SE Utah in March?

[Ravialdo]

Newbie here. We are planning a vacation to Utah for the 3rd week of March. While I go backpacking and kayak camping every year around that time in Moab, for the rest of my family, it will be there 1st time ever. Actually will be a first RV trip for all of us. We plan on renting an RV out of Las Vegas (likely a Class C).

I tried searching the forums and couldn't come up with the answers to my questions so here goes:

March weather can be hit or miss. Wife and kids are Floridians. According to the Park service weather, the lows around that time can reach mid-30's, presumably at night.

1. How hard is it to keep the RV warm enough at night so that we can get a decent night of sleep instead of being miserably cold?

2. Does this require running a generator at night for a heater? I ask because I wish to stay at the NPS campgrounds as much as possible, and many of them have 'quiet times' usually overnight, when it gets coldest.

3. Are there RV's for rent that utilize solar panels to help heat the RV? I know of Provan and Earthroamers that have solar panels to allow for more remote off-the-grid camping. Was wondering if there were other 'more flexible' options other than the standard El Monte/CampingWorld rentals?

Thanks so much. I've been planning an RV trip for the kids for a long time and waited until they got older.

[Allworth]

Second question first: Most hotels/motels have a truck parking area somewhere behind the building. Not always convenient, but there.

Moab: That time of year it should be no problem to park in the City Market (brand name; not location) lot and walk to town (can't really call it DOWNtown.)

Torey: You would probably be ahead to use a private CG. One on the East end of town or the one at Sand Creek. (Nice people were running Sand Creek the last time we were there.)

Final thought: We were there in early March about three years ago and had to get the fiver out to Green River in a driving snowstorm. Once we got over the mountain to Grand Junction, the weather was cold but otherwise fine.

[Ravialdo]

Thanks for you input guys.

Talked to the folks at CruiseAmerica and they've confirmed that there are solar panels which act like a trickle charger for the auxiliary battery but that I couldn't really count on them to run the furnace blower.
She did state that if we didn't have an electrical hookup, that we could expect the auxiliary battery to eventually run out sometime during the night. Someone would then have the run the engine of the motorhome for 30 minutes or so to recharge the battery.
To me that sounds like a noise violation of the various "quiet periods" which are imposed at the campgrounds, at least to my limited understanding of RV etiquette.

Moab shouldn't be a problem in reality; we have Deadhorse which is wide open for right now for the dates we want. And so is Zion for electric hookups which is where we would go on the way there. Its places in between. Would like to visit Capitol Reef (in all my Utah hiking, I've never been!) and I think the kids would get a great kick out of Coral Sand Dunes State Park. Neither of those places have electrical hookups unless I do the KOA/commercial route, which might not be a bad compromise for 2 nights.

The other option is to forget SE Utah and just go to Southern California. We could then 'try out' RVing in Joshua Tree or Anza Borrego area (where night time lows should be manageable) for just a 3 night rental, and spend the rest of the time visiting the San Diego zoo, Legoland etc.

Last questions, and I know its basic but you guys have been great:

1. Parking in a small town like Moab in a class C (probably will rent 25 ft at MAX). I love the coffee shops and would probably like to take the family to dinner/breakfast on occasion. Where the heck do you park when you hit these small towns? Do you just find an empty nice sized lot and then walk around?

2. We really aren't RV'ing for the financial benefits, so we may need to bail because of weather or comfort issues and stay in a hotel for a night or two. Are these places usually accommodating to the size of RV we are going to rent for parking?

[2gypsies1]

I wouldn't count on rental batteries to be in top condition for using solar panels, if they are even offered.

Your family will have a more positive experience if you use electric. Staying at Dead Horse would be our first choice. Have a great trip!...and hope for no bitter cold or wind!

[Clay_L]

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
1)SNIP

2) However, you must have electricity to use the furnace all night. A furnace blower will drain the batteries flat in a few hours. NPS campgrounds are out if the temps are near freezing.

SNIP

.

If the batteries in most RVs won't last one night with the furnace running there is probably a problem with the batteries or the charging system.

My blower pulls about 7 amps but doesn't run all the time and I can easily get two nights before recharging.

[Clay_L]

If the house batteries/battery in the rental are/is in decent shape it will easily last the night with the furnace set at 65 and mid 30s outside.

[amandasgramma]

Because we were in Moab right at the beginning of the Govt shutdown, we were forced to leave all the BLM campgrounds....(includes Dead Horse park)..... There is an RV park ....we stayed in Pack Creek RV park... it's cheaper but I call it quaint. The owners/managers are trying really hard to succeed. You are back away from traffic and train noises. Arches RV park is a nice one, but actually was hard for a # of us to get our rigs in. They don't have the "slots" at an angle and so you have to make a 45 deg. turn......from a narrow aisle. My one con on Dead Horse is the spaces were narrow. I saw one where the people parked their rig the way they should, but to come down off their steps the ground slanted downhill immediately. Not something I want to do!!!!
All in all, no matter where you camp in Moab, you'll have a great time 🙂 🙂 at least we did!

[stetwood]

Dead horse park is a well known secret, lovely place to use as a headquarters in the Moab area. Remember you are in an area with a low population, so drive times may be similar to drive times in a heavily populated area with lots of stop and go. If you stay at Dead Horse, it has no sewer or WATER. It does have a dump station. Hike the Dead Horse, drive to the Arches and nearby Canyon Land and travel along the Colorado River north and south. We need to go back because we missed it to the shutdown in October.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Ravialdo wrote:
I've spent the morning looking at commercial RV parks in the area and they just don't appeal to me.

