RV Roadtrip Cali/Nev/Utah/Arizona

Muahahaha

Currently planning and researching a road trip by RV. The primary focus is to visit national parks and do the better day hikes within them. On the list I'd like to get to are Sequioa, Death Valley,Grand Canyon north rim, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP.

I'm thinking the best access point is Las Vegas, both for cheap flights and (hopefully) to rent an RV at a decent price. However wondering am I stretching too far by going Vegas-Sequioa-Death Valley and back to Vegas before heading to the Grand Canyon north rim and onwards to Arizona & Utah before back to Vegas. Google maps is showing me no 'as the crow flies' road from Vegas to Sequioa and lists it as around 1,000 miles road return journey. Is this because it is now winter and mountain passes are closed but open in the summer? Also if I did drop Sequioa is there anywhere closer to Vegas to see those type of giant redwood trees? I'm not sure but maybe I might be better off leaving Sequioa for a different trip and combine it with Yosemite.

Also looking for any tips & tricks on RVs. I see a lot of luxury RV parks with swimming pools and kids clubs charging $100-150 a night just to park up and use a bit of electricity. Are there better/cheaper options than this? I know you can park up in Walmarts overnight but out in the sticks can you just park up in a lay by in a scenic area (but not inside a national park) cook your dinner with gas, stay the night before moving on early the next morning? How does it go with the water tanks, say 3 adults taking a quick shower once every 2 days, would you need frequent refills and what places do these? Also any recommendations on good RV companies that don't cost the earth would be good, not looking to get anything huge, 3 beds so something 20-30 feet long.

Also looking for tips on day hikes in the parks we are going to. Already have come across the Angels Landing hike and Zion Narrows in Zion National Park which both look stunning. Not too sure whats the best hikes in the other parks so any pointers appreciated.

Finally the best time to go to avoid crowds? We were thinking approx Sept 15th, are all the American schools/colleges back by this stage?

Jewelers

Did a trip very like this 1.5 years a ago and loved it did'nt do Rv as travelling solo. Flew into SF hire car Yosemite - Death Valley - vegas - north rim (as had done south before like north better )- Zion - bryce . Loved the trip only slight let down was Zion , I liked it alot but a bit too touristy and did the Observation Point hike instead of angels landing , it was stunning apart from a horrible group of yanks I met at the top wearing I hiked the rim to rim for the grand canyon , but had hired a cabin near the top of observation so they didn't have to climb it , and were high fiving each other asking me all types of dopey questions , more or less told them to fck off in a polite way . Let them take a 20 min lead so wouldn't met them again passed then in an hr not a word from them . Any qs on hikes etc will give you links or what I did , defo do death valley blew me away , was a bit weary off all online topics , but its safe as hell as you stick to main roads loved it stunning area.

Muahahaha

thanks jewelers. Can I ask what hikes did you do in Bryce and can you recommend? Also on Death Valley- is this more just a drive through national park with just lookout points you pull up to or are there any decent day hikes?

What did you do for accomodation? Motels & cabins? Does it get quite expensive doing it that way vs. a campervan?

Jewelers

hi in bryce i did the Fairyland loop trail https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/fairyland-loop-trail?u=m

and the queens garden

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/navajo-loop-and-queens-garden-trail?u=m

The Fairyland has to be one of the weirdest and best hikes I have ever done , its not hard at all, very easy the terrain is like another planet epic stuff loved it and there's very few people on 90% of it till you cross over other trails . The queens garden is nice as well basically a shortened version of fairyland but quite crowded . would recommend both if you have only time for one do the fairyland .

DV I just basically drove through pulled in at main lookout areas etc took short walks 10-20 mins type thing , there are full day hikes you can do , but I was there in september and it was 35c way too warm for me to do a full day hike.

I stayed in motels and cabins most expensive was yosemite as it was right inside the park so it was worth the money , cabin on north rim was very good value fairly basic though . Reckon with 3 people rv would work out cheaper .

September is a great time to go its when i went

Muahahaha

That Fairyland hike looks superb, must add it to the list. Mad that it was 35c in Death Valley in September but they do say it is the hottest place in north America, I think it hs the record of 57c which is just insane.

