We are planning a trip to Colorado and Utah in September. We plan to visit the following places:
Great Sand Dunes
Mesa Verde
Durango
Canyonlands
Arches National Park
Bryce
Zion
Can anyone recommend good campgrounds in these areas? Any advice for this trip will be appreciated since this will be our first long distance trip with the TT. We are planning to take the whole month of September.
Thanks,
Coco
Post moved from TT Forum to Campgrounds, Resorts, and Attractions Forum
Moderator - TT forum
* This post was
edited 06/30/08 07:12am by an administrator/moderator *
Nancy and Mark
2005 Sunnybrook Solanta 2726
F250 Super Duty Powerstroke Diesel
You could sign up with Adventure Caravans and spend the month of September doing the Grand Circle Tour of the Western Parks which includes those you mentioned with the added convenience of having someone else do all the planning including finding campgrounds. It costs money but takes the load off the vacation planner. Go to their website to see their itinerary; www.adventurecaravans.com
Dick_B
2003 SunnyBrook 27FKS
2003 3/4 T Chevrolet Suburban
Equal-i-zer Hitch
One wife, two bikes (both Electric Schwinn's with motor assist)
Go to rvparkreviews.com, check out the respective areas, and you'll probably get the same opinions that you'll get here and in a much shorter time. Then you can come back here and ask for specifics. Just an idea.
At Zion NP, we stayed in the NP at the Watchman CG. Part of the CG has electricity only, so you'll need to fill up your water tank as you enter he park. You'll need reservations, but the view from the campgroud is fantastic, and you are walking distance to the main park HQ where you pick up the park tram. If you'd rather have all the hookups, try rvparkreviews and get as close to the park gate as possible--parking is limited in Springdale. The free park tram runs in town, as I remember.
At Bryce, Ruby's Inn CG has any hookup you'd want and a park bus stop out front. It's touristy, but convenient to the NP and fun in its kitschy way. Th outdoor jacuzzi in the cool air after a day of hiking is nice. We opted not to stay in the Bryce NP campground because it was July, and it had no hookups. BTW a nice side trip between Zion and Bryce is Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Sounds like a great trip--you're visiting some of our favorite national parks after the crowds thin out!
* This post was
edited 06/30/08 03:08pm by Major Dad *
2008 Rockwood 8272s
2004 Nissan Armada 4X4
Equalizer Hitch
We just got back from a trip in that area. The Mesa Verde campsites with hook-ups are just fine, and much closer to the cliff-dwellings than anything else, so that's a no-brainer.
In Durango, we stayed at the Alpen Rose RV Park and it gets high marks. United RV looked nice, and was right on the DSNG rail track, if you want to watch the trains go by. On balance, I'd go to Alpen Rose again when we go back.
I spent a week at Spanish Trails campground in Moab, Utah and did Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, and Dead Horse Point State Park. It is a few miles south of Moab, nothing fancy, but with full hook-ups and convenient for me since I was coming from the south. I was able to avoid driving through Moab with all of the street construction that was going on the summer I was there. They do have a web site. There were several other very nice campgrounds near the Colorado River on the northern side of Moab. You can probably find information about them by doing a search on the Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions forum.
I actually like to make Lake Powell in Page, Arizona home base and take day trips to Zion, Bryce, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelley, Antelope Canyon, and Monument Valley. It is a beautiful 2 hour drive to each from Page, in different directions, of course. Wahweap Campground in Glenn Canyon Recreation Area has full hook-ups and a beautiful view of Lake Powell. For a real treat take the "less traveled" Cottonwood Road from Page to Bryce. I much prefer finding a beautiful spot and doing a bit of driving rather than hitching up and moving every few days.
* This post was
edited 06/29/08 07:48pm by MotherOwl *
We did some of that tour last summer, from Atlanta. (Mesa Verde, Durango, Four Corners, SE Utah.)
We stayed at A&A Mesa Verde Campground, just outside the gates. It's a looong slow drive into the park. If you're going to be going in and out while you're there, you may not want to stay at the campground inside.
In Utah, I wanted to be close to Blanding (lived there when I was 4 years old) but at little to the north, so we stayed in Monticello at Roughlock. It's somewhat primitive (tho' with full hookups) but we prefer that. Even if you don't stay there, drop in to the "Saloon" for an excellent steak dinner.
coco1xx wrote: We are planning a trip to Colorado and Utah in September. We plan to visit the following places:
Great Sand Dunes
Mesa Verde (Mesa Verde RV Resort)
Durango (Mesa Verde RV Resort)
Canyonlands (Portal RV Park)
Arches National Park (Portal RV Park)
Bryce
Zion
Can anyone recommend good campgrounds in these areas? Any advice for this trip will be appreciated since this will be our first long distance trip with the TT. We are planning to take the whole month of September.
Thanks,
Coco
Post moved from TT Forum to Campgrounds, Resorts, and Attractions Forum
Moderator - TT forum
The above are where I recommend staying. Ruby's at Zion isn't too bad for a short visit. I can't help you with Bryce or the Sand Dunes.
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