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In Your Motor Home, Arizona is The Best Camping

In Your Motor Home, Arizona is The Best Camping

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Let me tell you a few things about the Arizona sky. First off, in Arizona, the sky is bigger than the ground. You really get the feeling that the earth is just a tiny little ball under all that endless sky.

The other thing is that evening in Arizona is like a natural lightshow. The sky turns every color of the rainbow before it turns black and fills with more stars than you’ve ever seen in your life.

There is probably no better place in the world for camping and visiting in your motor home and RV than the state of Arizona. Those of us who live in the States are lucky that such a wonder is just a drive away.

The Great American West

Arizona is the Grand Canyon State. The Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring symbol of the American west. It always amazes me when I meet people who have never been there, even once. It’s like a theme park for hikers and campers. There’s so much to do you can spend weeks there.

Another symbol of the American west that fewer people have visited is Monument Valley. Once you see those big rock formations, you realize that you’ve seen them before in tons of western movies and photos. Every one of those John Wayne movies was filmed there. Monument Valley is unique; there’s no place like it on earth.

Unlike Grand Canyon, Monument Valley is a little hard to get to. It’s on the Navajo Reservation and there’s no Interstate leading directly to it. Still, it’s a state highway and even big rig RV’s can make the trip.

Exploring Northern Arizona

When most people think of Arizona, they picture a desert full of cactus and sagebrush. If any mountains come to mind, they are probably big bare hunks of rock. If you’ve never been to Northern Arizona before, you’ll be surprised to find yourself at 7,000 feet elevation, surrounded by mountains and pine trees.

Northern Arizona actually looks a lot like the Rockies in Colorado, just without the trickling mountain streams. It’s hotter and drier, but the air is just as clear.

Around Flagstaff you’ll find all kinds of great camping and sightseeing. You can see Indian ruins at Wupatki and Betatankin, or hike around on volcanic rocks at Sunset Crater. Flagstaff is a great place to set up camp or park your motor home because there are several great places just a short drive away.

Down In The Valley

For those who want to brave the heat, mid and southern Arizona has lots to offer. South of Phoenix you’ll find some of the biggest Indian ruins in North America, Casa Grande. It’s a fortress compared to places like Mesa Verde.

The great thing about the southern part of the state is that few people get down there. You’ll mostly run into locals, and there are always plenty of places to set up camp.

Tucson is a great place to set up your base of operations for southern Arizona sightseeing. There are some great campgrounds on the outskirts of town where you can be right in the foothills of the beautiful Catalina mountains.

Arizona is a Mecca for campers and RV enthusiasts. Get yourself a guide today and get on the road!

Nothing is greater than seeing the sites in your own home on wheels, and a recreational vehicle allows you to travel in style. Visit Bankston Motor Homes, http://www.bankstonmotorhomes.com/, to search for your next motor home or come by and visit with us at any of our five locations.
Motor Home Camping In Utah

Motor Home Camping In Utah

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Utah is a great place for camping. One of the reasons it attracted Mormon settlers was because it was full of stunning natural beauty, like nothing anyone had ever seen before.

The good news for all you campers and hikers is that all that scenery has been preserved by the park service for us to enjoy today. If you look at a map of Utah, you’ll see that almost the entire south-central portion is national park. You could easily spend several weeks in Utah and always find new things to see.

Bryce Canyon

Utah has some of the greatest camping in the country, and Bryce Canyon is a choice spot. Bryce is about 250 miles south of Salt Lake City and about 7,000 feet up in the air. At Bryce, you’ll find hiking trails that lead right into the canyon, and a nice, high desert climate.

It may not be New York City, but Bryce Canyon has its own Wall Street. It’s a little different, though. It’s one of the many canyon trails that winds around into the canyon, where you are surrounded by towering rock formations that cast shadows every which way. Bryce Canyon is a desert hiker’s dream.

Because it’s so high up, Bryce gets its fair share of weather extremes. In the summer it is hot, and in winter it is freezing cold. Many find that late spring or early fall are good times to go. At those times of year, you can have some warmth and sunshine for your day hikes and the cool desert night to sleep in.

Bryce Canyon has 2 campgrounds, but there are also places where you can pitch your camp out in the wilderness. Both campgrounds are RV accessible.

Zion

Zion is an amazing place because it’s located in the spot where three distinct landscapes meet. It’s located at the crossroads between the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin. This is why Zion offers sights you won’t see anywhere else.

Hiking and mountain biking are the best way to see Zion. For those of you who are not into long all-day hikes, there are lots of trails that aren’t too long. There are three campgrounds with varying levels of accommodation with spots for your RV and motor home. You can keep it as rugged or as comfortable as you want.

