Florida to Arizona

[Excella1991]

We are traveling West from Dade City FL, Travelers Rest, destination Cave Creek AZ. Our only planned stop is visiting family in Houston. Looking for "must see" suggestions along the way, routes and state parks and campgrounds.

[OTRA15]

Assuming you are leaving soon, and thus will be in Winter conditions, I recommend being prepared to winterize your trailer on the road, as you may hit bad weather along the way. Years ago we were heading west on I-10 in December, and hit a bad blizzard in Abilene Texas, which required a hasty (and incomplete it turned out) winterization at a gas station. The Viarr 450 12-volt compressor will be on our next such trip.

In terms of sights to see, Carlsbad Caverns is amazing. We camped at a KOA in Van Horn TX, and made a day trip north to see them. Well worth it. [Edit -- Whoops, looks like Texas Rt. 54 is closed going north.]

If you are not leaving soon, when are you going? A Spring or Summer trip would involve different considerations.

Happy Trails!

Peter

[mimiandrews]

Texas Hill Country. Lots of great state parks (check the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. website). Inks Lake is my favorite.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by mimiandrews

Texas Hill Country. Lots of great state parks (check the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. website). Inks Lake is my favorite.

Are these open year-round?

[mojo]

All depends upon how much time you want to spend driving. I-10 is the obvious quickest route but hopping off on secondary roads can help break-up the monotony.

My two favorite stops are in big cities. New Orleans French Quarter and San Antonio Riverwalk & Alamo. French creole and Tex-Mex...yum!

[Cyclist]

We drove across this route two years ago in late January - no problems with weather. If possible, stop along the Florida panhandle as there are spectacular beaches and lovely parks. St. Georges Island comes to mind as well as Fort Pickens in Pensacola.

We have twice stayed at Palmetto State Park in Texas, about an hour east of San Antonio and a few miles south of I-10. It's a small campground in a lovely park with about 18 sites for RV's (the campground hasn't been full either time - our first time there was in late March).

Balmorea State Park is unique for it's enormous swimming pool fed by the San Solomon Springs which remains at a relatively constant temperature in the low 70's year round. This park is near the western end of I-10 in Texas.