First Long Trip - Suggestions for CG near/in Phoenix and Albuquerque

[jayvan]

Hi!
My dog and I are about to set out on our first long trip in our still-pretty-new Sunseeker MBS with no toad (which I hope to rectify next year). Some of the stops will be in rural areas or with friends, but am looking for suggestions or wondering how other people deal with more urban settings.

We will be going through Phoenix and Albuquerque (and Minneapolis) and would like to see some of the city but don't want to have to unhook and drive the rig everywhere. Does anyone have some suggestions of campgrounds that are situated in spots that facilitate using public transportation or are close in...? How do other people who aren't towing a vehicle deal with this?

I know there's tons of directories on the web (and I will use them) but was just hoping perhaps some of you might have some suggestions!

Thanks in advance!
Jayme (and Dash)

[CampingGator]

Someone at the Florida FROG rally told me that what they do is rent a car at their destination. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[jayvan]

Originally Posted by CampingGator

Someone at the Florida FROG rally told me that what they do is rent a car at their destination. Sounds like a good idea to me.

I've thought about that and for some situations it seems like a good idea but I'd hate to have to do it too often...

I think in some larger cities Uber and Lyft and those types of services have a lot of potential. Thanks for the input!

[cudntherd]

In November of last year We stayed an Desert Shadows RV Resort in North Phoenix. The resort has lots of amenities and is very pet friendly. It is located just west of I-17 and South of Loop 101.

[ezitin]

We go to Phoenix from New Jersey a couples time a year to visit the grands. We stay at the Pleasant Harbor RV Resort. It's about 20 min. outside of the city. Sites are a little tight, but it's a great place with great people.

Pleasant Harbor | Lake Pleasant RV Resort and Camping

[Harkerr]

Nice cg south of abq on I25. I think it is near a casino. May have transportation.

[camaraderie]

We stayed at two parks just off the freeway WEST of albuquerque...we used our scooters to go into town but there is no public transportation at either park but they are the closest we could find to the city which is well worth exploring.
americanRV park is the priciest and the best and was our choice for a few days stay. High Desert is about 10 bucks cheaper and almost next door with a few less amenities but was clean and fine for a single night stay. arv is good sam while high desert is not but HONORS GS & others & nets to about $25 a nite for 50amp Fhu pull through.
Hope this helps.

[GeeDubb]

Unfortunately, Phoenix has no public form of transportation other than buses and a light rail system that basically goes to nowhere! (no political rant coming...)

Pleasant Harbor is a nice park with dry camping and water/electric (no sewer so you have to dump at their dump station on the South end of the park) sites overlooking the lake but there are no public transits anywhere close.

Desert Shadows is a nice park with gate access that dumps you right out at a Costco! You might be able to catch a bus off of 35th Avenue or Union Hills.
bus schedule here for east/west Union Hills
Valley Metro | Route 186 — Union Hills/Mayo

for N/S on 35th Ave
Valley Metro | Route 35 — 35th Avenue

there is also a park more North central, Whispering Palms that is on Cave Creek Rd just South of 101 freeway but the bus stops about a mile or so North or South of the park.
Whispering Palms RV Resort | Encore RV Resort in Phoenix, Arizona
Valley Metro | Route 90 — Dunlap/Cave Creek

At either park, you are about a mile from the closest bus stop unless intermediate stops exist that I'm unaware of.

Gary

[ezitin]

Pleasant Harbor does in fact have full hook up sites. 254 Full Hookup Sites (Water / Elec. / Sewer taken from there website. I've camped there and always had on site sewer.

[dahagen]

If Pleasant Harbor is near Lake Pleasant it is a long ways north of Phoenix. I have stayed for many winters at RV parks on or near Main Street (Apache Trail) in Mesa and Apache Junction. And there are dozens, some as large as 2000 sites. There is decent bus service from Mesa and AJ to Phoenix.

[GeeDubb]

Originally Posted by ezitin

Pleasant Harbor does in fact have full hook up sites. 254 Full Hookup Sites (Water / Elec. / Sewer taken from there website. I've camped there and always had on site sewer.

You are correct. I didn't include that area as it is most often full in the fall and winter months, from what I've been told by Pleasant Harbor staff in a recent inquiry about storing my TH there this winter. Just repeating what I was told.

Gary

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

We stayed at two parks just off the freeway WEST of albuquerque...we used our scooters to go into town but there is no public transportation at either park but they are the closest we could find to the city which is well worth exploring.
americanRV park is the priciest and the best and was our choice for a few days stay. High Desert is about 10 bucks cheaper and almost next door with a few less amenities but was clean and fine for a single night stay. arv is good sam while high desert is not but HONORS GS & others & nets to about $25 a nite for 50amp Fhu pull through.
Hope this helps.

Remember Albuquerque. Has the world's largest balloon festival October 1 thru about the 12th and there is not likely an RV space within 25 miles

[Creativepart]

Phoenix is big and spread out and if you camp there you will either need a rental car or drive your RV or stay put. Simple as that. We stayed wayyyyy out of town at a lovely Regional RV park - McDowell Mountain Regional Park but it's 30-miles from everything in Fountainview.

In ABQ we always stay at American RV Park but it's out West on I-40 and you'd need a vehicle there too. You could bike into town from there easily because it's all downhill. But back would be brutal - it's not known as 9-mile Hill for nothing.