CANYON VISTA USFS CAMPGROUND, FLAGSTAFF, AZ

Our Opinion: Recommend. We have not stayed here, but have visited twice to hike. Canyon Vista is a great little USFS park in close proximity to Flagstaff. Tall pines, very visually appealing.

Date of Stay: Visited April 29th, one day before it opened for the season. We would have stayed here if it had been open.

Weather During Stay: Blue skies, windy, sunny, low 70’s. Low’s at night were in the 40’s

Sites: 11 no-hookup sites - no water, no electric, no sewer and NO DUMP. Vault toilets. Sites vary in size and shape, but most are sufficient for a big rig and towed. Sites are fairly level; each site has a picnic table. Tall pines may interfere with roof-mounted satellites in some of the sites.

Rate: $14/night, half price with Golden Age pass.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard likely to be on Broadband. Several TV stations on antenna, including a strong PBS signal on 14. Local NPR on 88.7 and 91.7.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a flat park 5.5 miles south of Flagstaff on Lake Mary road at 6,900 feet. Views are of tall pines, meadow, and mountains

Lighting/Noise: Since we haven‘t stayed here, it‘s a guess: dark and night, some traffic noise from Lake Mary Road.

Favorite Sites: It would depend on temperatures - shade in summer, sun early or late in the season.

Hiking/Walking: Excellent. Climbers come here to take a short trail to nearby cliffs. We hiked Sandy‘s Canyon trail to access the Arizona Trail. Yesterday‘s hike was 8 miles round trip to Fisher Point. Here is a link to this portion of the AZ trail: Marshall Lake to Fisher Point

Comments: A lovely, small campground with excellent hiking. Host on site. Close to Flagstaff for shopping dining and exploring. We ate at Beaver Street Brewery - delicious. New Frontiers Natural Foods on Butler (currently on Milton, but moving in two weeks) for natural foods. Great recreational opportunity in all directions, along with Indian ruins, the Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater. Fun downtown area.

J & H RV PARK, FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA

Our Opinion: This is our second visit to J & H RV Park. Pricey, but we recommend it if you are looking for a FHU park in close proximity to Flagstaff. A small park, visually appealing.

Date of Stay: April 26th through 30th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Arrived in breezy sunshine with the temperature in the upper 60’s. Lows were in the lower 30‘s. Windy conditions forecast for a couple of days, so we extended our stay, and the high winds arrived as forecast.

Sites: 52 FHU (30 and 50 amp, no cable TV) sites, back-ins around the perimeter, pull-throughs in two rows down the middle. Sites vary in size, but most are sufficient for a big rig and towed. Roads are graveled, sites are covered with crushed red volcanic rock. Sites are level; site width is slightly better than most commercial parks. Trees are well trimmed, but may interfere with roof-mounted satellites in some of the sites. No picnic tables at sites. Some shade from the trees. Good water pressure and voltage.

Rate: With taxes and Good Sam discount, we paid $36/night, a typical rate for a commercial park with similar amenities in a resort area.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband, 5 bars. Surprisingly, NO CABLE TV at sites. Several TV stations on antenna, including a strong PBS signal on 14. Local NPR on 88.7 and 91.7. WiFi available at your site for a fee; free in the park’s TV room (which has cable TV)/lounge.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a slightly sloping park on Hwy 89 north of Flagstaff at 6,920 feet. Views are of the other rigs, tall pines, and Flagstaff‘s mountains. Above is the view out our front window in site 17.

Lighting/Noise: Lighting is excellent for a commercial park; very low lighting. Traffic noise on Hwy 89 (the road to the Grand Canyon) somewhat annoying at night and in the morning.

Favorite Sites: Any of the long pull-throughs, especially in the center row - but most of the sites here are nice. On this visit, we are in site 17 (right, and top photo).

Hiking/Walking: Very limited in this small park. Fortunately, Flagstaff has hikes of all lengths and difficulties nearby.

