RV Grand Canyon
 

My family (my husband, myself, and 3 boys...ages 6, 8 & 10) want to do a 3ish day RVing around/near the Grand Canyon. Know nothing and would greatly appreciate suggestions/ideas.

Thanks!

Are you renting an RV? Are you coming from Phoenix, Las Vegas or Salt Lake City?

We are planning on most likely flying in/out of Phoenix and renting an rv.

What time of year?

Do you have previous experience driving an RV?

Before you book and pay for an RV, make sure you know all the costs involved, they are not cheap. Expect to spend at least $150 per day, they do not have unlimited mileage, you have to pay extra to rent linens and dishes, and you also have to stay in a campsite or RV park, you cannot just park anywhere by the side of the road (few exceptions like National Forest land).

WHEN? Isn't something I'd do - and I used to own a small Motor Home which I enjoyed. But I owned it which is a hecka lot different than paying to rent an RV. A car and hotels/motels would almost certainly be cheaper and getting around/parking is sooooo much easier by car.

Might be helpful check www.rv.net/forum
Lots of issues with RV travel ..lower speed limit , frequent stops for gas.(usually average 10-12 MPG)
.once you get to RV park and set up --hook up sewer, water, electric..turn on propane...there you are...for the duration..
So we used shuttle to transport to interesting areas..schedule at gate..
One nice thing about RV ..can save money on food (food in park is expensive)
Definitely more fun for me that "tent"camping...
Would be nice if you had more time.. 4-5 days would be ideal.

Actually, there are no lower speed limits for RV's and the larger fuel tanks mean about the same number of stops for fuel as with a car.

Hooking up sewer, water and electrical takes 10 mins. max and the propane is always on.

We used a RV for a trip including the Grand Canyon once and loved the experience. 3 kids under 12 who had a ball. Not having to unpack and repack clothing & etc.. every day made it a completely different experience. We did a lot of cooking outside but weather will dictate that ability.

We would stay a state parks and commercial campgrounds for the most part, with the occasional "Wall Mart parking lot".

The extra cost over using hotels was well worth it!

We are thinking maybe June. Haven’t rented an rv before. If we were wanting to for the “experience”.

June would be great! . . You will have to reserve a campsite at GC if you want to stay in the park ( we did ) . . there are some outside the park if it is full. If the campsite inside is full, call back every morning in case they have a cancelation.

Since you have not driven one before, you probably want as small an RV as will hold everyone.

Planning to go anywhere else?

If you have not rented an RV before -- perhaps do a test rental somewhere in your area for a weekend. It is not all fun and games as Rich describes (though there ARE a lot of fun and games too).

And the speed limits IS lower for large recreational vehicles on some roads. But even where the limit is the same - you ain't going to drive as fast.

You will absolutely need to book a campsite months in advance.

If you are going East after or before the canyon, the Painted Dessert and Petrified Forrest parks were memorable.

https://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/historyculture/pdi.htm

To the west we saw the Hoover Dam was fun for the kids.

https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/

To the North, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and to the south, Coconino National Forest

We wandered around for about a week on our trip . . the ones I mentioned above seemed to be the biggest hit with the kids ( who were about the age yours are)

Our routine we developed as we went was to let the kids sleep as long as they wanted. I am an early riser, so I would get up and disconnect everything and start the days driving, while wife made the coffee.. When kids woke up we would stop for breakfast.

One of our best family memories was a stop at a roadside pullout on the bank of the North Fork of the Gunnison River, coming out of Yellowstone. We were right at the edge of the bank with mountains in the backgrund and water running in front of us while we ate breakfast . . it was a scene out of a magazine! 30 years later, we all still talk about that breakfast!

But Rich, you were on a much longer trip. The OP is talking about <u>three days</u> . . . hard to work out a 'routine' when one is barely familiar with the vehicle or hooking up/disconnecting.

For such a short trip, I just think a motorhome is more trouble than its worth.

Website for campsite inside the park:

https://www.visitgrandcanyon.com/tra...saAh8nEALw_wcB

Let me start by saying I love exploring out of the way places in a small motor home but I think the logistics of renting for such a short period of time might be too much for just three days.

As soon as you pick up your rental you will need to stop someplace like Walmart or Kmart to pick up the basic supplies you will need: paper plates, disposable silverware, toilet paper plus snacks food and drinks.

Does the rental company supply your towels and bedding? What about pots and pans, dish soap etc? If not, you need to supply these also. You also have to take into account where you will store your luggage in the motor home. Space is at a premium.

We flew into Boston and rented a small motor home for my husband and myself in order to view the fall colors. We picked up our supplies at Walmart, including pots and pans, towels and bedding. We stashed our luggage in the overhead bed, while we slept in the back bed. With five of you you won't have this luxury. We were gone for two weeks so the effort was worth it, but I would not do it for only three days.

Just rent a van or suv. Pick up a cheap ice chest so you can have drinks and snacks on hand. You can pick up picnic supplies and enjoy lunches in one of the many picnic areas located at the Canyon. See if you can find a hotel that offers a breakfast buffet. This is how I would do it if I were you.

There was a suggestion upthread to do a test rental somewhere in your area for a weekend . . if this is actually only a three day trip, it would pretty much serve that purpose.

There is a Kaibab Forest Service campground slightly south of the very expensive town of Tusayan. Very cheap with spacious camping site. We truly enjoyed it. No RV services.

Personally, I agree with Rich as I RV'd for years. Packing in/out of motels (and bed bugs) plus waiting time at $$$$ restaurants is a more tedious chore than hooking up a RV.

Caution: The longer the RV, the more difficult it is to maneuver especially in parks. Today's Class As are very comfortable - insure they have slide-outs.

Michele is on target - STUDY the contract - don't just read it

You can rent from RV companies or from private owners. This is a unique such site to rent from both private owners and RV dealerships.

https://rvshare.com/rental-discounts...iAAEgKE7vD_BwE


Vaga

"Packing in/out of motels (and bed bugs)..."

Bedbugs don't care for rented RVs for their families?

This is the bed bug registry for motels in the US
http://bedbugregistry.com/

Your turn.
Send me a bed bug registry for rented RVs

Vaga