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Blueboat
Arizona, Mesa
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Joined: 07/22/2008
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Need a trail to Adventure.
Ok have February 19 through February 25 off for vacation (7 Days away from work).
We live in Mesa/ Phoenix Arizona area. Truck, camper and occupants willing to travel just don’t know where. I ask Mr. Whazoo for his scoop on his trip, the kind feller gave me a complete itinerary in greatest of detail for his most wonderful trip to Utah.
Thank you Sir for your help and time.
So where would you TC’R’s go?
If I handed you the keys to a truck, camper, full tank of gas, camper loaded, 7 days for adventure and a VISA card.
Thanks Nora and Mike humble travelers.
2009 Dodge Cummins 3500 LB 4X4 SRW
2010 811 Arctic Fox.
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
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Joined: 04/07/2003
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There is a party in New Orleans... no snow if you are lucky?
2003 Lance 1161,/slideout/AGM batteries/255W Solar/propane generator/Sat dish/2 Fantastic Fans/AC/winter pkg
AirFoil, Trimetric, LED lights, Platcat vent heat
2003GMC K3500 LT/Crewcab/duramax diesel/allison/dually/4x4/OnStar/front reciever mounted spare
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J&L Rivera
Petaluma, CA.
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Joined: 11/28/2007
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I'd head for the woods...
Lake Front Property
2007 Itasca Spirit 31C
2008 Crestliner 1800 Super Hawk
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Tope Gigo
Manzanillo, Mx
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Joined: 02/04/2010
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Head down to San Carlos Mexico. You don't need a vehicle permit to go that far.
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Blueboat
Arizona, Mesa
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Joined: 07/22/2008
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“There is a party in New Orleans... no snow if you are lucky?” good one sleepy, don’t think the wife would be up for it and my VISA card is not that stretchy, Ha Ha
J&L Rivera The woods is one of our favorite places that is an option.
Mike
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
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Joined: 04/07/2003
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Blueboat wrote:“There is a party in New Orleans... no snow if you are lucky?” good one sleepy, don’t think the wife would be up for it and my VISA card is not that stretchy, Ha Ha
J&L Rivera The woods is one of our favorite places that is an option.
Mike
You won't need the VISA card in the woods...
By choice we'd come to your area. Eat at Waldo's on Main street in Mesa first thing... our favorite BBQ in North America.
We have enjoyed AZ totally.
Sleepy
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DesertHawk
Las Cruces, New Mexico
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Joined: 06/06/2009
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![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/cool.gif "cool") One possibility: I-10 to Wilcox, then to Chiricahua Nat'l Monument. You have several places to go using it as a base camp or using another site as a base, then go to see it. Willcox free place to overnight Stout's Cider Mill & AZ Vistor Center in case you need a place.
Chiricahua National Monument by Wilcox is great, been there will go back. Chiricahua NPS but if rigs are too long for the Nat'l Mon Campground in the Coronado National Forest above it you can desperse camp for free.
Close by Chiricahua Nat'l Mon there is the neat ruins of a fort, some hiking to get to it. Fort Bowie National Historic Site is worth the 3 mile round-trip walk for the best experience of Fort Bowie National Historic Site. If you physically can not walk the trail, please contact the visitor center staff at 520-847-2500 for directions to the alternate access. Fort
You can use the campground at Chiricahua as a base to visit Bisbee area.
In the Bisbee/Tombstone Area, the town of Bisbee itself is neat to walk around in and we enjoyed the art galleries. The Queen Mine Tour was neat, we enjoyed it. Tombstone is a very tourist trap site, if you get my meaning. The old Court House was interesting. Tombstone was the site of a lot of wild west history, but is now very commercial. Neat Tour - Queen Mine
You could use Kartchner Caverns State Park - as base to see both Bisbee & Tombstone in a day trip. When we went to the area last, we stayed in a hotel off I-10 in Benson and did both as a day trip, then drove back to Las Cruces. It was my son-in-laws first time to see them.
Near Wilcox is The Amerind Foundation ( Amerind Art Gallery is Neat ) a ethnological, anthropological, archaeological museum and art gallery with paintings by 20th century Anglo and Native American artists. We enjoyed the art gallery and the museum. A neat out of the way, hidden site in the boulders of Texas Canyon. The Amerind is located in Cochise County, one mile south of Interstate 10, only about an hour east of Tucson, between Benson and Willcox. It is easy to find - just look for Dragoon Road exit, #318, and head south until you see mile marker 1 on one side of the road and the Amerind entrance on the other. Amerind.Org Cochise Strong Hold is in the same area, drove to it but did not camp, a nice setting. Cochise Stronghold
Second possibility: I-10 to Tucson area. Pick a site for a base camp and explore the area.