Special Features: J & H has been slightly reworked since we were last here, and it looks great. Very nice common areas, both indoors and out. The owner of this park are keeps a close eye on everything, with lots of rules and little signs around, which seems to work in keeping the park quiet and in beautiful condition, but we find his constant eagle eye and dour expression annoying. Library has a 2-for-1 book exchange (two of YOUR books for one of their’s - and your trades need to be approved!) and movies are rented, not loaned. Small hot tub. Laundry room. Nice dog walk and off-leash dog area in a far corner of the park. Close to Safeway. New Frontiers Natural Foods at 100 S. Milton for natural foods (will have moved to their new store on Butler by the time we return to Flagstaff). Great recreational opportunity in all directions, along with Indian ruins, the Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater. Fun downtown area.

HOMOLOVI RUINS STATE PARK, WINSLOW, ARIZONA

Our Opinion: We recommend it. We have stayed here before and would stay again. A convenient overnight when traveling I-40 in Arizona, a short distance off the interstate near Winslow, AZ. Interesting visitor center. One big drag: the condition of the first mile of state park road! The otherwise smooth asphalt road has cracked and separated every 20 yards or so. Many of the cracks are 6-8 inches wide and 3 or 4 inches deep. Even slowing to 5 mph, your rig takes a pounding. Next time, we will call to check on the condition of the road and maybe consider other options.

Date of Stay: April 25th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Sunny, calm, high 68 degrees. Low was 31.

Sites: 53 W and E sites, a mix of pullouts (pull off along side the road) and back-ins. Most back-ins have 30 amps; pullouts have 50 amps. More back-ins than pullouts. Most sites are level and sufficiently long for big rigs, and back-ins are double-wide - plenty of parking for two vehicles. Road and sites are paved. All sites have a picnic table and most have a small tree. Sites are generously spaced. Nothing to interfere with roof-mounted satellites. Electric voltage is good. Dump available (when water is working). Very quiet at night.

Rate: We paid just $10 because the water system is broken so no water is available at sites, no dump is available, all the showers are locked, and only one restroom is available.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband, 5 bars. Didn’t bother with antenna. NPR on 89.9.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a slightly undulating, 2 loop campground at 4,880’ elevation. This time of year (late April), the landscape is brown scrub. The trees are just beginning to leaf out and tiny plants are breaking through the dusty gravel, but the overall look is brown and lifeless. LONG vistas of more of the same.

Lighting: No lights except for the bright ones on the restroom. Fortunately, we were on the other side of the loop.

Favorite Sites: No favorites here, they are essentially the same. On this trip, we were in an east-facing pull-through, site 24, so we didn’t need to unhook for our overnight stay. On our last visit a couple of years ago, we had a back-in.

Hiking/Walking: Loops around the park are short but pleasant. We walked the 1.2 mile trail from the campground to the visitor center, and the short spur trail to Sunset Cemetery. Easy to walk 10,000 enjoyable steps.

Comments: This quiet state park protects ancient Native American ruins. Great visitor center. A pleasant 1.2 mile trail goes from the campground to the visitor center, but it would be too far to walk to the ruins themselves. Restrooms and showers are usually available, but not when the water system is broken (7 times in the past 4 years per the ranger). Come with a full tank of fresh water, and empty holding tanks, just in case. The nearest town (not far) is Winslow (“Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see…” - remember the Eagles song?) which is reputed to have some interesting historical sites.

SKY CITY RV PARK, PUEBLO OF ACOMA, NEW MEXICO

Our Opinion: Neutral. A convenient overnight when traveling I-40 (exit 102). Easy in and out. Overpriced. If we wanted to get off the road in this area for an overnight again, we would boondock behind the casino unless we needed an electric hookup for air conditioning.

Date of Stay: April 24th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Arrived in strong winds (gusts to 40 mph) and sunshine with the temperature in the upper 70’s. The wind blew strongly during the night until early morning hours. Low was close to freezing. The strong winds may have affected our opinion of this campground (negatively).

Sites: 42 FHU (20, 30 and 50 amp) sites, all long, level, pull-throughs in several long rows. Sites sufficient for a big rig and towed with no need to unhook. Roads and sites are paved. Sites are separated from each other with wide graveled berms with just-planted, immature native shrubs. Site length and width is superior to most commercial parks. No picnic tables; no shade. Nothing at all to interfere with roof-mounted satellites. Good water pressure and voltage.

