Where to spend the night on the road?

[Mooney 78865]

If you have any spare time, I'd recommend a side trip to the Navajo National Monument,  an hour from Monument Valley. There are tours if you are reasonably fit, check it out at the link below.....

https://www.nps.gov/nava/index.htm

We will put that on the itinerary, thanks for the link!

 

[jackiemac]

No problem, we've gone twice and never thought to check times of guided walk and missed it! Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

Not to hijack the thread, but do you have Goosenecks SP on your intinerary, or have you come and gone?

We expect to be in there Monday for a couple days...

 

[Mooney 78865]

Not to hijack the thread, but do you have Goosenecks SP on your intinerary, or have you come and gone?

We expect to be in there Monday for a couple days...

I suspect that you are already there!  We are leaving on the 20th and plan to be in Monticello the 21st thru the 26th...

 

[JoelP]

Some people mention rest areas as one option, but it is good to keep in mind that there are only 6 states that allow overnight camping in rest areas:

http://rvlife.com/overnight-parking-at-rest-areas/

I was returning to CA from Portland, OR when I hit a storm that had crosswinds gusting to 40mph+.  I chose to stop at the next rest area to spend the night and wait out the storm.  I found that this rest area was fully occupied with truckers who beat me to these spots with same objective.  I found one last spot in another rest area 18 miles south of there where I spent the night. Oregon is one of the 6 states allowing overnight parking.  Keep in mind that in these rest stops there is no room to open a slide, so it not something I would do if I didn't have to.

 

[grooving grandpa]

If I had a choice between a Flying J and and a Walmart, I would take the Walmart, for two reason.  All night long you hear the loud speaker, "shower # 345 is ready" and usually you can hear all the trucks running

 

[alan6051964]

OP, I have not pulled my TT yet ?, and I am sure I won't be far from home ?, but when I am on the road driving my truck going from one state to the next ?, I just pull into a rest stop, grab some sleep if I need it, then off again, on my way. mostly because I am right there on the highway, and its easier to just start my truck up, put it in drive, and off I go. but I have noticed more and more, rest stops in Arkansas, or any other state highway for that matter !..are far and few between these days.

 

[alan6051964]

Some people mention rest areas as one option, but it is good to keep in mind that there are only 6 states that allow overnight camping in rest areas:

http://rvlife.com/overnight-parking-at-rest-areas/

I was returning to CA from Portland, OR when I hit a storm that had crosswinds gusting to 40mph+.  I chose to stop at the next rest area to spend the night and wait out the storm.  I found that this rest area was fully occupied with truckers who beat me to these spots with same objective.  I found one last spot in another rest area 18 miles south of there where I spent the night. Oregon is one of the 6 states allowing overnight parking.  Keep in mind that in these rest stops there is no room to open a slide, so it not something I would do if I didn't have to.

so it comes down to mostly you can rest for about 8 hours then I guess ?. thanks for the heads up on the states that allow some rest. maybe if your in and out within 8 hours, you would be ok ?. I need to check into this, thanks !.

 

[kdbgoat]

I know Virginia allows overnight in at least one of their rest ares. It's just north of the Bay Bridge-Tunnel on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, on Rt 13. Truckers and Rv'ers stay overnight there all the time.

 

[alan6051964]

I know Virginia allows overnight in at least one of their rest ares. It's just north of the Bay Bridge-Tunnel on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, on Rt 13. Truckers and Rv'ers stay overnight there all the time.

what I find odd is ?, the fed gov made it mandatory for most over the road truckers to stop for 8 hrs or whatever they are required to get ?, after so many hours on the road . so, most surely are either parked along the side of the highway, on ramps, or off ramps with running lights on, getting some rest. boils down to so many hrs, then off they go, seems this would not be considered over night I guess ?. again, I will check into this.

 

[johnaye]

When we are traveling we prefer the security of a campground.  We look for someplace with spaces large enough that we do not have to unhook the toad.  If we are only staying for one night we just hook up water and electricity and put the slides out.  A quick unhook in the morning and we are on our way.  To us the convenience and security is worth the cost.  KOA, Good Same, Rvparkreviews.com and Passport America are great sources of information on where to stay.  I hope you enjoy your trip.