Tucson Mountain Park and Gilbert Ray Campground Camping and Catalina State Park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. StatePark
Snider Hill - Free Boondocking and Free Campsites
The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is really great (a zoo mainly without bars mostly) is over on the west side of Tucson by the Saguaro Nat'l Park and Old Tucson (the movie set/theme park). The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is a must see for sure. DesertMuseum
OldTucson
Saguaro National Park near Tucson is great to see. Two sections seperated by Tucson. East and West. Nat'l Park
East Side one can camp at Colossal Cave.
These are some things I'd like to see DeGrazia Gallery & Tucson Museum of Art & Tucson Botanical Gardens & Sabino Canyon & Pima Canyon at End of Magee Road in Oro Valley; Pima Canyon rivals Sabino Canyon in grandeur, and it just never gets as crowded. From the parking lot at the end of Magee Road, the trail takes you into a pristine high-desert canyon that seems to be hundreds of miles from any urban area. You're likely to see most of the birds common to the Sonoran Desert such as cardinals, rock wrens and band verdins, but the real treat for any hiker is to watch the silhouette of a golden eagle soaring above the cliffs; if you're really lucky, you might even spot some Bighorn Sheep high on the rocks above you. You can turn around anytime, or decide to continue the strenuous hike all the way up to Mt. Lemmon. Also Colossal Cave.
And other Things to Do in Tucson. And Places to Eat Tucson & Bisbee - Etc.
In the Bisbee/Tombstone Area, the town of Bisbee itself is neat to walk around in and we enjoyed the art galleries. The Queen Mine Tour was neat, we enjoyed it. Tombstone is a very tourist trap site, if you get my meaning. The old Court House was interesting. Tombstone was the site of a lot of wild west history, but is now very commercial. Neat Tour - Queen Mine
You could use Kartchner Caverns State Park - as base to see both Bisbee & Tombstone in a day trip. When we went to the area last, we stayed in a hotel off I-10 in Benson and did both as a day trip, then drove back to Las Cruces. It was my son-in-laws first time to see them.
Third possibility: I-10 to Deming, NM; take US 180, a neat drive with a neat state park is off of it City of Rocks. Back to 180, on to Silver City to Glenwood; there is the Catwalk as well as a short side trip to Mogollon or to Elfego Baca's Reserve and lots of things to see & do in or near Silver City which also has a Billy the Kid Connection.
When by Silver City, a side trip into the Gila Nat'l Forest is a real plus; to Lake Roberts, Gila Hot Springs GeoHeat * HotSprings, and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a beautiful and sensuous journey through towering pines, gentle forests, and wonderful glades. Gila Nat'l Forest
Geronimo Trail
Lake Roberts, NM—CAMPGROUND FEES TO INCREASE DUE TO UPGRADES Beginning March 1, 2007, campground fees at the Upper End Campground and Mesa Campground at the Lake Roberts Recreation Area are being proposed to increase due to recent upgrades. The upgrades include new picnic tables, grills, and fire rings. In addition, 12 units received water and power hookups with two of those sites upgraded with improvements for people with disabilities which include a sidewalk from the site unit to the restrooms. The Upper End Campground also recently received upgrades to many site pads that will eliminate issues during heavy rain. Both campgrounds also have a full-time campground host on site. Fees at Upper End Campground are proposed to increase from $7 to $10 a site per night. Fees at Mesa Campground are proposed to increase from $7 to $10 a site per night for most sites and $15 per night for sites with both water and electric hookups. A $3 charge for each additional vehicle is also proposed for all sites. Both the Upper End and Mesa Campgrounds are open to camping year-round on a “first come first serve basis” with a self-pay fee station available at each campground. Wilderness Ranger District Office in Mimbres - (575) 536-2250
Gila Wilderness and Camping
