Summer 2014

Hi

I am new to the site and am so glad to have found this!

We are from UK and we are planning a road trip for July this summer to visit my brother (in San Fran) and my sister (in LA) via Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon. We are also very keen to hire a RV for part of the trip.

Our initial thoughts on the route for the road trip part is LA to Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon to Las Vegas by RV. I was wondering if anyone can suggest any stop off places between these main points of interest and let us have an idea of how long I should expect the driving would be as I have never driven a RV before. We have lived in New Jersey for a couple of years so we are familiar with driving in the US but not a big vehicle like a RV.

Many thanks in advance!

John

John,

Very quickly checkout the RV hire to see if you get a large fee for picking up and dropping off at a different city (pick up LA, drop off Las Vegas). This may change your plans as it is often very much cheaper to do a circular route picking up and dropping off in the same city.

UK

UK

Many thanks for the tip - I will do that straight away.

John

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

An RV is a more expensive option then a car and Motels but if it appeals to you, it's a good Lifestyle' choice. Each section of travel you mention is achievable same day, but of course there are many options along the way, for example Monument valley, Antelope canyon, Zion NP, Valley of Fire etc, and then the number of days to spend in each place, so it's more of a case of how much time do you want to commit to this part of the trip ? I'm never sure if renting an RV for a week [or under] is actually worth it but that's a personal choice, however from Vegas to SF you have the National parks of Sequoia and Yosemite, two awesome places to be, especially in an RV. You could also consider Death valley without the RV, but most rental companies ban them from going here in the summer due to the extreme temps. Although SF is not that RV friendly there are a few RV parks and if you kept the RV, it would be worth considering doing a whole loop and return to LA via 2 or 3 days down the coast highway and avoid possible one way rental fees.

Thanks, Southwest Dave. Having checked the rental websites, it does make a lot of sense to do a loop. Our current itinerary is now 9 days from LA and back to LA.

On a different question, is a Class A better than a Class C RV? I've read somewhere that it could get a bit too warm with the overcab bed.

Thanks,
John

Most owners of RV's have a class 'A' and most renters hire a class 'C', which is best is a matter of opinion and circumstance. The class 'C' is cheaper to rent generally speaking and comparing like for like in size, can sleep more people due to the overcab bed. The class 'C's we have rented have had window vents in the sleeping area and our son and DIL found it quite comfy, I pulled rank and we had the double bedroom at the back ! lol Although the class 'C' has a wider rear end to it, the driving postion is more familiar to most people, especially to those who have driven a small truck. You don't say who 'We' are, or how many people will be travelling, but you can generally sleep 4 people in a Class 'C' without the need to use the overhead cab bed if you didn't want to. The class 'A' is more of a luxury item for longer trips or 'Full timers' [usually retired couples] and is why they are so popular with RV owners.

Is your 9 days to include time visiting relatives in SF, or are you planning to go there afterwards ?

Um.......... deciding whether or not to get a Class C versus a Class A is a bit more complicated. Here's a good article we published about the pros and cons of each class type.

But relative heat in the cab-over bed is way down the list of pros and cons.

It's more about how the RV will be used. A Class A is built on bus chassis -- generally more capable of carrying more gear, people, etc. A Class C is built on pick-up chassis -- more car-like when driving, easier to park, etc. I've driven all types. For vacations -- it still a toss-up. I like the ease of parallel parking a larger Class A -- but it takes some getting used to.

How many people will be in the RV?

The way the air conditioning vents are engineered -- it can actually get quite cold in the bed over the cab....

Mark

Thank you Mark and Dave. We've decided on a Class C in the end. There are only 4 of us and I figured enough people have rented them so it shouldn't be a problem. It will be part of the experience! We are going to SF afterwards - although I would have loved to take the RV to Yosemite and then to SF, I think that might be too much for the family.

Thank you again for your valuable advice.

John

That will make for a nice trip over 9 days and you should have time to visit Zion NP between Bryce and Vegas. To go into Zion you will have to pay an extra fee and wait a little while to get through the Mt Carmel tunnel, but it's a great drive. This is so they can stop on coming traffic entering the tunnel from the other end so they can let larger vehicles drive down the middle of the tunnel to avoid the roof connecting with the side arch of the tunnel. It might already be too late to find RV sites inside the National Parks but it's something you should get onto straight away, sites are limited in number and big in popularity. In GC you have Mather without Hook ups or the Trailer vilage with them, both are in a good location near the village and rim. For Bryce canyon you could check out 'Rubys Inn' campground right by the entrance to the park. Nearby Ruby's has a store and dining facilities and across the street is Bryce old town. Zion's popular campground is the 'Watchman' located near the entrance to the west and the lovely town of Springdale.
In Vegas 'Circus Circus' has an RV park right on the Strip, although it's more of a parking lot. We opted for the Oasis RV resort which is pretty cool, although it's probably around a $20 cab ride these days to the Strip.

