Charlotte > Scottsdale > Las Vegas in February

[wildhorses]

Howdy all,
We are planning a trip out west for family and to hit a business meeting in February and wanted suggestions of places to stay along the route. We plan to take our time and spend two weeks on the road. Any suggestions of where to go, what to see, must see and must avoid?

[HeadWest]

Not along your route but a couple of thoughts for places to stay at your destinations. In Vegas, we typically stay at Oasis RV Resort. It is close to everything, has decent pools/hot tub, and good security. It has normally worked out fine for us but last time we were in-between a couple of really inconsiderate people.

For Scottsdale, we enjoy staying at Usery Mountain campground. It is not too far from Scottsdale, decent hiking trails, and overall a relaxing place to stay.

[OTRA15]

Carlsbad Caverns is amazing! A little north of I-10 and Van Horn Texas which has a good campground [former KOA] mentioned in a recent thread.

Are you prepared for freezing weather which may require winterizing your plumbing system on the road, without much notice?

Have a great trip!

Peter

[Lily&Me]

I would take a southern-ish route, rather than northern, and keep a close eye on the weather as we have blizzards in the Midwest which you will be traveling thru.

If you are running heat every night, the usual precautions with water and pipes in cold weather should keep everything running smoothly until you are in warm weather where freezing isn’t a concern.

Have a great trip.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

PS — The following post will lead to that recent thread about the Van Horn CG, Carlsbad Caverns, etc.:

[click on orange arrow to go there]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

We stayed there in the 90's when it was a KOA. Decent Mexican restaurant/cantina in town, which was a favorite of John Madden apparently [the football commentator] on his cross-country RV/bus trips. Still there?

You going to Carlsbad Caverns? An easy day-hop north from Van Horn on a decent two-lane road. They can board dogs, which is what we did, during the 3-4 hours you need there. Recommend the side tour of a cave where they turn off all the lights, and ask everyone to remain perfectly silent.
. . .
PS -- Looks like that cantina is still there:

http://www.chuys1959.com/history.php

[MontyV]

in Vegas stay at the Oasis RV park. Really nice people, excellent security, clean and well maintained.

[wildhorses]

Thanks for all the ideas, we are still debating whether to take our A/S or just drive a car and stay in hotels, we are definitely fair weather campers.

[Rocinante]

Definitely be ready for a sub-freezing surprise. Ensure your heater(s) is/are in good working order.
Carry chains, but don’t travel when you need them unless there’s literally no other choice.
Take routes that both steer south quickly and stick to lower elevations.
Include buffer time in case you see weather ahead that makes it unwise to travel until the roads are clear.
On good weather days, grab as many miles as you can to either build or maintain that buffer.

[eubank]

I agree with Maggie: Drop down to the south and jump onto I10. Follow it all the way to Arizona and then head north. That will expose you to the least hazardous weather on average. And always, always keep an eye on the weather forecasts.


Lynn

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I would take a southern-ish route, rather than northern, and keep a close eye on the weather as we have blizzards in the Midwest which you will be traveling thru.

If you are running heat every night, the usual precautions with water and pipes in cold weather should keep everything running smoothly until you are in warm weather where freezing isn’t a concern.

Have a great trip.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

And if weather allows, I wouldn’t even go as far south as I10, because of the insane traffic you can run into along there.

Watch the weather, and plan accordingly.

Maggie

[eubank]

Here in the southwest, the problem is that there is a fairly major difference in elevation between I10 and the next Interstate north of there, I40 and, heaven forbid, I70.

Lynn

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

And if weather allows, I wouldn’t even go as far south as I10, because of the insane traffic you can run into along there.

Watch the weather, and plan accordingly.

Maggie

[dvgofaz]

If you should be pulling the AS on I10 through Toosawn I'd recommend staying at either Catalina State park(and stay 2 days if you have time) or a little further north at Picacho Peak which is right off the freeway.
As for hotels here, blah..pick one they're all the same, unless you want a resort like Westward Look.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by eubank

Here in the southwest, the problem is that there is a fairly major difference in elevation between I10 and the next Interstate north of there, I40 and, heaven forbid, I70.

Lynn

I was thinking of Baton Rouge, actually, not so much all the way into Arizona...avoiding elevations should, of course, be a major consideration.

Maggie

[blkmagikca]

Originally Posted by dvgofaz

If you should be pulling the AS on I10 through Toosawn I'd recommend staying at either Catalina State park(and stay 2 days if you have time) or a little further north at Picacho Peak which is right off the freeway.
As for hotels here, blah..pick one they're all the same, unless you want a resort like Westward Look.

If you want to visit and tour the Tucson area, inexpensive camping with full hookups is at the Pima County Fairgrounds - exit I-10 at Houghton Rd. They have all the brochures for the area (Old Tucson movie studio, Titan Missile Museum, the Air Museum, etc.).

If you need any AS service, Oasis RV is a good authorized repair center and AS parts store in Tucson.

[TexAirS]

If you take the I-30 to I-20 to I-10 route, that's Dallas to Midland-Odessa to El Paso. There are many state campgrounds along the route. Balmorhea SP in west TX for example. Along with Guadalupe Mtn NP and Big Bend NP. There are a number of mountain ranges in west Texas (Midland to El Paso) with the desert elevation around 4000 ft. So winter storms can be a problem.