PS.  Fuel us usually cheaper in AZ than CA.  Avoid buying gas in Needles.  When we were through there earlier this year, gas was $1 more per gal than AZ.

2004 Alfa See Ya 40' DP
2008 Honda CRV

 

[Studiovette]

OP simple yet great question esp. for some of us newbies. I am in the process of buying my 1st TT and my first trip will probably be from the central NJ area down south and was kinda wondering the same thing. I have seen rest stops starting in Virginia I believe that welcome overnighting and scecifically mention that that they have overnight security in place. Traveling with young ones though would probably make me feel more comfortable stopping at a camp ground to avoid not being able to cook a quick breakfast in the AM before hitting the road again. As many have mentioned following proper RVer etiquette when overnighting in a Walmart or similar parking area.

  I do have a follow up question though for some of you that do stop at a KOA or other camp ground and decide to stay a day or day in route to your final destination. Can you unhitch your vehicle from your TT? Is it safe to leave your rig behind and go out of the grounds exploring the area? How do you prevent theft of your TT or possible breakins? Or are these campgrounds pretty safe for the most part? I'm assuming they do not allow people to come in without a reservation etc... is security in place?

Thanks.

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

in over 40 years of camping we have never encountered any theft at a campground, however I have heard of others who have.  We always put any loose items away, such as bikes, BBQ, camp stove/lights, etc.  We lock the door, but with our previous PUP (pop up) that isn't much of a deterrent, and I can't recall hearing of anyone else getting broken into.  We have camped from coast to coast, all 10 Canadian Provinces, and 47 of your States, and stayed in some "iffy" campgrounds, without incident.

Ed

 

[Tom]

I'm assuming they do not allow people to come in without a reservation etc... is security in place?

In over 30 years of RVing, we've rarely made any reservations, except on holidays. More recently, I tend to call ahead an hour or so from where I think we'll stop for the night, and check to be sure they have space.

 

[John Stephens]

  I do have a follow up question though for some of you that do stop at a KOA or other camp ground and decide to stay a day or day in route to your final destination. Can you unhitch your vehicle from your TT? Is it safe to leave your rig behind and go out of the grounds exploring the area? How do you prevent theft of your TT or possible breakins? Or are these campgrounds pretty safe for the most part? I'm assuming they do not allow people to come in without a reservation etc... is security in place?

Thanks.

Always try to find information about campgrounds from previous visitors in reviews or comments, either in your travel guides or online. I made a reservation for a particular RV resort in Las Vegas last year and changed it after finding out that you couldn't leave anything outside of your RV without it being stolen. Good Sam can provide decent information much of the time.

The most important thing, however, is to be aware of your surroundings. If you get a bad feeling about leaving your grill sitting out while you're gone, don't do it. As far as securing a TT to keep it from being stolen, you can buy a hitch lock; they're not that expensive, that will be a deterrent. If you're up on blocks or have your leveling jacks down, it's going to be difficult for someone to steal the trailer without taking time, and most thieves will go for the most accessible and convenient to avoid being seen. And keep your TT locked whenever you're not there.

I have camped since 1980 and knock on wood, have never had an incident.

 

[Studiovette]

Awesome advice!!

Thanks

 

[johnaye]

One quick bit of advice if you are new to your TT.  Take a quick overnight stay to a campground near you.  Do a complete set up and tear down to insure everything works.  I something is wrong or you do not understand it, being close to home will give you some additional security.  When we bought a TT about 15 years ago, our first trip was less than 50 miles.  After that, we left on longer trips with the confidence that all was working well

Enjoy your travels

John 2004 Alfa See Ya DP
2008 Honda CRV

 

[Old_Crow]

I've been RVing since I was a 13 year old kid in my dad's 18' Aristocrat.  I'm the only one I've ever heard of having big problems in a campground. 
I was camped at the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi for a couple of nights.  Woke up the first morning and my Jeep was gone.  We were one of 3 campers in the campground.  3 weeks later, the Jeep was recovered in Tennessee, about 250 miles from where it was stolen, in a different campground on the Natchez Trace.
When the people were caught, they were actually on the run from other charges in Ohio, so it wasn't the locals, as I had presumed. 
Other than that, in 52 years of camping, I've never lost a thing.