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Touring national parks via RV or Camper/NPT

After decades of roaming the West, I took the plunge last summer: I bought a camper. There have been countless times when I’ve arrived at my camp to be faced with putting up my tent in the pouring rain, howling wind, or extreme cold. More than a few times I ended up sleeping in the back of a car not nearly meant for that.

Once in Arches National Park, around New Years, we had set up the tent, eaten dinner, read for an hour and it was still only 7 p.m. That meant we would be in our sleeping bags at least for the next 12 hours in the biting cold. You can only sleep so long, after all.

As Boomers age (like me) our joints are creaking, and the prospect of cold, dark nights has us into the market for some sort of recreational vehicle. For me, I found a basic pop-up truck camper (above, a Grandby, by Four Wheel Campers) hidden away in a Wyoming rancher’s barn. It was older than my kids, in great shape, light enough for my pickup to handle without too much effort, and cost less than a new set of tires. My teenage son and I spent a month cleaning, refurbishing and outfitting it, and then took off last November for the desert from our base in the Uinta Mountains of Utah.

After a day hiking around Great Basin National Park in Nevada we set up camp on a side road in the valley as the sun went down. We pushed up the camper top, fired up the furnace, and cooked some pasta. We were, literally, cooking with gas. That night the wind whipped up (as it does in the desert) and the gale lasted all night, but we were warm and snug and dry. I reminisced about a stormy Arizona night when our tent poles bent and then snapped, leaving us in a nylon cocoon for the rest of the night. But, no more. For us it was about extending our camping season into the dark, cold months and being able to take those rugged roads into the great vastness of public lands in the West. A trailer just couldn’t do that. For my lifestyle the camper was, as my dad would say, “The clear rig.” Aka, the perfect rig.

Camper trailer in Acadia in 1922/NPS

Campers have been traveling the national parks for a long time, as evidenced by this camping trailer in Acadia in 1922/NPS

And there’s the rub: there’s an RV for every age and lifestyle. What do you plan to do with it, where will you go, and how long will the trip last? Are you going on overnighters or six months in the Arizona desert, fleeing the northern storms, and what’s your budget? Are you a retired couple or young family or an adventure couple? Which national parks would you like to visit, and are there restrictions on sizes, amenities, or length of stay?

For the minimalist there are the small truck campers like mine, or the megacampers with showers, toilets, and even ovens. But they can be very heavy, which means a heavier truck, lower mileage, and special suspension equipment. The advantage is obvious: they go where you go, but, conversely, if you want to explore with your truck, your camper goes with you.

Trailers vary from small pop-up tent trailers, to the new teardrop mini-trailers (such as the Airstream Basecamp and Winnebago Winne Drop), to large trailers with push-out living rooms that can be dozens of feet long. Small and mid-size Airstream trailers will gain you cool points with their efficient use of space, rounded aluminum body, and plenty of windows. One owner says of hers: “I adore my trailer. At 16 feet I don’t even know it’s there. It’s never squirrely.”

Which brings us to another point with larger trailers and even motorhomes: They can be beasts on wheels if you’re not used to driving that much steel and aluminum around, and can be a handful in a high wind. One hybrid option is a 5th-wheel trailer, which distributes the weight onto the truck, too.

VW Beetle with trailer in Lassen Volcanic National Park/NPS

Going retro long has been popular with some park travelers/NPS

The Class A motorhome is the gold standard of RVs, if you can afford one. Built on a bus chassis, they often have slideouts, you can access the living area from the cockpit, and they are very luxurious. Campervans are a Class B motorhome, and the Sprinter van conversions are becoming very popular. But a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter can probably cost as much as some small mountain cabins. Class C RVs are the more traditional motorhomes, on truck chassis.

All of these have various advantages and disadvantages and amenities. Bigger rigs are often equipped with generators, air conditioners, solar panels, roof racks, and even backup cameras. Self-contained models will also let you enjoy the joys of using sewer hookups or emptying the holding tanks. One common issue with most RVs is the effects of humidity, which can lead to mold, but can be addressed with dehumidifiers.

But, once you’re on the road with whatever you’re using, you’ll need to do a bit of research on your route, destination, and camping facilities. Some location’s road access, such as that leading to Cedar Breaks National Monument in southern Utah, are not designed for big vehicles, with narrow, steep, and sometimes unpaved roads. These beasts weigh a lot, so go easy on the brakes, too, by downshifting when you can.

Once you decide where you’re taking your rig, make sure you’ll fit before you reserve a campsite. And, know the length of your rig, turning radius and its height. You don’t want to bend anything or hit an overhanging limb.

Many visitors looking to experience RV trips to the parks rent a rig, rather than purchase their own / NPS

Campsites, on average, are around 27 feet long, with some smaller and some larger. For example, Yosemite Valley has only a dozen 40-foot sites. So do some research on where, when, and how long. Narrow tunnels and low bridges can also ruin your whole day.

Campgrounds in our national parks are located in some of the most stunning scenery in the world, but most don’t offer full hookups with water, sewer, Wi-Fi and power. Generators are also forbidden after certain hours, so be prepared to keep the television off, and enjoy the night skies. Dogs are great companions and can usually be left in a well-ventilated camper when it’s not too hot while you hit the trails.

While this sounds like a lot of effort, planning and cost, the rewards of being self-contained and on the road are many. So just relax, plan a trip, take your time and head out.

metimes unpaved roads. These beasts weigh a lot, so go easy on the brakes too, by downshifting when you can. Once you decide where you’re taking your rig, make sure you’ll fit before you reserve a campsite. And, know the length of your rig, turning radius

Airstream makes a variety of trailers, big and small, to help you feel comfortable on the road/Marianne Cone

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Comments

We have a Livin' Lite aluminum pop-up trailer that we can tow with our Subaru. It's not overly fancy, but that's how we like it. It's made camping much easier for us. 


There's a lot of not-quite-right info about RVs in this article. 

Class A RVs aren't necessarily built on bus chassis. Most are not. Most are on a truck chassis, which is entirely different. 

Class C are an extension of what waa originally called a "chassis mount" camper. Most are built on cutaway van chassis. 

Almost all campers have showers and ovens etc., only the most minimal, basic ones don't. 


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The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

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