Rate: $26/night, which seems high for a no-frills casino RV park. We were given 2 coupons for a $5 slot roll in the casino; it appears you can turn these into cash by standing in a long line in the smoky casino. To avoid the wait in the evening, we returned in the morning before departure. In return for lots of personal information (address, phone number - we used a fake one - and driver's license), we got two free gifts (notebooks) and two $5 vouchers. We took the vouchers to the casino cashier, all the way through the machines, of course, and we each got a $5 bill. Since we kept the money instead of gambling, our overnight cost us $16 and 20 minutes of our time. Boondocking would have been smarter.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband, 5 bars. Tried their free WiFi, but couldn't get on the internet (didn't explore it further). Didn’t bother with TV antenna. 89.9 might be an NPR station. NOAA weather radio could not pick up a channel here, which is unusual.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a flat park in an area of plateaus, mesas, and mountains about 60 miles west of Albuquerque at 6,140’ elevation. Views are of a few high mountains, the Sky City Casino, and scrubby hills and mesas with sparse trees. It is extremely dry here right now; all the grass is brown.

Lighting: The RV park brochure says “dark skies for star gazers”. Lights are low, on each utility box at each site - so it lit the side of Scoopy. It was too cold and windy to go out to see if we could turn it off.

Favorite Sites: No favorites here - they appear identical. Photo shows Scoopy in site 38.

Hiking/Walking: Not much, just loops around the park or a walk to the casino. RV park guests have access to the swimming pool, spa and exercise room in the casino hotel.

Comments: This is a just-completed park built to serve the Sky City Casino. We stopped here because the wind was howling and we wanted to be off the road. Although we are not going to visit the ancient Pueblo of Acoma on this trip, we highly recommend it and this park would be a convenient base camp. There is also a travel plaza here; diesel was $4.04, the current going rate in the area. Easy access off of I-40 at exit 102.

AMERICAN RV PARK, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Our Opinion: Based on our research during past visits, this is the best of the commercial RV parks in Albuquerque. We recommend it, but only because there aren’t any better commercial parks or more spacious public campgrounds.

Date of Stay: April 22 and 23rd, 2008

Weather During Stay: Arrived in breezy sunshine with the temperature in the upper 70’s. Lows were in the upper 40’s. Consistantly windy during our stay.

Sites: 186 FHU (30 and 50 amp, including cable TV) sites, back-ins around the perimeter, pull-throughs in several long rows. Sites vary in size, but most are sufficient for a big rig and towed. Roads and sites are paved, and sites are reasonably level. Site width is typical of a commercial park (which is to say, not very spacious), but landscaping is better than most. Trees between sites, well trimmed, though they may interfere with roof-mounted satellites. Each site has a sturdy, permanent picnic table. Good water pressure and voltage. Noticeable traffic noise.

Rate: With taxes and Good Sam discount, we paid $33/night, a typical rate for a commercial park with similar amenities.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband, 5 bars. Didn’t bother with antenna, since we have 23 cable channels here. Local NPR on 89.9.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a flat park on a bluff to the west of Albuquerque at 5,340’ elevation. Views are of the other rigs.

Lighting: Good for a commercial park. Mostly low lighting with a few “streetlights” on perimeter roads.

Favorite Sites: No favorites here. On this visit, we are in site 176, a pull-through not much different than the others. One advantage: it borders the public walkway on one side, so we have more space between our rig and the neighbor. The downside is that the extra space house some sort of slightly buzzing electrical equipment.

Hiking/Walking: Not much, just loops around the (large) park.

Comments: Very friendly, helpful staff. Small swimming pool and spa. Beautiful, clean restrooms with showers. Nice laundry room with newer, working equipment. Dog walking area. Playground. (In other words, lots of stuff we pay for but don't care about.)

Easy access off of I-40 at exit 149 unfortunately means that traffic noise is noticeable to the point of annoyance with the windows open. Camping World a short drive away. across the freeway and to the west. ABQ has two Costcos, a Trader Joes, and a Whole Foods grocery store - and a Cummins service center.

