Travel Plans

[freestoneangler]

This being our first snowbird year, our plan is to head south from MT early November and spend a 2-3 weeks in southern Utah before heading to AZ.  Except for Yuma where we have some friends who winter there in a park and where we will stay for a longer period, we plan to move around and see various areas of the state.  If we get a bit road weary, we'd perhaps rent for a month for a break and to save a little money.  How risky do you think not having a firm itinerary and reservations is?  What has been your experience traveling and staying around the state without advanced reservations?  How often have you been left without a site with full hook-up?

[Kirk W]

I assume that you realize the weather watching will be very important in Utah in November? It should be OK but you do need to keep a close eye on it. Your AZ travels should be OK but you may not always get to stop in your first choice of park. We have traveled that way in winter more than once through AZ but we always make it a practice to call ahead on the cell to be sure that we have a spot before we actually go into a park. There are many, many parks in most areas of AZ so a place for a few nights is rarely ever a problem. Finding a spot in a specific park for more than a week can be dicey without reservations. 

[Barbaraok]

For a week or two you will be fine.  For a month - you would need to have reservations now in areas around Phoenix or Tucson if that month is in the January-March time frame.   I would not think November a good time to spend in souther Utah, snow can come then.   Of course there is always "Q" (Quartzite) where you can sit in the desert (the ultimate boon docking) for long stretches of time.

We spent about 3 years knocking around the state doing 1-2 week stints before we settled on the Mesa area and then another few years finding which park we liked.   Take your time and you will be fine.  BTW - Maricopa County has some great parks (water/electric) as does the Tucson area.  

[bobsallyh]

Can't help you on the Southern Utah situation because we have a rule that we are out of Montana the Tuesday after Labor Day and slowly heading to Yuma. . As far as Yuma reservations, the last several seasons have been down in park occupancy. There are sites available all winter long. You may not get amenities that you want, but if you make a long term reservation you could spend a miserable winter. Remember all RV parks are not created equal! We never did jump around in the winter. We found a park that really liked and spent five months there for 13 seasons. Longer stay the better deal. Then 18 months ago we bought an RV lot out in the Foothills.

[Randyretired]

We had a houseboat on Lake Powell and enjoyed October but often encountered cold and sometimes snow in November. There have been a few years that stayed nice into early November and it oftentimes warms after a storm but November usually brings a few cold storms.