There are some nice boondocking/dispersed sites by two of the forks of the Gila River (after desending down into the Gila canyon with a nice bridge over the River) a few miles before you get to Dr. Campbell's store at Gila Hot Springs. There is a road down to the river by the bridge to the East Fork of the Gila with trees and shaded sites. After crossing the bridge, there is a mesa-like area with another road down to the Middle/West Fork joined Gila River with dispersed sites by the river, large cottonwoods, etc. These were very nice places to camp (I have not been there in years). It is a fairly long drive back into this area from Lake Roberts. Some very steep roads to desend and climb out of, but paved. It is up into the Wilderness area, just off the road. There was camping near the Gila Cliff Dwellings, mainly just a parking lot & tables. To camp by the Gila River, one must desend from the paved road down steepish hills, but there is some dispersed sites on the upper "mesa" above the River. This is near the site of two forks of the Gila meeting/joining to form the Gila River. There are 3 forks, the MIDDLE FORK AND the WEST FORK join closer to the Cliff Dwellings, near the vistor center. It seems the stream becomes the Gila River when they join up. At the Bridge where the camping sites are near the EAST FORK joins up. There are hot springs up the Middle/East Fork Gila just off the river, but if you walk up to them, DO NOT get the water up the noise. There can be deadly amoebae in them (a killer water-borne amoeba known as naegleria fowleria). Video
Gila CliffDwellings
More Gila
Camping
FAQs
Over by the Lake Roberts area, there is a forest road which skirts or borders both the Gila Wilderness and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness with many despersed sites along the road. Take North Star Road off NM 35 which will later turn into NM 61 with leads to Wall Lake and Beaverhead area and a paved hwy NM 59 which leads one to the Winston and Chloride Area with many more despersed sites. Or angle to the west and one can go to Snow Lake & Willow Creek area and over to Mogollon and to Glenwood.
Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway or NM Rte. 152 - Into Silver City is a neat drive, with a nice viewing area into an open pit copper mine. Road to Emory Pass with great vistias at the top. On the east side of Emory Pass there is Kingston; a neat ghost town, but one which still has people living in it and building new homes as well. Hillsboro is just down the mountain from Kingston as well. It is one of New Mexico's Ghost Towns with people still living there. But Lake Valley is not too far from and south of Hillsboro and it has almost no one living there anymore. On the western side of Emory Pass down at the "bottom" of the decent is a neat distinctive ridge with a very western descriptive metaphor of a name, the Devil's Backbone. A few campgrounds and areas to hike down in the "valley" along with a stream. Such as Lower Gallinas Campground, Upper Gallinas Campground, Wright's Cabin Campground and Iron Creek Campground which is in the middle of this recreational corridor spanning from the Mimbres Valley to Hillsboro, along NM Hwy 152 a great drive, very scenic.
OF COURSE, MANY OF THESE PLACES IN NEW MEXICO IN MID-FEBRUARY MANY NOT BE IDEAL PLACES TO VISIT DUE TO COLD WEATHER. CHECK WEATHER IN THE AREAS BEFORE GOING, AND ROAD CONDITIONS. MAY HAVE SNOW OR TOO WET.
Fourth possibility: I-10 to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument by Ajo off of I-8 has camping and is out in the outback for sure. Never been there. OrganPipe Also in the area Why BLM Free Boondocking *** AZ BLM web page.
Other possibilities in Arizona:
This might be a nice area, but I have never been there. Patagonia Lake State Park access is from State Route 82 between Patagonia and Nogales.
Ramsey Canyon Preserve is located within the Upper San Pedro River Basin in southeastern Arizona, but again this is one on my to do list. Camping & More Camping
List of other places in the area.
Such as Carr Canyon Road is 7 miles south of the Fry Blvd./Hwy 92 intersection on the east side of Sierra Vista; it is 2.3 miles from Hwy 92 to the Carr House, 8.5 miles to the campgrounds. Ordinary passenger cars can negotiate the upper stretches of Carr Canyon Road, but high clearance is helpful. Warning: Large RVs and vehicles pulling trailers may not be able to negotiate the tight curves on this narrow mountain road! However, the campgrounds and upper part of the road are usually closed in winter due to heavy snow and ice in the higher elevations.
Many years ago, we went to Page stayed at the Nat'l Parks Campground not far from the Dam. It was extremely hot. We did ok in the day, went swimming in the lake to cool off, went for a tour of the dam, very cool, very neat. Not sure if is still happening after 911 or not. But it did not cool off at night. No electric to run the A/C, we drove around Page some to run the A/C in the pickup. We packed up early the next morning, heading for high country. North side of Grand Canyon. Cool there. We stopped at Monument Valley going to Page, very nice. Stayed at the Park Service at the time I believe campground. No electric but it cooled off at night as we were used to. I believe the campground at Monument Valley is still there were we stayed but not Nat'l Park now days. Monument Valley
Mitten View Campground is still there.