If you take I-40, Palo Duro Canyon SP is nice. Fairly flat geography and a lot farther north than I-10. Probably not the best route unless the weather is just cold and not wet.

We get more ice than snow in February.

John

[Rocinante]

Be aware of the mountains around Albuquerque. Just when you think, “Hey, Albuquerque’s safe, right?” You find a mountain range surprise on I-40.

[blkmagikca]

Also use the trip planner on Weather Underground. It will show the projected weather along the route - temperature, precipitation as well as traffic. It will ask you to input your departure date and time.

[Ray Eklund]

For time and cost... this time of year... leave the Airstream at home.

Scottsdale to Las Vegas can be a safe winter drive on Highway 93 through Boulder City, or Highway 95, further west... also going through Boulder City, Nevada. On the west city limit of Boulder City is Railroad Pass Casino which is having highway work on the south side and may have great room rates to get you to stop. Motels in Boulder City are busy on the Thursday to Sunday peak days. Many going to Hoover Dam and into Las Vegas.

Casinos on the East Side of the Las Vegas Valley off of Boulder Highway are reasonable and close to the Strip to their west. Free Parking, unlike most of the Strip Hotels, in Henderson, Nevada and Casinos along Boulder Highway.

The south route is advisable. Going through Flagstaff, Arizona could be a big problem if you are not watching current weather. This is Mountain and Forest country and snow can put a damper on your travels.

The roads to Las Vegas get lots of traffic and are kept open at all costs. Much like the arteries delivering blood to the Heart (Las Vegas).

Save yourself a couple days, hundreds of dollars in fuel will pay for motel rooms and price Las Vegas/Henderson Casino rooms in advance. Also... if a Billboard quotes a price, they will only give that price to you "IF YOU ASK and mention the billboard".

We have been doing this drive for decades. Find an opening in the weather on a shorter route... go for it. It is all timing. When the sun comes out, the roads will dry off quickly. The chemicals used on the roads will not 'enhance the endurance of your aluminum home'.

If anyone says the southern route is warmer... well, most of the time. You can freeze up your trailer in Tucson in February. North Texas (Amarillo) can wind chill you to.. freeze dried. The Las Vegas Mohave Desert... aaahhhh. Stay as long as you like and enjoy.

[Gene]

Two weeks with a trailer in tow could be a long trip, but it depends on how many miles a day you are accustomed to and weather. Off the top of my head (or perhaps another body part) I think it is about 2,500 miles each way—500 miles per day and that is ten days out of 14 (or maybe 16 if you include another weekend).

You can run into nasty weather either on I-10 or I-40 and you will surely run into lots of traffic. Traffic keeps increasing and little is done to improve the highways. Lots of trucks on all the interstates as there are few major east/west highways across the mountain west. I-40 may be shorter, but does go through some fairly high altitude areas. I would plan on either route and watch the weather carefully. We have had a warm and dry fall so far and so long as high pressure stays over the southwest, it will remain so. Good winter tires are a good idea on both tow vehicle and trailer.

Keeping the water tanks and trailer plumbing warm may be necessary. I would keep the fresh water tank partially full so the water sloshes around and is less likely to freeze. The grey and black tanks could have some RV antifreeze added, though I don't know if that works all that well. I know some people drive with the furnace on. I don't know how safe that is, but stopping every couple of hours and turning it on when you are stopped would probably work well until the temperature drops below 20˚. The lowest temperature we towed at was 18˚ one morning and we quickly got to a warmer place and had no problems.

On the west side of Albuquerque is a one time trading post that is an RV CG—Enchanted Trails. It is just past Camping World and 5-10 miles west of the I-25 and I-40 junction. It is on the north side and you'll have to look up the name. Nice place and they have some older trailers (an Airstream included) available for overnight rentals. In Vegas there is a CG next to Circus Circus just off the Strip. Decent parking lot style parking. There are other CG's south of the busy area as well. Check before you leave to see what is open. A lot of CG's close over the winter in the west.

Santa Fe is one hour north of Albuquerque and in the winter is a quiet place to visit with good prices at some lodging. We prefer Trailer Ranch in Santa Fe. It is 55 and older.

If you like snow and big mountains, I-70 can be quite an adventure across Colorado. US 50 is another fun route—we travel US 50 across the state many times to visit family and Monarch Pass is interesting in winter.

If you have medical marijuana (or any other kind), stay north of I-10. The Border Patrol stops vehicles in west Texas and you will be in a lot of trouble with them and the local town which will fine you lots of money. Also watch for Border Patrol on I-25 on the northbound lanes near White Sands, NM.

We have traveled with a trailer as late as the first part of December from 7,000' in Colorado to southwest Colorado and then across northern Arizona (I-40) and to the Mojave desert. It was really cold some of the time, but no snow. But, another year may have been a disaster. It is, so far, a La Niña year and the southwest usually stays dry and warm. Things can change fast, of course. I would travel in midwinter but summerizing and winterizing a trailer is pain plus worrying about snow at our house and driveway. Plenty else to do for winter anyway.

Gene