VALLEY OF FIRES RECREATION AREA, CARRIZOZO, NEW MEXICO

Our Opinion: A wonderful BLM campground in a scenic, historically and geologically interesting area. We highly recommend it for RV and tent camping.

Date of Stay: April 21st, 2008

Weather During Stay: Arrived in windy sunshine. Winds gusted to near 40 mph during stay. High in the mid-70’s, low in the 40’s. Very low humidity.

Sites: 18 developed RV sites, 12 with 30 amp E and W, 6 with W only at sites. Tent sites (half a dozen?) are in a separate area. All sites have large, sturdy picnic tables under a ramada on a concrete slab and a grill.

Most developed sites are large enough for big rigs, but many are too sloped for us. The back-in sites are the most level. Large, well maintained restrooms with showers. Dump station.

Rate: Usual rate for sites with electricity and water is $18 per night Half price discount with Golden Age Pass, so we paid $9/night. Reservations not accepted.

Phone/radio/TV: Good phone reception; aircard on Broadband, 5 bars. Unobstructed satellite reception in all sites. ABC available on antenna, probably more if you mess aroujnd with it. No NPR station.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Valley of Fires Recreation Area is on a high point (5,260') in a flat landscape with high mountains to the east and distant mountain views to the west. Terrain is rolling on the edge of a plain of ancient black lava dotted with plants and stubby trees. Great views in all directions from the campground.

Lighting: Dark as can be, except for those of us parked near the restroom - where two BRIGHT "streetlight" sized lights burned all night long!

Favorite Sites: We prefer the back in sites with E and W - they are much flatter than the pull-through sites. We were in site 9. The tent sites (No RV’s allowed) are in a lovely, lower area protected from the high winds.

Hiking/Walking: A ¾ mile paved “nature trail” with interpretive signs meanders through the lava bed from a trailhead in the campground. Another, less developed trail leaves from the south end of the campground into the lava.

Special Features: The lava bed here is very interesting, and the views are great. There is a small visitor center and bookstore on site. When we have the time, I want to explore the area. We drove over from the east through Lincoln and Capitan - both looked super-interesting.

THE RANCH, AN ESCAPEES CO-OP PARK, LAKEWOOD, NEW MEXICO

Our Opinion: A friendly, well maintained Escapee Co-op park in a remote area, open to members of the Escapee RV club only. We recommend it to other Escapees traveling in southeastern New Mexico.

Date of Stay: April 19th and 20th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Breezy, partly cloudy and warm when we arrived. Strong winds and high temperatures were in the forecast, and the wind arrived in the afternoon of our second day - VERY strong. Highs were in the upper 80's, lows in the 50's.

Sites: 118 extra-large, level, graveled sites, each with FHU (some 30/50, some 30 amp only). All sites are back-ins. Each lot has a storage shed for the leaseholder. Good electric. We had been forewarned that the water system was being replaced, so we didn’t use park water. Unobstructed view of the sky for satellite dish at most sites.

Rate: Current rate for daily rental is $14/night, plus electric at $0.08 per Kwh.

Phone/radio/TV: Verizon phones on Extended Network, 2-3 bars on analog it appears. Aircard on National Access Roaming, about the speed of dial-up. Park offers FREE WiFi, which we used. TV antenna picks up several channels. No NPR stations available. Edited 5/18/08 based on reader reports: NPR available - maybe 98.7?

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Flat, flat, flat scrubby desert terrain (Chihuahuan) at 3,320’ elevation. Sparse shade if any.

Lighting: Wonderful! Very dark at night.

Favorite Sites: We don’t have a favorite here… the available sites are remarkably similar. For this stay, we just cared about orientation - we wanted the big front window to face north - and that our site had 50 amps, as the forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 80’s. We were in site 5.

Hiking/Walking: Not much. You can loop around the park, and a few dirt double-tracks head out a short distance into the unpopulated expanse surrounding the park. Walking here is for exercise, not for interest.

