Las Vegas to Dallas Campervan Relocation in 5 days . . . any advice appreciated!

[Floretta]

Hi everybody,

We are flying to Vegas spending a night or two there then picking up a Campervan and driving it down to Dallas. It's a relocation so a cheap way to hire the van, we are aware that it may be a bit hard work doing it in 5 days and a lot of driving but we want to make the most of it! We are thinking of spending the first day or two doing Hoover Dam and staying a night near the Grand Canyon, then driving down through Pheonix and Tucson as my other half is a bit of a plane spotter and is desperate to do the plane graveyard there. That's as far as we've got - we will have to press on to get to Dallas in time but any places that are worth stopping for on the way to Dallas we would love to know about. Any advice on the route would be welcome too, maybe going via Albuquerque would be better?
Also we're not sure how it works with stopping for the night but do we have to find campsites or is it okay to park up somewhere along the way? Are there a lot of campsites or should we plan where we will spend the night before - and any ideas how much they charge?
Oh, and last question! Are there plenty of supermarkets for us to stop at to restock with food and drinks - most importantly!

We are going next week (Feb 2013) Thanks in advance, any help appreciated.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Well, It looks as though you're going to take two full days at least to get through Arizona, and that's fine. There's plenty to do there and the Grand Canyon and the Boneyard are just two of them. Have a look at this post for other options for planes in Tucson. That would still leave you two or three days to get to Dallas. Even if you only have two, there are a couple of 'side trips' you can take. The first one I'd recommend is to leave I-10 at El Paso and take US-180 east to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. You'd then use TX-652 and US-285 to rejoin I-10 at Pecos. The other possible stops are Monahans Sandhills State Park and another air museum at Dyess Air Force Base outside Abilene TX.

AZBuck

[DonnaR57]

Overnights in an RV (campervan)....

You can stay in any number of types of campgrounds. You may find national forest or national park campsites, which are among the least expensive at $15-25/night (usually). That's without hookups. State parks will cost a little more, and also may/may not have hookups. More expensive are commercial campsites. The chains, like KOA, will be more expensive than a non-franchise commercial site.

You may be able to stay outside of a campground. Some shopping centers will allow you to stay in their parking lot -- Wal-Mart and Target, to name two -- but be on the lookout for signs. Rest areas are risky at best as places for an overnight stop. Along the highways, 24 hour truck stops are probably your best bet -- check with the management first, and park where they suggest. If you stay outside of a campground, be sure to utilize the services of where you stay -- purchase supplies, gasoline/fuel, or similar.

As for groceries, most towns will have a grocery store or supercenter in which you can pick up anything you need. Most will have a large parking lot in which you can park while you shop. If cost is a concern, grocery stores in the larger cities are usually a little less expensive. Las Vegas should have plenty to choose from. So would Phoenix and Tucson.


Donna

[Southwest Dave]

and staying a night near the Grand Canyon,

To experience the Grand canyon you can't beat staying the night in one of the campgrounds within the park. Mather campground [non hook ups] and the Trailer village [hook ups] are near GC village and the rim where you will be able to witness a sunset over the canyon and stroll back to your RV afterwards. Good value as well ! However you should check for availability on the nps site and consider booking, it can get busy depending on when you travel.

There are quite a few viewpoints along Desertview drive [64 east] so you could consider exiting the park that way next morning and then take 89 down through Flagstaff.

As well as grocery stores, many service stations have groceries and it can be convenient to buy 'bits' while getting fuel. Sure it can be more expensive to shop, but if you get a your main supply in as you leave and then use these for the little things you need it can save fuel and time.