Visiting the Major National Parks

[Mark Sedenquist]

Any RV parks or campgrounds you would recommend that have easy (walking preferred) access to the beach?

I personally like Carpinteria State Beach up by Ventura. Any chance you have military access? There are some awesome beach campground owned by the USA military. Here's some info on that. And this column is always handy -- some of the pricing might be out of date, but the concepts are good.

Mark

[Utahtea]

Thanks! My wife and I were in Yosemite and in Rocky Mountain a few years back (2 separate trips) without kids. We'll probably skip Rocky Mountain this time. You are correct about driving the RV and not towing a vehicle. If you have been to the various Utah parks I'd welcome your perspective on which are the most "must see".

As DonnaR57 said....you must see them ALL! ;) I always joke and say my favorite National Park in Utah is the one I'm in. They all have great beauty and there is diversity between them all.

What is my favorite might not be your favorite must see. I can give you some information that might help with your decision.

Bryce and Canyonlands Island in the Sky District are canyons you view from the top looking down. Bryce you can hike down in and Canyonlands you can hike mostly along the rim or take a 4 x 4 into. Zion, Capitol Reef and Arches you drive in and see the red rock cliffs, arches or other wonderful sandstone formations. In the summer, Bryce with it's elevations between 8,000 and 9,000, will be the cooler of all the parks. The others get down right HOT in the summer. Zion has the Virgin River which you can play in to cool off. All have great hiking trails.

Arches and Canyonlands Island in the Sky District can both be seen with Moab as a base. You can get a good feel for each park with one day each. I prefer to come to this area and spend a week because there is so much more to do in the area. Scenic Hwy 128, Potash Road Hwy 279, Kane Creek Road, the La Sal Mountain Loop, biking, hiking, white water rafting, 4x4 wheel drives and Moab has 4x4 rental places that are for off 4x4 driving. Maybe this area might be something worth saving for another trip to this are when you have more time.

We enjoy the solitude found at Capitol Reef and the beautiful campground that's in really an oasis in this red rock landscape. Capitol Reef can be seen in half a day if time is limited but we like to come here to just relax for days at a time. Last September Capitol Reef wasn't even on our itinerary and we ended up coming and spending 5 nights here!

Bryce and Zion are also within 90 miles of each other, but I prefer to spend nights at each place. Bryce for the sunrises and sunsets and Zion because you are camping in the beautiful canyon of Zion. You can get a good feel for both parks if you spend a day at each park when time is limited.

Hope this helps.

[yoder5]

Hope this helps.

Very much so. Thanks Utahtea!

[DonnaR57]

The park at Huntington Beach is called Huntington By-the-Sea RV Park. Reviews from recent years, through online resources, are mixed. Some people liked the place, others called it a parking lot with hookups. My husband reminded me that the first site they put us in, had reverse polarity. The park management put us in another site, so we checked the electrical hookup first before moving to it.


Donna