Fun RV Parks near NV, in UT or CA, Maybe Northern NV or AZ?

San elijho state beach in encinitas ca uis great. It is more of a campground but there are tons of rv and pull trailers so you;ll fit right in. there are always kids around and its on the beach. its a state beach but hardly ever is all that crowded. and since its in encinitas you are close to many things there is even down town encinitas a short walk up the beach where there are small shops and things also downtown san diego is a short drive.

The National Parks are a great place to start. You are very close to Zion and Bryce. We just went to Zion and the Grand Canyon. Zion's Watchman campground has sights right next to the river and has electiracal hook-ups. We also like to go to Yosemite. The parks have lots of hiking and biking, plenty of beautiful scenery along with Junior Ranger programs for kids. These campgrounds are also inexspenive but require advance reservations. nps.gov can give you more info.

State parks are also great and cheap. We like to camp at the beach a lot. San Clemente is our favorite. Doheney, Carlsbad (near Legoland) and Malibu Creek are good too.

reserveamerica.com is the online reservation system for state or national parks. I don't remember which at the moment.

I've always wanted to camp at Red Rock near you. Have you done that yet? We stayed at Oasis in Vegas and weren't that impressed.

How far are you willing to drive? I grew up camping at Lake Silverwood in the Cajon Pass. Calico Ghostown is a fun place. Down south in Sand Diego there are great camping places such as Campland on the Bay and Santee Lakes. Santa Barba and the Solvang area have several campgrounds.

woodalls.com is a wonderful resource for campgrounds across the country. Check out Fogorn books Nevada Camping or California camping. We've found lots of good camping through our Ca book. Both are available on amazon.

We've had our trailer 5 years and have had so much fun. Your family has lots of good times ahead!

Hello J.,

The following link will take you to one of my favorite spots.

http://www.slocountyparks.com/activities/lopez.htm

It is a beautiful lake, with water slides and activities. When you go to the website, they have a picture of every campsite. Have a great time!

If you want to stay in Nv, Reno has an RV park right on the Truckee River that is pretty nice. It is right next to Rock park, so there's a playgorund. It's also right at the raft launch for floating on the river. Only a couple little dips at that point in the river so not too scary. My 6,4, and 2 yr olds all have gone down it with Dad holding onto them. Within a 10 minute drive is a mini golf place, the mall,a kids sprinkler park, and a water park. The weather is usually at least 10-20 degrees cooler than Vegas too. Have fun!

As I tell my children (almost daily)..."We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world". (I know some may disagree...). I live near Morro Bay State Park on the central coast of CA and can highly recommend it. Many of the campers there are RV types. Within walking distance is a Natural History Museum (geared toward kids but still interesting to adults), kayaking on the bay, hiking Black Mountain (an easy hike up a hill--not really a mountain, but that's what us locals call it) with 360 degree views of Morro Bay and the local valleys, a golf course, seafood restaurant, etc. There is so much more if you're up to a short drive -- so many local beaches that are good for kids (tide pools, etc.). Hearst Castle is about 45 minutes up the coast and San Simeon has a great beach with wonderful tidepools! Oh, and we have WONDERFUL farmer's markets in our county... one almost every day of the week, but San Luis Obispo's Thursday night is a real experience. If you come, try Mo's BBQ! (No, I don't work there, just a devotee!) Fastest way from LV is through the LA Basin (I15 to 210 to 134 to 101) and then up the coast (you'll pass Santa Barbara... great zoo for kids). The daytime temps are in the mid 60s to low 70s during the summer with night temps around 55. Our winters are usually very mild (daytimes high 50s to low 60's, nights in the 40s). Most people come during the summer, but September/early Oct are actually better months -- less fog, less crowds, warmer weather. Desert people should definitely bring sweatshirts/sweat pants. Hope you can visit our area. Happy Travelling! You'll make SO many memores! :) Ps: Check out Google Earth and click on some of the pics posted. You'll see what I mean.

I have heard very good things about Flying Flags in Buellton, Ca. We stopped there on our way to Lopez Lake and it was very nice and clean. It has a pool, laundry mat & play area for the kids. Those that I know that stayed there really like it. Just not sure what is near by.

Good luck and enjoy!
J.

Although it may not initially sound like a place you'd like to visit, Pahrump NV has a lakeside RV resort (Terrible's) that would be fun for this kids and it cools off at night more than Vegas does. It's only about an hour (hour and a half pulling a trailer) away from Vegas. The campground sits by a lake, where you can fish, rent paddle boats, swim (small beach section). There's a pool, they have outdoor concerts from time to time. It's actually very nice-there's a playground or two I believe, as well. http://www.terribleslakeside.com/

There is a great website called ReserveAmerica.com that allows you to search for campsites all over the U.S. and see the availability of the campgrounds. They also offer descriptions of each site.

Check it out -- good luck :)

Check out KOAs! We love them and we don't have a trailer! They are created for families in mind with pool and many other fun activities. Each one is different. Get you hands on a KOA guide for the USA and study up! We liked the one in Willits, CA.

There was a great article about RVing in Cookie Magazine last month. Hope this helps! Have fun!

http://www.cookiemag.com/travel/2009/06/RV-roadtrip

Campland on the Bay in San Diego is awesome. Great things for kids, playgrounds, pools, activities for kids, etc. Google Campland on the Bay San Diego and it will come up. It's right on Mission Bay and the weather is perfect here! And of course San Diego has all the great places like Sea World, Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Legoland, etc. and Disney and Knotts just up the freeway.

Zion is a nice close destination but its very hot there in the summer. We also have stayed at the Zion River Resort which is similar to a KOA...lots of things for the kids to do. Mt Charleston is close too. For a quick weekend getaway we go out to Pahrump and stay at the Terribles(sounds cheezy but my kids LOVE IT there). They have kayaks, a lagoon, a pool and jacuzzi, fishing, the road is easy to bike around and sometimes they have concerts on the lake. I wouldn't go for a long trip there but when we just want to pack up to get out of town its nice. I see that it was mentioned about reserveamerica. It is a great site but most of the state campgrounds or national parks release their reservations 5-7 months in advance and its very hard to get those reservations. Unless you get lucky and get a cancellation. (we booked Yellowstone 1 year in advance!) Hope all this helps...we enjoy RVing with our family and look forward to it every time!!!