Updated information about the Vegas "Circus Circus" RV Park -- it used to be called Circusland RV park. However, now it's a KOA. From photographs, it still looks the same -- a parking lot for RV's, pull throughs but NO grass, small pool and hot tub. At the prices they wanted, you might check Oasis to see if it's more reasonable and more preferable. We liked being right on the Strip when we were there with our 5W, as we had access to everything on the Strip without the cab fare or parking fees (not to mention, trying to get a tall pick-up truck into a parking GARAGE -- can you spell NIGHTMARE?!)


Donna

Thank you Southwest Dave and Donna on the RV sites at Las Vegas. I was just looking at them. Some reviews say the dogs could be a nuisance such as fouling and barking at Oasis?

John

When we stayed there I don't recall seeing or hearing a dog at all but of course that depends on who is there at the time you are. Even if there are dogs there when you are, it's more to do with how responsible the owners are with keeping their animals under control and clearing up after them. The site was very well maintained as well, but this was a few years ago. One of the main issues for people was the close proximity to the airport and the noise of the planes, but again it did not affect us as we were out all day and into the night and could then sleep through anything !

More people are likely to report a bad experience then they are a good one, so all you can do is compare a number of recent reports and go with your gut feeling.

Hi

We about to embark on our trip to Bryce from Vegas and wondering if there are any advice on the route. We will be taking a 30ft RV (1st timer I'm afraid!) and I've read that the tunnel on route 9 might be a bit challenging. An alternative is route 14 - is that very windy and steep?

Many thanks in advance,
John

Mod note] Please keep all questions regarding this trip in one thread. Thank-you.

Are you actually visiting Zion NP ? The Mt Carmel tunnel isn't too bad at all and many RV's use that route, which is quite spectacular. I haven't travelled on UT14 so I can't comment but if you are going direct from LV to Bryce you could take I15 up to UT20 to US89 to UT12. If you are looking to drive direct to Bryce, that's the quickest way according to my mapping program. If not and you are going to Zion, I would use the tunnel.

If you are concerned about the tunnel being a challenge, I am quite sure you will not want to drive UT-14. It is very windy, a few almost blind corners and quite up and down in places.... but Oh! so beautiful.

Lifey

Thank you both - we took route 20 in the end because we were late getting out of LV and it was enough challenge being first time driving a RV.

We are now planning for the next stage to Williams - would you know the difference between the regular 89 and Alt 89 after Kanab. Is Alt 89 a steep and windy road? Would you recommend going all the way to Falstaff and the go west to Williams or via route 64 (south rim of GC)?

Thanks,
John

That was a good choice, and avoided possible problem areas for you.

As for the road from Kanab to the South Rim, it is neither windy nor hilly, and if you coped well with 20 you will be fine with either 89 or the alt. I would take the alt, as it avoids having to take the detour around the landslide, and avoids going through Page. It will take you past the Vermillion Cliffs and over Navajo Bridge. Take the turn just before the bridge, into the interpretive centre. Gives a great understanding of the area and its peoples.

Definitely take 64 to Williams, assuming you will not be running late. It is a beautiful way to enter (or exit) the GC. Stop as often as you can.

Lifey

With an early[ish] enough start it is certainly worth taking 64 into the east entry point of the south rim. Along Desertview drive there are viewpoints to enjoy, the first being from the old watchtower offering expansive views of the Colorado and Painted desert. As you are based in Williams this will also save you back tracking to these viewpoints.

If you are making reasonable time you will first come across the Cameron Trading post on 89 which is a good place to take a break and wander around the stores, you can also get fuel here if needed. As you turn onto 64 there are market stalls along the roadside selling Indian trinkets etc that are worth a stop and better value than the the Trading post.

Enjoy !!

US-89 is still closed between Page and Bitter Springs (the junction with US-89A). Construction to repair the section wiped out by a landslide last year is supposed to be starting about now, but I've seen nothing to indicate that it actually has. There is a fully functioning bypass for US-89 from Page to just north of Hidden Springs Mission (about 15 miles north of the junction with US-160) that follows the alignment of BIA-20. Mileages will be about the same as what your software or maps indicates, just the route will be slightly different. Having driven both US-89 and US-89A in that area, my preference for scenery is (slightly) US-89A.

For more information on the US-89 repair and reopening, check the AZDOT webpage.

AZBuck