Special Features: The Ranch House, the clubhouse here, has a lovely veranda with a dozen rocking chairs: a large, well-equipped kitchen; pool table; book exchange; video and DVD library; exercise room, a refrigerator stocked with ice cream and snacks on the honor system…and a daily 4 pm happy hour. Lots of wildlife (bunnies, roadrunners, coyotes, birds). The residents maintain the park very well and a justifiably proud of it. Carlsbad Caverns are within "daytrip" range.

SADDLEBACK MOUNTAIN RV PARK, BALMORHEA, TEXAS

Our Opinion: A good overnight stop on the long, long stretch of I-10 through west Texas. This is our second stay. We recommend it for an overnight if you don’t want to take the time (and pay the higher price) to stay at Balmorhea State Park (which we HIGHLY recommend!)

Date of Stay: April 18th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Arrived in warm, breezy sunshine with the temperature in the low 80‘s. Low was around 50 degrees.

Sites: About a dozen sites arranged in 2 rows facing southeast. All sites are long, level, wide, gravel pull-throughs with 30 and 50 amp FHU. No need to unhook a towed vehicle. All sites have appealing desert landscaping and are lined with rocks; gravel keeps the usual southwest dust to a minimum. Good water pressure and voltage. Unobstructed view of the sky for satellite dish. Satellite cable hookup at each site is non-functional. No restrooms; units must be self-contained. No office, pay in the gas station.

Rate: Usual rate is $20 per night. Half price discount with Passport America (discount good for one night), so we paid $10/night. This is a GOOD DEAL - after three nights without a sewer hookup, we dumped our waste tanks, ran the A/C and did the laundry while here for one night.

Phone/radio/TV: Verizon phones on Extended Network, between 2 and 3 bars. Aircard on National Access Roaming, about the speed of dial-up. No TV on antenna. No local NPR (duh!)

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is an absolutely flat park at 3,050’ elevation. Very typical west Texas landscape: desert with views of distant mountains. Sparse shade if any. Due to proximity to the interstate, there is some traffic noise. We overlook it for the convenience.

Lighting: The few bright lights in the truck stop area and on the perimeter of the park are not a problem.

Favorite Sites: They are pretty much all the same. We take whatever doesn’t have an immediately adjacent neighbor - easy, as there are usually few rigs here.

Hiking/Walking: Not much. You can loop around the park, walk the ¾ mile “nature trail” (where we saw 2 javelina) and loop around the huge truck lot behind the convenience store.

Special Features: The convenience. The park is located off I-10 at exit 212, behind a Fina gas station/truck stop/convenience store and a small restaurant (?)/saloon. No office - just pull in park, pay at the gast station. Compared with what we have seen of RV parks in Ft. Stockton (the next town to the east), this is a GREAT stop - it looks like someone actually cares about the place.

Annoyances: Noise of trucks idling in the back of the truck stop; highway noise; feral cats lurking around Scoopy and other RV's meant this was not a good place for Luna.

JIM HOGG PARK, LAKE GEORGETOWN, GEORGETOWN, TEXAS

Our Opinion: A great public (Corps of Engineers) park. We had heard good things about this campground from friends - we will return and we will recommend it to others.

Date of Stay: April 6th through 9th, 2008
Returned: April 15th and 16th

Weather During Stay: Arrived in breezy sunshine. Temperature reached 90 degrees, low was 67 degrees. During our stay, the humidity continued to climb; days were partly/mostly cloudy with highs in the upper 80's and humidity over 80%. Thunder, lightening, wind and rain one night as a storm blew through.

Sites: 148 sites with 30 amp E and W at sites. No sewer connections, but restrooms are decent, with showers. Dump station available on the way out.

All sites have large, sturdy picnic tables under a substantial wooden ramada on a concrete slab and a grill. Sites are large enough for big rigs, but many (half) are too sloped for us (most of the larger, level sites are on the outsides of the loops). All sites are back-ins.

Park is open 6 am to 10 pm. You can exit 24 hours, but can only enter when the park is open. Sites 1-78 are open year round. Site 79-148 are open March 1st through December 1st.

Rate: Usual rate is $18 per night Half price discount with Golden Age Pass, so we paid $9/night. Reservations accepted, but not for specific sites: 877-444-8777.

