Visit our Popular Forums

pilgrim · 05-02-2010, 10:49 AM

We have never visited Arizona or New Mexico but are looking forward to doing so - maybe as early as next winter. I've looked and searched for information on staying at a campground for an extended period but have been unable to find anything - can you help us out?

We're thinking of staying for an extended period - we don't care for the number of amenities but we do like NICE. We enjoy visiting museums and places of historical significance Do you know of a VERY NICE campground in Arizona or New Mexico that would be of interest to us? We are looking to KEEP AWAY FROM WINTER weather so higher elevations are out of the
mix for consideration.

Florida has never been of interest to us but perhaps we've been unfair in thinking about it. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for
giving it some thought.

Bluto · 05-02-2010, 05:44 PM

If you have never seen an (IBM) missile silo and control room, there is one you can tour near Tucson. I haven't been there in years, but I think it is still a place you can tour.

Gene · 05-02-2010, 07:16 PM

Many of the state CG's in Arizona have been closed along with most of the rest stops. If you find some state CG's there that sound interesting, check to see if they are still open.

NM has some nice CG's at more reasonable prices than many other states. They have annual passes that can save you a lot of money if you stay a long time. We spent a couple of days at Heron Lake SP last year and it was very nice. It's in north central NM.

Gene

snake · 05-02-2010, 08:17 PM

Just what amenities or features are you looking for in a "VERY NICE" campground? Are you looking to stay at one location for your entire stay? Almost all of the non-commercial campsites have length of stay restrictions, usually 14 days.

If you are looking for lower elevations then Arizona is your best bet. Much within the Phoenix - Tucson - Yuma triangle ranges from 2400' to close to sea level, while the lowest point in the State New Mexico is over 2800'

While many of the State Parks and rest stops in Arizona have or will soon close, the National Park Service, Forest Service, and BLM campgrounds are not affected by the Arizona Legislature's folly. New Mexico has not closed any State Parks or rest areas.

Good luck on planning your visit to the Southwest!

TBRich · 05-02-2010, 10:39 PM

Pilgrim... If you can give us a better more sense of what kind of situation you are looking for we might be able to help. There are lots of RV parks in SoAZ, and the Tucson and Phx areas... Are you looking for a private RV park or a pubic campground? The latter will be harder to set up on an extended stay basis, especially in the winter... but you wish to move around every couple of weeks ... that is not a bad plan either ... you'd see more! On the other hand there are many places that you could use as a home base and make shorter day trips from... Will be happy to help if we can... Good luck! Our winters are great!

Harry W · 05-02-2010, 11:22 PM

"Are you looking for a private RV park or a pubic campground?"

What kind of campground is THIS???

Lumatic · 05-03-2010, 03:25 AM

If you are a "snowbird" then look in southern NM and AZ. Check out the Escapees park in Deming NM and also around Tucson and Phoenix

pilgrim · 05-03-2010, 05:11 PM

Again, having NEVER been to that part of the country, we don't know exactly what we'll do when we do get there. We THINK we'd like to find a commercial campground, rent for the period of time we'll stay and branch out from there. If we stay in the Phoenix area, we can go north, east, south and west exploring the state for as long as we wish. We don't know if we'll stay for two weeks on our first trip - finding places and learning something about the area - or plan to stay for three months assuming all will go well (i.e...we'll like it and have a great time). By selecting a commercial cg, we'll not have to worry about the time element or the closings.

Since there are so many questions that we have, I can understand your reluctance to offer many suggestions. We're very open at this point - we don't exactly know what we'll be doing - but we would like to escape the Ohio winter weather!

Thanks for your offered opinions to date.

TBRich · 05-03-2010, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry W

"Are you looking for a private RV park or a pubic campground?"

What kind of campground is THIS???

Hey Harry...you should be my proofreader! When we see you again remind me to tell you a story about this very typo.

TBRich · 05-03-2010, 10:06 PM

Pilgrim...

One thing you can do is consult Trailer Life (a Good Sam publication) at RV Camping, RV Parks, RV Campgrounds & Travel Guides - Trailer Life Directory and Woodall's Directory at RV Campgrounds, RV Camping, RV Rentals, RV Parks, RV Resorts - Woodalls. There are other internet resources, too...just do a Google search for "RV parks"...

Major directories have a rating system that may or may not be useful to you, but they are good places to start a search. They will give you the broad strokes of what's available anywhere you want to look. From there you can branch out looking at web sites for various RV parks you find and cull through the hordes of places you will find. You will find the whole gamut...parks that are more like trailer parks and parks that are more like high-end resorts.