RobertKK

The temperature at Furnace Creek read 119F which was over 48C when I was in Death Valley in August 2017. It was a day trip from Vegas, but as we headed out to Badwater Basin, the minibus started to have problems, the driver said we have to get back to Furnace Creek as he couldn't risk the minibus stopping and leaving us stranded in the heat.
So we got a replacement bus, hours later, so if you experience any problems in Death Valley, don't take risks...but would totally recommend it.
Bryce Canyon is unique, and look out for the chipmunks.
Did the Queens Garden trail, its a lovely walk.

myate

I've done similar trips, always avoiding cities, so I pass by Vegas anymore. Last one we did was SF-Yosemite-Death Valley-Zion-GC North Rim-Monument Valley-Moab (Arches & Canyonlands)-Black Canyon of Guinnison-Rocky Mt NP-Denver! That was during the parks Centennial. We've done Bryce before so didn't want to do it again. We rent a small car & have hotels/motels/airbnbs booked ahead of time, as close to or in the parks if we can.

Hiking in Bryce is easy as it's a pretty small park. Just head down into the middle of the Hoodoos along the Queens Garden! Zion is an amazing park, but it's got extremely busy & crowded. We done Angels Landing in 2013, and again that last trip but will never do it again it's too busy & we went first thing in the morning. Too many people on those cables that have no business being up there. You slip, you're dead, simple. It's a great hike though, 4.5 miles & quiet easy if you're used to hiking. The Narrows is a brilliant hike! Get water shoes & you go for as long as you want & turn around! Wicked hike. Observation Point is great too if you want to go a bit longer!

Death Valley is an amazing place, needs a few days to explore. It's hot, hot but you know that! Hiking can be dangerous there because of heat. Best way to see DV is to get up very early way before sunrise, head to where you want & stay out until about 10am...then head back to Furnace Creek if you can stay there, hit the pool until about 4pm, then head out again before sunset...that way you miss the most of the worst heat & get to relax by the pool when it's at its quietest!

Crowds....all the parks are crowded even more now. In 2013 when we did a big end of September trip, they're were pretty quiet. In 2016 they were all really busy. They're only getting busier. To avoid crowds, get up very early, hit the trails!

Grand Canyon is always the least impressive of the parks in our opinion, but everytime we try there, we get boring blue sunny skies! Monument Valley is cool, and you can hike around the main buttes. You can take a car/tour jeep out onto the main part of the park though & definitely recommend it!

Not sure if you can squeeze in Moab, but if you can I would as it has Arches & Canyonlands on it's doorstep. Two amazing parks that I keep going back too.

Anyway, here's a peek at our last trip...always better to see places!! - https://m-capilitan.wistia.com/medias/6t7515don0

Muahahaha

myate, thanks for your input, it was very informative.

Can I ask what kind of costs you found yourself paying for motels & Airbnbs close to the parks you visited? Initially I'd wanted to rent a RV but now researching it I'm not so sure as the costs quickly build up, the base rental fee of €800 per week doesn't seem too bad but then you realise they also charge 0.35c per mile and that these RVs only get 10 miles to the gallon so are really heavy on fuel. I've calculated that a 1,000 mile road trip would cost $350 in milage and about $400 in fuel. Then on top of that the RV parks charge about $50 a night to stay there so another $350 over a weeks trip.

Which makes me wonder might we be better just doing it in a car and staying motels/Airbnbs? I've looked into them but there isn't much cheap there either- lots of motels near the national parks charging $150-180 a night for a double room, most of them aren't even all that fancy for the prices being asked. Did you find anything better than that or is it just a case of tough luck, its an expensive area to travel, etc.

myate

Cost!...a fortune really! Road trips in the USA are no longer cheap, haven't been since mid 00s!! I have all my confirmations still, so here's a quick recap of accommadation costs (not in trip order):
Grand Canyon North Rim Frontier Cabin - $150 (hands down worst room, with worst bed...thankfully 1 night only!!!)
Yosemite Sage Cabin (cabin rental in Foresta, very near valley floor - $1060 for 4 nights.
Furnace Creek Ranch DV - $310 for 2 nights.
Quail Park Lodge in Kanab (access White Pocket & the Wave from here!) - $290 for 2 nights.
Monument Valley view hotel (one inside the park with the mega view) - $260 1 night.
Deer Crest in Estes Park (Rocky Mtn) - $320 2 nights.
Zion Park Motel (always stay here) - $210 2 nights.
Gonzo Inn Moab - $400 2 nights.
We stayed 4 nights in airbnb in Marina in SF at nearly $1200...our favourite place to stay in the city as we've been many times.