Phone/radio/TV: Good phone reception; aircard on Broadband. Excellent local NPR available on 90.5 from the University of Texas in Austin. Two PBS stations on antenna, along with several network local stations.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Jim Hogg Park and Cedar Breaks Park are COE parks on opposite sides of Lake Georgetown. Jim Hogg Park has two loops; some sites have good views of the park - but very little shade. Terrain is gently rolling with large trees, so some sites are well shaded (watch for tree limbs when backing in). We choose a very well shaded site, #73 (top photo), but the trees made a MESS on top of the MH and stained the sides where water dripped down. Elevation is 930’.

Lighting: A few high orange “streetlights” near the restrooms; otherwise dark at night.

Favorite Sites: The Bartees were in site #72 (second photo), shaded but with less tree mess. Sites 14 and 97 looked good - level with trees on the side, but none overhead. Site 34 (third photo) is on the lakeside - long and level, but very exposed to the sun. In the other loop, we liked 101, 121 and 125. Lakeside sites are exposed to the sun and much more windy than others.

Hiking/Walking: Walking the campground loops was enjoyable, with views of the lake. We also walked down to the water on the boat ramp. A 25+ mile trail circumnavigates the lake.

Special Features: The lake adds to the ambiance here. Thanks to a Del Webb’s Sun City nearby, the Georgetown area has grown recently with mostly upscale development - subdivisions and the services they need. There is a big H-E-B very close by. The historic section of Georgetown, less than 10 miles away, has a beautiful old courthouse… looks interesting to peruse the area. The Monument Café in the southern part of Georgetown was recommended to us for delicious organic meals. We had a good and inexpensive catfish dinner at The Catfish Parlour, as few miles east on Williams towards Georgetown.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON MUNICIPAL PARK, FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

Our Opinion: A great public (city) park. This is our second visit here; we will return and recommend this park to others.

Date of Stay: April 1st through April 5th, 2008

Weather During Stay: Arrived in breezy sunshine, temperature in the low 70’s at 1:30 pm. The following day, the humidity caught up with us again; we had two days of overcast with 98% humidity with high’s in the 70’s, lows in the upper 60’s. Finally that all cleared out (firing off a few severe thunderstorms nearby) and we had a day of beautiful sunshine.

Rate: $20 per night for 50 amp FHU with cable TV. Long-term winter rates available 9/1 through 3/31: 2 weeks for $160; $250/month if designated sites are available. Mail and deliveries accepted at office. Reservations: 830-997-4202 M-F 9 am to 6 pm.

Sites: 90 sites have 30/50 amp FHU with cable TV.

Verizon: Great phone reception; aircard on Broadband

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Gently rolling campground in a 330-acre city park at 1680‘ elevation. River, small lake, not heavilty forested, but lots of mature trees provide shade, grass picnic and play areas. Swimming pool, tennis courts, 18-hole golf course and driving range. Softball and baseball diamonds. Adjacent to the Gillespie County airport (small planes). Good birding.

Lighting: Low lighting, reasonably dark at night.

Favorite Sites: The campground has three distinct areas. Our favorite sites are in the Horseshoe Loop (8 sites only), or on the small ridge adjacent to the airport near the office. Horseshoe Loop sites are back-ins, very spacious; the ridge top sites are LONG pull-through. Top photo: site 75 in the Horseshoe, April 2007; second photo: site 87 B/D on the ridgetop, April 2008; photo on left: sites on the ridgetop.

Hiking/Walking: Not many miles of developed trails, but on 330 acres, there is plenty of pleasant, safe walking.

Special Features: Odel enjoys the 18-holes golf course, $22 to walk on a weekday. The park is a short drive (a few miles) from Fredericksburg, the heart of Hill Country, with all kinds of shopping and good restaurants in F'burg and beyond. Outstanding natural features (including Enchanted Rock, 18 miles north) and historic sites (LBJ Ranch National Historic Site 16 miles east) nearby. The HEB grocery store is fantastic. Natural food store also available in F'burg. Local NPR available at 90.1 FM.