (or a non-urban campground nearby) and spend the night.

Now, unless I've messed up the arithmetic you would have only one day to get your RV back to Los Angeles. (I'm not good at math!)

If I can help with any more specific questions about this route, you can send me a PM (private message) through this forum.

That seems to me about the most you could include in a trip of 15 days in this part of our country. You may have very good reason to want to include Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the Southwest National Parks, but someday I hope you'll consider a visit with Denver as your starting point (in the Summer, of course) and enjoy the cool, colorful mountains of Colorado instead of the hot Southwest.
MarkTwain
Explorer
Dec 24, 2017
Esculapius1975 wrote:
Hi,

We are planning a road trip across south west parks between 20th of june and 5th of july (15 nights) starting and ending in LA. We will rent an RV in LA, since we are two adults and a kid we were thinking to rent a ford c 22 at motorhomerepublic

The trip should include

LA, Sequoia National Park
crowded!
Death Valley
Too dam hot!
Las Vegas
If you like to gamble and eat expensive food and mingle with 1000"s of people!
Bryce Canyon
A must see but for sure you need reservations!

Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley,
Never been there!
Grand Canyon,
Reservations a must!!

and back toward the coast with 1-2 stops like Joshua Tree park or Palm Springs.

In Indio right off of I-10 you can stay free in a large parking lot next to the Casino but no hooks at all.

It should be 1-2 night per location.
The idea of doing this trip by rv is to get flexibility on duration of stay in each location, depart and arrival time.

Would you suggest to do this road trip with a c22 RV equipped with a generator in that period of the year without reserving rv parks?

For your RV trip, a generator would be great !

Main issues are
1) safety of the sites where to spend the night, so we are not considering random stops along the road in the middle of nowhere

Not a real issue in most RV Parks. If you drive up and you don't feel comfortable for any reason---Turn around and leave!

2) Ease of finding a place to spend the night. I.e. avoid long research of sites moving from park to park ti find an empty place, or waiting hours to check-in the camp ground etc.

Reservations will minimize this problem!

Giangi

Sounds like a great trip! BUT, your trip is unrealistically over booked and guaranteed to be frustrating and hectic ! i.e. skip Death Valley(the heat will me miserable 105 to 120 deg., Skip Las Vegas ( too congested, loud and full of lights). Make reservations as soon as possible. All the places you want to visit are popular and crowded at the time of year. Reservations are plans to deviate from.
Use the Good Sam campground application on the internet to help to you locate and get RV parks that meet your needs. Miles driven and hours on the road varies based on individual choices. I like to drive no more than 350 to 400 miles or 4 to 5 hrs. per day. Suggest you get the Good Sam Emergency Road Side service policy to give you peace of mind if you break down on your travels.
bikendan
Explorer
Dec 24, 2017
You need to rethink your plans for three reasons.

1. HOT! You're wanting to travel in desert areas, in the summer. You'll need a/c the entire time, meaning electric hookups. The only campgrounds in those national parks, that have electric hookups, are GC and Zion.

2. Since you're looking to stay in popular spots in the summertime, you'll need to make reservations the second they're available. There will be extreme competition for them. Expect to lose out on some.

3. Your plans are very ambitious since many have no idea how big the West is and how long it takes driving from place to place.
midnightsadie
Explorer II
Dec 24, 2017
you have already reserved an rv? if not call around and line one up that will suit your trip ,have fun be safe.
agesilaus
Explorer III
Dec 24, 2017
Pretty much anything south of Grand Canyon will be hotter than Hades, and Arches will too. That includes most of those AZ and southern CA parks. Higher altitude is cooler.
ppine
Explorer II
Dec 24, 2017
An ambitious plan. I would skip Death Valley, Joshua Tree and Palm Springs because it will be too dang hot.

I have had terrible luck trying to find space in the summer for an RV at any National Park in the height of the season. You can stay outside the parks some of the time, try Forest Service or BLM sites or boonddock (in the middle of nowhere). If that is okay your plan will work. If you wing it and expect to stay in the Parks without a reservation you are going to be disappointed.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Dec 24, 2017
“we are not considering random stops along the road in the middle of nowhere“ Along the road, I agree. However, “nowhere” is exactly where I want to be. Why do you believe you and your family are “safer” with others?

I agree with Gordon, skip Death Valley. June is too hot.
winnietrey
Explorer
Dec 24, 2017
What you might consider is this. You don't have to camp in the National parks. There will be lots of private campgrounds and smaller state campgrounds in fairly close proximity to the big national parks. You can stay at one of those then day trip in. That is how we do it, we very rarely make reservations.

With a 22ft, if there is any site left in just about any campground you will fit as opposed to a much larger rig.

4th could be tough regardless, that might be the one date or dates you might consider reserving. Good luck and have fun

PS if it were us I would book your first night somewhere, and your last nights over that 4th time

One last thought I have never driven in Italy, so I don't know. But I have driven all over the UK. I thought RV parks were pretty few and far between. Not so in the US they tend to be pretty much everywhere.

When we camp with the grand kid, we pretty much stay at KOA's for a number of reasons.

1) they are kid friendly with pools etc
2) quality is always at least OK
3) KOA' have an APP you can get. So what we will do, is in the morning, figure out, what we want to see that day and where we want to end up. We find a KOA in close proximity and make an online reservation. Takes the worry out of where are we going to stay that n night. And of course your least chance of finding a campsite is going to be showing up late, so making a reservation in the AM, generally there are always sites available
Jim
Explorer
Dec 24, 2017
You must have reservations at RV parks for the July 4th weekend anywhere near big cities and in National Parks.

Do you really need to start and end your trip in LA? You probably know what a nightmare the traffic is there. And guess what, around holidays is even worse. Maybe start and end in Phoenix instead. Head north to Flagstaff and visit a really cool ancient cliff dwelling town, than visit Meteor Crater. Death Valley in June would be horribly hot, most wouldn't even consider it. Maybe visit Lake Tahoe, then head over to visit Virginia City where Mark Twain wrote for the newspaper. From there, there are so many choices in every direction it'll make your head swim.