National Parks with FHU's and that can take 40 foot MH's with Toad

[Chi-Travels]

Hi Everyone ~~  We are just starting out as full timers and are looking forward to the many RV parks and hikes and sights and opportunities to learn and experience -- about people, life, nature around the USA and Canada.  When possible, we'd like to visit and explore as many national parks as possible, and would like information on which of the national parks can accommodate 40 foot motor homes and a tow vehicle and also offer full hook ups.  In addition, recommendations of good RV parks very close to national parks not being able to accommodate large rigs would be helpful too.  All ideas and suggestions will be very appreciated !!

 

[vmax1]

stay from Zion park, they will charge you an extra $40  just to drive the RV through the park, I was at Organ Pipe Cactus Nat Park in Az last week, has a campground with awesome views, and lots of hiking too.

 

[Wigpro]

Very few National Parks offer full hook-ups and have sites large enough for a big rig....there are exceptions.

Near Zion I always stay at a beautiful Park - called Zion River Resort - beautiful and very big rig friendly - in Moab I stay at the Portal again big rig friendly and both have great hook-ups. There are also several outside of Glacier National Park most National Parks have several RV Parks within easy driving distance....

Good Luck,

Jim

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You don't have to stay IN a National Park campground to visit the park, and many people do not. The usual reason is the greater amenities in private campgrounds, often near by. Yellowstone is a prime example - there are excellent private parks near the major entrance gates that can accommodate large rigs and provide full hook-ups and other amenities. Zion. Mt Rushmore, Acadia, and Bryce are similar (to name just a few).

If you stay in a park campground at Zion, there is no additional fee to drive your RV into the campground. There are, however, fees for transiting the park or using the Mt Zion tunnel in an oversize vehicle (asn escort is required and a fee is charged).

 

[docj]

We've stayed at full-hookup sites in Grand Teton NP, Grand Canyon NP and Death Valley NP.  In all three these campgrounds were run by the park's concessionaire but are, most definitely, inside the national park; the sites are reserved through the concessionaire (which I think is Xanterra in these cases.)  The Yellowstone Fishing Bridge RV park also has full hookups but we haven't stayed there.  We have a 40' Class A and the sites at all the places we stayed at were fine for us.

 

[ArdraF]

Ruby's Inn and Campground abuts Bryce Canyon N.P. at the entrance.  It's almost like being in the park.

I just Googled "national park campgrounds with hookups" and all the above-mentioned campgrounds came up.  Another way is to get a copy of the Good Sam Campground Directory which has entries for thousands of public and private campgrounds in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  The entries provide length limitations, length of sites, etc.  The length limitations often have nothing to do with the site length but with the interior roads to get to the site.  Roads can be twisting and narrow with trees right to the pavement edge and overhanging branches.  Some of our older national park roads were built long before RVs so understandably are limited in space.

ArdraF

 

[docj]

Roads can be twisting and narrow with trees right to the pavement edge and overhanging branches. 

I can assure you that you won't find too many trees blocking your path in Death Valley NP!  ;D

 

[ArdraF]

That's true!  We were just there last week.  But we had one of their rare RAINS!

I was thinking of some other places we've been in when I said that.  There was a county park in Wisconsin that was a real bear to maneuver within.  The site was great but the road to it was awful.  And then there was a provincial park in Canada that was so difficult to maneuver in that we left.  We really didn't want to deal with getting into the site in the rain!  They refunded our money.  Even U.S. 101 through the Avenue of the Giants in California has some places where the big redwood tree is right at the pavement.  In fact, we were told there's talk of closing Richardson State Park.  As the main north-south highway the trucking industry wants to widen the road and the environmentalists don't want any trees cut down so it seems there's an impasse.  [And please don't turn this factual comment into a political discussion!]  Meanwhile the road is very narrow through Richardson S.P.  There are a lot of places where narrow roads weren't meant for large vehicles and we just accept that it comes with the territory.

ArdraF

 

[Flyboy]

A 40 ft MH usually has all the equipment necessary to stay somewhere that doesn't have full hook ups.  It's a personal preference with me, but if I have on board water and at least 30A power then I'm happy to be somewhere that includes a bit of solitude and the hiking and sites that you mentioned.

The NPS has close to 60 National Parks. Then add the national monuments and you're up to around 400 locations. Here are some sites that will aid you in your future searches. 
http://www.reserveamerica.com/    http://www.recreation.gov/    http://www.rvparkreviews.com/      http://www.forestcamping.com/     


If you haven't already got one, I suggest you acquire an America the Beautiful card.  It'll save you a bunch of money when visiting NPs.