Campground
Also Canyon de Chelly by Chinle is great with a free campground and showers. Been there want to go again. Nat'l Park
Navajo National Monument is located at the end of State Highway 564 off of US Highway 160. We have not been to this one, but sounds very interesting. Two campgrounds, one open all year, somewhat isolated but no fees are charged. NPS Site - Visit
Navajo
Navajo Nat'l Mon is on the way to Mon't Valley, 50 miles.
THESE LAST 3 SITES ARE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE, USE DUE CAUTION AS TO SNOW AND COLD.
* This post was
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">DesertHawk- Las Cruces, NM USA
*2015 Lance 1985~Casita de Campo~23' 4" Tongue to Bumper, Dinette Slide
160 watt Solar Panel/GoPower! Solar Controller
*2009 White Ford F-150 Reg. Cab
Long Bed with A.R.E. Molded Fiberglass Topper
*Previously~ 2005 16' Scamp
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Blueboat
Arizona, Mesa
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Joined: 07/22/2008
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Sleepy, there is also a great BQ place in Gilbert Joes real barbecue http://www.joesrealbbq.com/ It is about 5 or 6 miles south of the one in Mesa on Gilbert road in the center of old town Gilbert in a very large building that looks like a old red barn right on main street Gilbert. They smoke on site using pecan wood. They have a Jumbo Baked Potato that is a whole meal with butter, sour cream, chives and stuffed with a chopped BQ. It is a whole meal. Check out their menu on their web page.
DesertHawk,
You got it going on, as my DW would say you got the move.
Right in my own back yard.
I am an Arizona native lived here for 56 years and in that one post of yours you listed more than I have been to. The wife has wanted to go to Kartchner and so have I that would be a great adventure. Chiricahua is some thing we would like to see also. Great stuff DesertHawk. I will print the page and check it all out.
Mike
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BlueStilly
Stanwood, Washington
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Joined: 09/06/2006
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Blueboat wrote:Need a trail to Adventure.
Ok have February 19 through February 25 off for vacation (7 Days away from work).
We live in Mesa/ Phoenix Arizona area. Truck, camper and occupants willing to travel just don’t know where. I ask Mr. Whazoo for his scoop on his trip, the kind feller gave me a complete itinerary in greatest of detail for his most wonderful trip to Utah.
Thank you Sir for your help and time.
So where would you TC’R’s go?
If I handed you the keys to a truck, camper, full tank of gas, camper loaded, 7 days for adventure and a VISA card.
Thanks Nora and Mike humble travelers.
If it was me I'd drive to the nearest airport, park the rig and catch a flight to Costa Rica for 5 to 6 days. Lay in the sun on the beach, swim, have a massage or two and enjoy a bit of the nightlife. Whats your available balance on the card ![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/biggrin.gif "biggrin") .....
Honestly, if it was me, I'd find someplace within a day or two drive. Set up camp, hunker down, kick back and relax. No routine. A week goes real quick. Have fun.........
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Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli
Seattle
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Joined: 04/04/2008
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DesertHawk, that's a fountian of info. Nice reply.
I'm kind of with BlueStilly on this.
This time of the year, it's cold and snowed in at a lot of places isn't it? I will say I do like to head to the coast and storm watch in the winter around here. If you don't mind the elements, head for the hills and come what may.
The other option I'd say is to go to MAUI. Stay in Lahaina, get a rental car and cruise the island. Go early down the road to Hana and drive down every side road you come across. Visit every tourist trap and visit every scenic spot. Visit Charles Lindberg's unmarked grave in Hana. Hike and even swim at the 7 sacred pools just passed Hana. Bring two or three meals and drinks plus whatever else you need like medications if you do this as it takes a very full day to complete. Next day, Drive to the top of the volcano and hike around. We did this late in the day to watch the stars. This was more breathtaking than we had anticipated. There is no good way to explain a sunset from the vantage point nor the view down the volcano to the island and cities below. You simply need to experience it once in your life. Day three, take a drive around the west portion of the island. Day four, explore the interior of the island. Attend a luau. This time of the year, do some whale watching. Take a day to spend on the beach. Go snorkling.
Those are my choices.
I wish I had your decision to make but noooooo, Some of us have to work.
Jeff
Camper Jeff and Kelli's Blog!
CITAP1 Jeff's YouTube Channel
A CLOSED MOUTH GATHERS NO FEET!
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