Do you need reservations at arizona Jan and Feb?

[tvfrfireguy]

My wife and I are new to the RV scene and are close to retirement.  This February, we are going to head to Arizona from Portland, Or. for seven weeks.  We don't have a clue as to what we are doing and would be grateful for any input from you seasoned veterans.  Information on where to go, what to see, where to stay, etc...  Thank you for your time.  David

 

[Ned]

You will almost certainly need reservations in most areas in AZ in Jan. and Feb., that's the peak of the season.  What type of travelling are you planning on?  Stay in one place for the entire trip or travel to different areas?  There is a lot to see in southern AZ in the winter and 8 weeks will just scratch the surface.  Tell us what you enjoy and we can make some specific suggestions as to places to see and where to stay.

 

[fredethomas]

Do you have a destination in mind?  Phoenix, Tucson, ?????  Mostly the answer is no, if you get there early enough.  High Season is right after the holidays, to about March 1.  That's a general time frame.  If you want to go to a particular CG with lot of amenities it might be suggested to make a reservation.  If you just want to wing it, almost all parks have sites for overnighters or short stays and you won't need reservations for them, IF you get there early enough in the day, say by 2-3 o'clock..  If you like where you are, and want to stay longer, ask for a weekly or monthly rate and/or site.  They can almost always accomodate you, or will tell you no can do.  But there are lots and lots of RV parks in and around all the major cities that you should not have any problem what so ever.

In over 10 years of full timing, mostly in AZ, we never made reservations, unless we were spending some time at a particular park.  Then we had seasonal sites, because we went back on a yearly basis.  But on our short trips away from the park, we always managed to find a site without reservations.      Daisy

P.S.  We hate making reservations because we don't always know where we'll be when.....  Never have had a problem.

 

[Ned]

Daisy is correct, what I intended but didn't state well is you will almost certainly need a reservation if you are looking for a long term stay, a month or more.  If you intend to keep travelling, then you should not have any difficulty finding sites for a few nites.  You may have to check several campgrounds in an area, but there are always some empty sites.

 

[John From Detroit]

My wife and I are new to the RV scene and are close to retirement.  This February, we are going to head to Arizona from Portland, Or. for seven weeks.  We don't have a clue as to what we are doing and would be grateful for any input from you seasoned veterans.  Information on where to go, what to see, where to stay, etc...  Thank you for your time.  David

Ah, the old clue problem

Well, if I may be so bold as to make a suggestiopn, Leave a bit earlier, plan on arriving in Quartzsite AZ (2 miles s of I-10 on the west side of SR-95) about oh.. Middle of the month  Look for the RV-Forum balloon if I get there first, or just ask, Folks here, will be there and glad to help you, show you around, introduce you,

If you want to know what it looks like where we camp... Visit http://www.rvforum.net/ (Oh, right, you been there, that's here, or at least our home page) that photo was taken, I believe, at one of the 2005 campfires

 

[Tom]

Here's more to info about the Quartzsite rally to add to John's comment. It has not been updated with 2007 attendees, but will provide most of the other info you need about QZ.

that photo was taken, I believe, at one of the 2005 campfires

The photo was taken by forum member Bob Zambenini on a prior year, but I can't recall which.
[edit]Link update[/edit]

 

[tvfrfireguy]

Thank you so much for the input.  We are thinking of spending two to three weeks in Yuma and playing it by ear the rest of the time.  If anyone else wants to put in their two cents worth, I would be tickled.  We have heard of this area off Hwy. 10 where thousands show up and we might give it a look see.  Thanks again,  David

 

[woodartist]

Well, Yuma is a magnet for snowbirds. However we have never had a problem getting an RV park for a night or 2. The game the RV parks play is that they will not give you a monthly or weekly rate and will charge by the night ( more expensive). Quartzsite is a mass of people and if that is attractive then you can stay there. There are free dry camping areas around Yuma, if that is appealiing to you. There are also Casino lots where you can dry camp for free. Personally we stay way from the snowbird crowd as much as we can. Odd lot

 

[Jeff]

Last year was our first in the Southwest and we did it without reservations. WE had a couple of instances where we could not get into a particular park for a few days but we changed our itinerary so many times reservations would have severely limited our flexability. We now know where we would like to  spend some time and will probably make a couple of reservations at particular parks but the rest of the time we will be free spirits like Fred and Daisy.

 

[Shayne]

We came into Az the 28th of Dec last year and called while still in N Mex at the PEM and they had plenty of room.  Now if you come in Feb when Spring training is in session, it well may be a different story.  Don't like the management here but absolutely love the people here as well as the amenities. Great place.

 

[Smoky]

I live in the same park as Shayne in El Mirage on the west side of Phoenix.  Spring training baseball is the killer in the Spring and our park fills up then with baseball fans.