Central Ohio to Central Arizona

[OldFogie]

We plan on traveling from Ohio to Arizona and back later this year (probably September) and I am looking for suggestions on things to see.

We like off-beat things, interesting parks, etc. What are some interesting things that you have visited or plan to visit? We haven't decided on a route and have little restrictions on time on the road.

Only stops planned so far are on the north side of Grand Canyon and around Phoenix to visit friends.

[2gypsies1]

If you're planning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon you'll have nice cool temps.

Your Phoenix stop will be HOT and great campground in the metro area are the Maricopa County Parks. There are a handful depending where you're visiting. Also, Lost Dutchman State Park east of Phoenix is a winner. You won't have much camping company in September in Phoenix. 🙂

From the North Rim you'll be close to some other wonderful national parks and Sept. is a good time to see them - less crowds. Check out Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches.

Then head into southern Colorado and do Mesa Verde Nat'l Park and continue east on 160 to the Durango area (a day trip to Silverton is a MUST), continue east to Pagosa Springs for a hot springs soak.

Then head into New Mexico via Hwy 84 - Abiquiu Lake Corps of Engineers campground is very nice and it's the painter Georgia O'Keefe's home area and it's gorgeous.

You could then stop at Bandelier Nat'l Monument near Los Alamos. Santa Fe, NM is a great little city to explore. You could stay at Santa Fe Skies RV or at Cochiti Lake Corp of Engineers campground which is about a 30 minute drive.

Lots to see in that whole circular area. It's a favorite of ours.

Get a road atlas from WalMart and highlight everything of interest, then make your route from there. Have a great trip!

[darsben]

To southern AZ I usually like to go via Nashville and the Natchez Trace to Natchez ms. IN Natchez the visitors bureau has an adequate dump station. I then get to Louisiana 165 and wind my way to Holly Beach Louisiana and park on the beach.for 4-5 days. Free to do sand really packed hard. I then take the ferry at Cameron LA to Port Aurthur, Tx and then to Crystal Beach Tx where I stay on the beach again. Then the ferry to Galveston and wind my way up to Fredericksburg, Tx for some great German food. THen either down to El Paso and after that to Lordsburg NM where I get off and take US 70 to Globe and stay On Roosevelt lake in a National forest CG. Or go North from Fredericksburg on TX 87 to US 380 to Roswell, NM staying at Bottomless Lakes State park. After seeing some alienated friends I tool on down US 60 to Globe then stay at Lake Roosevelt.

[DrewE]

I'm a big fan of the St Louis City Museum, which is certainly on the offbeat and interesting and unique side of things. It does require a certain amount of climbing and crawling and so forth (at least for significant parts of it). It's more a giant interactive art project/jungle gym than a traditional museum with things stashed in display cases, though there are some bits of the latter as well.

[DesertHawk]

Here's some sights & sites in NE AZ, NW & N New Mexico.

:C Tucson is a neat city & easy to get around in with a lot of things to choose to do & see.

Chiricahua National Monument out from Willcox is so very dry at times. The fires they had in 2012 really left it changed as well. Much more barren. Still a neat place to see.

White Mountains by Show Low to Springerville have many higher elevation campgrounds (many Forest Service) and a neat place to find cool tempts in the summer heat.
Apache & Sitgreaves Nat'l Forests

Flagstaff Area +: Coconino Nat'l Forest

AZ National Park Campgrounds & Camping

AZ National Forests

One can normally find nice cool temps in higher elevations in the mountains. If the monsoon is happening, then this can keep things a bit cooler as well.

Off I-25, Sugarite Canyon State Park by Raton is a neat area. And a short drive from Raton is the Capulin Volcano Nat'l Mon't.
A Neat Place. ------ But no Camping

Between Raton & Las Vegas, Not far S of Springer, just off I-25 is Fort Union Nat'l Mon't.

At Las Vegas, NM (older place than the one in NV) Storrie Lake State Park, but we have used the Walmart there to do a few overnights. Lot of mountains behind Las Vegas (west) with National Forests campgrounds.

Off I-25 between Santa Fe & Las Vegas, Villanueva State Park. It is off the 25 a bit. Somewhat off the beaten path. However, one can use NM 3 to cut down to the I-40 from Villanueva. We did that one visit.

This was a neat place to camp and visit (have not been to in it many years), even with a museum nearby, all close to Gallup at Red Rock/Churchrock just off of I-40 east of town. It was a state park when we used it.
http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/11212/new-mexico/red-rock-state-par...

Blue Water Lake State Park, by Grants, west of Albu'que on I-40. Bluewater not a bad area, but more of a fishing site. But not at all bad for an overnight, even some hiking trails. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/bluewaterlakestatepark.html

:C El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.
http://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm

Happy Camping!

[DaveInPickering]

I highly recommend Bryce Canyon just north of the Grand Canyon.

[Dick_B]

Do a Google search for `______ tourism' and put in the blank the city, state, area or other that you are interested in and read what the experts say about their area.

[Kidoo]

I really loved going from Montrose to Durango in Colorado. You go from Denver, through Ouray and Silverton to Durango. These places remind me Switzerland. Silverton sits at around 9000 feet and you have some 14000 foot montains around the area, very nice and some very nice high passes in the mountains, Ouray has a very nice hot pool with gorgeous montain in the background. Near Montrose, there is the Black Canyon, very deep river between the rocks.

After Durango, I would go to Mesa Verde, many first nation houses on the cliff, then a nice little park near Mexican hat, Gooseneck state park, you can camp there just beside the river cliff. Then, I would not miss Anteloppe Canyon, Glen Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.

If you do all these National park, it is well worth to buy the annual national park pass.

Then Las Vegas, Laughlin for the fun part. All these area have some nice innexpensive camping, many free or near free.

[gbopp]

While traveling, I like to use Roadside America. Maybe you can find something along your route.

Weird Arizona

Weird Colorado

Do a google search, there are weird and unusual things in every state.

Enjoy the trip.

[polly_sue]

In AZ, there's Canyon de Chelly (Canyon de "Shay"), which is a national monument in Chinle, AZ in NE Arizona, not far from the Four Corners' monument on US 160. There's also Mesa Verde NP outside Cortez, CO, between Durango (the narrow gauge railroad to Silverton - a do not miss) and Cortez. There are all the southern Utah national parks and monuments, as well as Monument Valley on the border of SE Utah and NE Arizona. You might like to see the southern side of the Grand Canyon, too, since it's not too far off the track to Phoenix via Flagstaff and US 89 from Page, where you have Lake Powell, which is a national recreation area and has one of the nicest government run RV parks on the shore of the lake. North of Flagstaff, a bit on US 89 are the Sunset Crater and Wapiti National Forests/campgrounds, which have no hookups, but have concrete pads and are beautiful. Just a mile or so off the highway and only a few minutes from Flagstaff. You can stay at all of these National Forest, Monuments, Recreation Areas and Parks for half price with your National Park 62+ $10 (one time only) pass. And they aren't expensive to begin with!