That trip was around 3000 miles. Rental car was €460 with $300 for one way trip drop off. Parks annual pass was $80, best money you'll ever give away.
If hotels are near parks, if you can find one for $150 you're doing very well. Most if not all (bar grand canyon) were fine & clean, a few very nice. I've stayed in most of the above ones 2 or 3 times (or more!) & keep going back because we like where they're located & like them.

Muahahaha

Thanks for the detailed info myate, seems that road trips in the US really sap your wallet on accomodation costs, they are pretty heavy prices given you are not staying in a large city. Had heard about the Americas Park Pass for $80 so will definitely pick up one of those, I think once you visit three of the major national parks it pays for itself.

Love the video you posted too, superb quality. What camera were you using?

myate

Yes, road trips are pricey! Don't underestimate cost of eating out also. Eating out over there has got very expensive. If there's two of you, budget at least $50 every-time you eat out.
I shot the video on GoPro Hero 3+Black & Hero 4 Silver and Panasonic Lumix TZ30 & various gimbals etc!

Muahahaha

Jesus yeah eating out in the US isn't the bargain it used to be=( At least portion sizes are big and you can share. Either way by the sounds of it we will be holed up in a cheap campervan living on ham and cheese sandwiches lol

RobertKK

I went camping in Bryce canyon - it can get cold at night, campsite close by, camped in Monument valley, that was really lovely.Maybe you could mix it up with some camping and some nicer accommodation?

él statutorio

Muahahaha wrote: »

Jesus yeah eating out in the US isn't the bargain it used to be=( At least portion sizes are big and you can share. Either way by the sounds of it we will be holed up in a cheap campervan living on ham and cheese sandwiches lol

Eating out is cheap if you're prepared to do fast food.

The exception to this is Mexican food, it's usually almost as cheap as fast food but much better.

Places like iHop or Denny's would be better than McDonalds etc but still wouldn't be cheap. You'd be looking at under $20 a head including a tip.

Restaurants are more or less the same as Ireland by the time you factor in tips.

Muahahaha

RobertKK wrote: »

I went camping in Bryce canyon - it can get cold at night, campsite close by, camped in Monument valley, that was really lovely.Maybe you could mix it up with some camping and some nicer accommodation?

yeah that could be an option but something puts me off a bit about dragging tents, sleeping bags and all other camping paraphenlia to the US, plus the setting up/breaking down of it every day. I don't own any camping gear so that would be a fair cost too.

Managed to find a campervan company last night operating out of Vegas and their prices are good with no extra fees charged per mile driven which is unusual as rentals go. Only thing is the vans have a toilet but no shower but I don't see that as too much a problem as most of the paid campsites have shower blocks. Plan would be to stay in paid campsites/RV parks some nights but then others to find some free camping or 'boondocking' as its called over there. I'm reading that most national parks have national forests nearby with spots in them where you can pull an RV up for the night and stay for free. There's a good few websites dedicated to the idea of free camping with RVs, many with GPS co-ordinates of locations. I believe many Walmarts also allow free overnight parking of RVs too if we are really stuck

él statutorio wrote: »

The exception to this is Mexican food, it's usually almost as cheap as fast food but much better..

thanks for the tip, I could easily live on Mexican food for weeks on end

Jewelers

Muahahaha wrote: »

yeah that could be an option but something puts me off a bit about dragging tents, sleeping bags and all other camping paraphenlia to the US, plus the setting up/breaking down of it every day. I don't own any camping gear so that would be a fair cost too.

Managed to find a campervan company last night operating out of Vegas and their prices are good with no extra fees charged per mile driven which is unusual as rentals go. Only thing is the vans have a toilet but no shower but I don't see that as too much a problem as most of the paid campsites have shower blocks. Plan would be to stay in paid campsites/RV parks some nights but then others to find some free camping or 'boondocking' as its called over there. I'm reading that most national parks have national forests nearby with spots in them where you can pull an RV up for the night and stay for free. There's a good few websites dedicated to the idea of free camping with RVs, many with GPS co-ordinates of locations. I believe many Walmarts also allow free overnight parking of RVs too if we are really stuck



thanks for the tip, I could easily live on Mexican food for weeks on end

have you tried these https://www.drive-usa.de/motorhomes/ . using them for car rental in sept and saved a fair amount