Forum Discussion
fanrgs
Nov 12, 2014Explorer
GoPackGo wrote:Agree with using the Interstate to get south quickly. If I-94 to I-25 is the nearest route to NM & AZ for you, I would recommend it over I-15 and traveling west on I-90 through more of Montana. There are more big cities, open (not seasonal) RV parks, Camping World and Walmart stores, and motels (if needed) along I-25 if you have to wait out the weather.
Traveling in the middle of winter I would stick to the interstates until below the snow line. Wait for a weather window lasting several days, then go south in a straight line until below the snow line, THEN go west.
There are also a number of State parks along I-25 in Colorado that are open year-round. Each has 30A/50A electricity, water, sewer or RV dumps, and modern, heated restrooms with hot (pay) showers. We stayed in one in Trinidad (Trinidad Lake State Park) last winter on our way to NM and AZ. We really enjoyed the FHU site in a campground with maybe 5 other campers. Other SPs along I-25 include Boyd Lake, Chatfield Lake, Cherry Creek, Pueblo Reservoir, and Lathrop (near Walsenburg). Incidentally, we have had considerably below freezing nights as far south on I-25 as Santa Fe. So, electric heat tape wrapped around your water hose can be useful even in NM and AZ.
We often travel with a collapsible, five-gallon container of water in the bed of our truck (summer) or in our shower (winter). We used it on our Alaska trip so we could stay overnight wherever we stopped and because I like to travel with empty tanks due to our small tow vehicle. But we have also used it on winter trips for washing, cooking, and the toilet. We have 12v tank heaters on all three tanks, but they use a lot of battery, especially if we are running the furnace too (we don't carry a generator). But, if we have an electric site, we definitely run the tank heaters.
If you stay on I-25 to I-10 at Las Cruces, our favorite RV park there is Sunny Acres. It is a small, older, 55+ park with lots of snowbirds, great shade trees, clubroom and laundry, and walking distance to grocery and dollar stores. Along I-10 in AZ, one of our favorite parks anywhere is Butterfield RV Resort in Benson. It has morning coffee for the snowbirds, an astronomical observatory with nightly programs, a clubhouse, a community room, a laundry, a beautiful heated pool, asphalt spaces for short-timers, and gravel spaces for seasonal residents. It is conveniently adjacent to Safeway and within walking distance of Walmart. We met a couple there last February who have come down from their farm in Saskatchewan for the past eight winters.
One of the best comments I have heard to describe Quartzite is that it is "where full-timers RVers in $500,000 motor coaches go for free camping." And, if you aren't fond of crowds, you might want to stay for just a short visit in the Phoenix area. A small RV park there may have 200 very full, very crowded spaces. An expensive RV "resort" will likely have over 1,000 completely filled spaces. So, Phoenix is just Quartzite with FHU sites and golf courses. Oh, and Cactus League spring training!
To check out park reviews by other RVers, go to RV Park Reviews.
About RV Newbies
4,026 PostsLatest Activity: Jun 15, 2017