We are by no means full-timers or even seasonal travelers, however, we did do Justin's Diamond J RV Park right next door to Desert Trails, and I personally thought the sites were very thin.  Next door at Diamond J the spaces seemed a little wider, and of course, the sites in the MV/GV/DV area are really nice.  You can hike out into the desert on several trails from that area which are all lovely hikes.  You are close to the Saguaro West and the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum which is a must.  We stayed in an MV spot, but when we go again, we will do the GV or DV spots as the extra $$$ is worth it.  You have a beautify view of the mountains on Saguaro East at sunset and sunrise (the sun turns golden and shines on those mts. in the evening).  It doesn't have a lot of the other activities that other RV parks have and we appreciate that as we tend to find our own things to do, so maybe that makes a difference.   

ClaireOKC wrote:

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We are by no means full-timers or even seasonal travelers, however, we did do Justin's Diamond J RV Park right next door to Desert Trails, and I personally thought the sites were very thin.  Next door at Diamond J the spaces seemed a little wider, and of course, the sites in the MV/GV/DV area are really nice.  You can hike out into the desert on several trails from that area which are all lovely hikes.  You are close to the Saguaro West and the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum which is a must.  We stayed in an MV spot, but when we go again, we will do the GV or DV spots as the extra $$$ is worth it.  You have a beautify view of the mountains on Saguaro East at sunset and sunrise (the sun turns golden and shines on those mts. in the evening).  It doesn't have a lot of the other activities that other RV parks have and we appreciate that as we tend to find our own things to do, so maybe that makes a difference.   

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 Claire, I like the fact that you can hike or bike out from both of those parks, plus the city and national parks are close by. But, both rv parks have their negatives also despite the ambiance. I have looked at other parks / resorts online in the Tuscon area and also in and around Benson. Many of these are 55+ and in the $770 range per month.  I'm 55+ and single but I also enjoy having younger folks around and not having to pay $770/mo. Some parks/resorts don't seem to provide any shade or privacy between sites. Some also appear to be close to railroad tracks like Butterfield RV Resort, a great looking resort but I guess you have to get used to the 60+ trains that whistle through town every day and night. I half liked what I saw of Cochise Terrace RV Resort but several reviewers warned about the wind since it sits above Benson. I looked at the RV parks around Tombstone and did find several that I could like, I just don't know if I could like them for 5 months. 

 

I've come to the conclusion that trying to decide on an RV park/resort for a seasonal stay based solely on on-line pictures and reviews (plus video after video on YouTube) may not be the best way to decide. Since nothing beats seeing these places in person what I may wind up doing (??) is making early reservations at several AZ State Park campgrounds for 2 weeks at a time (the time limit) and work my way from north to south from the Colorado River down to Picacho SP to Patagonia SP near the border and take a personal look at some of the resorts on the way. I'm aware that these state parks also book up fast (the ones that take reservations) during the winter months. Since I've never camped before in Arizona, that this should be an adventure may be an understatement. Maybe this will help me decide if I want to stay for several months in any one place.

 

New Mexico anyone?

 

 

Hans

"I've come to the conclusion that trying to decide on an RV park/resort for a seasonal stay based solely on on-line pictures and reviews (plus video after video on YouTube) may not be the best way to decide. Since nothing beats seeing these places in person what I may wind up doing (??) is making early reservations at several AZ State Park campgrounds for 2 weeks at a time (the time limit) and work my way from north to south from the Colorado River down to Picacho SP to Patagonia SP near the border and take a personal look at some of the resorts on the way. I'm aware that these state parks also book up fast (the ones that take reservations) during the winter months. Since I've never camped before in Arizona, that this should be an adventure may be an understatement. Maybe this will help me decide if I want to stay for several months in any one place."

When we were thinking of going fulltime we went to the Life on Wheels (LoW) conference, which no longer exists. Gaylord Maxwell, who ran LoW, recommended a similar strategy to yours, stay a week or two at multiple places to get the feel and understand what is important to you for long term stays. We did this for multiple winters, staying one to two weeks all over Arizona, Florida, Texas, and California with stays in other southern states like New Mexico and Alabama along the way. If we had listened to others, in many cases we would have ended up wintering somewhere we were not as happy as the areas we found worked for us. We figured out where we were happiest, which ended up being Mesa Arizona and Fort Myers Florida, but have friends who dislike these same places. Luckily these friends like places we like outside winter. Also know that most snowbirds often have no idea of alternative campgrounds or areas and are thus no help choosing.

Has anyone stayed at Catalina State Park? We wanted a place to stay while we got a feel for the area.