Of course, Arizona is a huge winter visitor destination so there are a lot of commercial RV parks to choose from in the Metro Phoenix area... particularly in the Mesa and Apache Junction areas on the east side of Metro Phx ... more in the Tucson area ... and in smaller communities like Casa Grande (between Phx and Tucson off I-10). Southern Arizona (besides Tucson) is packed with RV Parks, even smaller towns like Benson on I-10. Each has their own set of amenities, so you should be able to find something that appeals to you.

Once you've narrowed the field I'll bet if you ask here about specific parks you'll get some feedback.

Good luck with your research ... and now that you've said you wish to stay in a commercial setting, perhaps those who have actually stayed in RV parks in AZ will chime in.

pilgrim · 05-04-2010, 08:43 AM

I have ALL the books and I've read all of them - searching for a place. One has to learn how to read between the lines to make decisions from the Guides - I was hoping someone with knowledge of the cg's could give me some pointers on better ones. Again, we've NEVER been there so it's all very new to us - I was hoping to get some direction from those that know. I've read until my fingers are black from turning the pages and my eyes are glossed over. Now, I'm looking for local knowledge. Thanks to any and all with suggestions.

eubank · 05-04-2010, 08:47 AM

You might want to check the site below as well.

http://www.campgroundreviews.com

These are user reviews of various camping locations. As such, you also have to learn to read them, for while most are valuable, some are complaints that don't have much merit.

Lynn

Gene · 05-04-2010, 09:58 AM

In the Phoenix area (and probably other places in southern Arizona) you will find "snowbird" campgrounds. They are senior citizens' centers with RV's. You may or may not like the culture at these CG's. I'm not sure how to tell you how to identify these other than that most of them are very large and have lots of activities. We couldn't find anything else when we stopped in Phoenix a couple of years ago. I may be old, but I guess a senior citizen's center is not for me.

Gene

Phoenix · 05-04-2010, 01:34 PM

We often stay at Beaudry's RV Resort in Tucson, which is right off of I-10. It's in an older part of town, but has excellent security and is very clean and modern. Also, it has two swimming pools, with gas BBQs; and some sites have spas. There is also an award winning RV resort about 1/4 mile away, if Beaudry's doesn't suit you; however, I don't recall its name, and we haven't stayed there. Also, a plus, Oasis RV, an Airstream repair facility (used to be a dealer) is nearby; and Beaudry's has a Camping World and RV dealer/repair center on-site. We have seen large motorhomes being serviced and windshields being replace at the owners camp site.

We don't camp in Phoenix, being residents there, but the other poster is correct. Most RV resorts are for sunbirds (winter visitors, mostly retired). If you like to square dance and play bingo, this might be the place for you; but we prefer getting away from the city.

There are lots of good National Forest and state campgrounds farther north, with many in Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, Payson (and other White Mountain communities). The camping guides will give you ideas on which might fit your needs. Prescott, Sedona and Payson (and the White Mountains) have a lot of small town attractions, including a town square/court house grounds, craft fairs, etc.; and Flagstaff has soutwestern culture and museums.

If you decide to stay in Phoenix, there are lots of cultural activities, including professional football, basketball, hockey, baseball, the Phoenix Symphony, the Heard Museum (Indian culture), Phoenix Science Museum, the zoo, botanical gardens, the Dodge Theater (concerts), the Herberger Theater, NASCAR and drag racing, and on and on. Lots to do.

Please, note that most of the RV campgrounds are on the east side in Mesa and Apache Junction. If you decide to stay near downtown or in other areas, please be aware that many of those are in really old, bad parts of town and I would be hesitant to recommend any of these. Far east and far north sides, near the newer parts of town would probably be best. Not sure but there may be some commercial campgrounds on the far west side, too. However, in general avoid the south side or downtown areas.

Mike Leary · 05-04-2010, 03:11 PM

If you want to be close to the Phoenix area, the KOA in Apache Junction is well-run, clean and quiet. Camping and Campgrounds - KOA Kampgrounds of America, Inc.

We winter further SW in Ajo. Another nice park.
Shadow Ridge RV Resort

kingfisher24 · 05-04-2010, 03:52 PM

we are headed to southeastern, Ohio...Belmont county where our friend has a 5000 acre Texas Longhorn cattle operation....possibly we can meet up and camp somewhere in Ohio.....will be there mid may until early June...then touring Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and working our way back to New Mexico for the balloon fest on Oct 1st...then to Central Texas for a while and then head west and winter in New Mexico, Arizona and California.....we belong to Passport America and Coast to Coast plus use all the various web resources to find places to camp.....sold house March 31st and are wandering the country searching for potential places to settle...

currently on a tour of the Ark and Mo ozarks and are finding beautiful places.....

Just one day at a time........