I didn't think they would.

A commercial campground is just a home base for your trip - an expensive, cramped motel room.

I would think your goal is to introduce the family to camping/ RV camping. Maybe a stay in a commercial CG for a couple days would show them the trade off of a little less comfort vs a greater experience.

But you know your family - what they will and won't accept - better than any of us.

[daveshan]

Ravialdo wrote:

Road Less Traveled mentioned ceramic heaters. Those obviously have an electric draw but am I correct to assume they wouldn't drain my batteries they way the furnace blower would?

No, the ceramic heaters are ~1000-1500W at 120V, quick mental figuring at 1000w = 8 amps at 120v or 80amps at 12V, add in the loss for the inverter if boondocking and your batteries will be completely dead in a couple of hours. Furnace blower takes a couple of amps of 12v. Resistance heating and boondocking don't play well together.

If plugged in it's a moot point of course, but then you're in a situation much like a commercial campground.

[Ravialdo]

Wow, thanks everyone for the responses. Its really helpful.

Its funny. I love sleeping in the cold. Its one of the reasons I take a yearly trip to SE Utah to camp. I remember one night canoeing the Green River in Canyonlands where my water bottle froze in my tent. But my wife has very thin blood, as does my middle daughter. Having said that, the RV aspect of this trip is actually my WIFE's idea; initially I planned to use hotels for accommodations.

Looking at Dead Horse State Park and it looks like they have partial hookups. Its a little bit of a haul from there to Arches from a convenience stand point, but it might be worth it. I've spent the morning looking at commercial RV parks in the area and they just don't appeal to me.

Road Less Traveled mentioned ceramic heaters. Those obviously have an electric draw but am I correct to assume they wouldn't drain my batteries they way the furnace blower would?

Also, in appears that Cruise America advertises solar panels on their Standard RV rental. Will have to get more info on that.

Thanks again everyone.

[Roads_Less_Trav]

We stayed in Moab in a popup in mid-March for a week. We plugged into electricity and used a small ceramic heater to heat the popup. It was plenty adequate.

A larger RV might require two ceramic heaters. They're just $12.95 at Home Depot, so not a huge cost...

[SteveAE]

It is really tough to predict the weather in SE Utah that time of year (we prefer late April and early May). I say give it a try and if it turns out too cold, head to a RV park (yuck) or boondock somewhere no-one will be bothered by your generator.

Steve

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

1) An RV furnace will keep an RV quite warm down to the mid-20s without any problem. Especially a smaller unit with four or five people in it. A couple electric blankets or those small throws with electric heat might be very useful.

2) However, you must have electricity to use the furnace all night. A furnace blower will drain the batteries flat in a few hours. NPS campgrounds are out if the temps are near freezing.

3) You will find no rental RVs with solar power sufficient for the type of NPS campgrounds you want to use during that time of year. Solar takes a certain level of understanding to work well - and folks renting RVs don't want to spend dozens of hours learning how to make solar work best in an RV. It is also an expense the rental companies won't see a return upon.

Just a suggestion - if the wife and kids have never spent time in moderately high altitudes and the high desert night-time low temps - try to stay in commercial RV parks - if you can find some open.

The worst thing that can happen in my opinion, is for your family to be cold, damp and miserable on the trip. It can turn them off to camping permanently, or for a long time.

Make this trip as comfortable as possible - then branch out into some more adventurous camping on the next trip.

Let them be awed by the majesty of nature and the beauty - not shivering. Hook them on the good aspects of camping - then later teach them the minor inconveniences of less utility dependent camping necessary to see even greater sights/ areas.

[daveshan]

I usually pop over to the Moab or Blanding area several times in March/April/May every year. By March the weather has changed to "Variable" to say the least. We've encountered snow/rain and sunny low 60s all in the same day.

(1)Lows are usually in the 32-39ºF range and both the motor home and truck camper stay tosty warm with just the on-board furnace. Having a warm comforter allows you to drop the cabin temperature a bit to save on the furnace running the battery/batteries down.

(2) No generator at night, not allowed in campgrounds and a good way to get a knock on the door late at night from annoyed neighbors when boondocking.

(3) Solar panels are great for keeping battery banks charged without using a generator but I've never seen a solar array/battery bank large enough to run electric heat (very high current draw) at night.

Sorry no experience with rentals.

Welcome to our corner of the world, you'll love it.
Dave

[amandasgramma]

amandasgramma wrote:
1) According to what you do.....are you going to be plugged into electricity? Do you have a catalytic heater or a furnace or both? We have both. Catalytic takes a long time to heat our rig....furnace works fast .... I timed it one time. Took 1 hr by furnace to heat the house the same as it took the catalytic heater 4 1/2 hrs to heat the rig. Is your rig insulated well?????

2) We have 2 batteries and solar panels......so we don't use the generator at all..and most EVERY park says do not run generator all night. If you're going to park where there is electricity, take along a small standalone space heater.

3) I don't know about rentals having solar panels...I doubt they do. Have never rented a rig. But on this trip, we noticed a lot of "CruiseAmerica" rentals out there.

Have a great time!