If you really want to see the best of what Zion has to offer, you have to hit the backcountry. This may mean strapping everything to your back and stretching those legs a little bit, but it will be well worth it.

At Zion, you’ll see stark cliffs rising out of the canyon floor, rushing streams cutting through walls of rock, wind and water-sculpted rock formations that look like something from Mars, strikingly beautiful wildflowers growing out of bare earth… and maybe even a mountain lion! Don’t worry, they’re shy. If you see one, it will be for a split second before he runs off to safety.

Arches

Arches National Park is named after its most striking feature – the arches. These arches are made of all natural sandstone. Over time, the wind has carved them out of this delicate rock. For geologists, it’s a goldmine of ancient fossils. For hikers and other outdoors types, it’s full of spectacular scenery.

In addition to the arches that make it famous, the park is full of barren desert beauty. Giant boulders stand balanced on top of each other, like they might be ready to fall at any moment. Unearthly rocky shapes stand out in a landscape of sand, shrub and brightly colored wildflowers. Arches is a photographer’s paradise, with its rock structures that subtly change shape over the course of the day as the sun hits them at different angles.

There’s only one campground at Arches, the ominously named Devils Garden Campground. If you plan to go, especially during summer, you should call to make a reservation. You can also make a reservation online. There are both tent camping spots as well as those that can accommodate larger vehicles, trailers and RVs, complete with hook-ups.

You can plan a whole camping vacation around Utah alone. Besides these popular national parks, there are more out-of-the way places to camp in Utah, where you can really get away from it all.

The spectacular outdoors are great sites to see from your family motor home. Visit Bankston Motor Homes, http://www.bankstonmotorhomes.com/, to search for your next motor home or come by and visit with us at any of our five locations.
Motor Home Camping In The Canadian Rockies

Motor Home Camping In The Canadian Rockies

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Ever thought of heading north? Ever walked on a glacier, or taken snapshots of a grizzly bear? The Canadian Rockies are truly unique. You can see some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in North America. With its pristine beauty and amazing views, the Canadian Rockies are not to be missed.

Warning: Yeah, it’s cold. I mean, really cold. Of course, the best time to go is in the summer time, but you still need to take coats, gloves, and big warm sleeping bags.

Banff – Skiers’ Paradise

Banff is probably the most popular spot in the Canadian Rockies, and this is because of the variety. There’s not only camping and hiking, but great fishing and skiing. It’s a destination for lots of motor home travelers.

But, let me give you a better description. Imagine camping by a rushing river lined with pine trees. In the background is a giant mountain. Add to that the cleanest air you’ve ever breathed and a quiet stillness you never experience back home, and you’ve pretty much got Banff.

Unlike some places in the Canadian Rockies, Banff is fairly easy to get to, and pretty convenient. You can stock up on supplies, shop or eat out in town, and you’re not far from the pristine camping areas.

Lake Louise – Home Of The Grizzly

Lake Louise is just spitting distance from Banff, located actually in Banff National Park. This is another area full of wonderful views and pristine nature. Lake Louise boasts great skiing, and it’s the “hiking capital” of Canada, but the lake itself is the biggest draw. Because of the silt in the water, the lake changes colors slightly throughout the year and time of day.

Lake Louise has glaciers and waterfalls, and it’s far away enough from everything that you might run into some critters. I’m not talking about tiny critters like rabbits or squirrels, I’m talking about elk, deer… and grizzlies! Just keep in mind, they’re as afraid of people as we are of them. Just don’t get too close to try to take a picture or anything.

The area around Lake Louise is spectacular, because it is truly one of the last frontiers. When you head north from Louise, you are really going into no-man’s land. There’s not much up there until you get to Alaska!

North To Jasper

Well, there is something between Lake Louise and Alaska, and it’s Jasper National Park. Like Lake Louise, Jasper has stunning views, abundant wildlife, glaciers, and not many people or conveniences.

If you want to really do the Canadian Rockies, I suggest taking driving your RV from Lake Louise to Jasper. But, I recommend going slow. This is because there is scenery on that drive that you will never see again.

Just off the road you’ll see mountain vistas you’ve never dreamed could exist. Most people stop off at the Columbia Icefield, located about halfway to Jasper. This is a gigantic glacier, a leftover from the last ice age. It’s melting slowly but surely, but there’s still a lot of it to go.

Jasper is even more remote than Lake Louise, so if you want to head there I suggest stocking up before you leave; fill that motor home with supplies! Jasper is truly an adventure, and most people who go up there get a peek of a grizzly, wolf or mountain goat.

As long as you’re in the Canadian Rockies, you might as well check out Kootenay and Yoho, two other great National Parks. There’s also a variety of lodging options for those who don’t want to rough it.

Why not go north this summer and check out the Canadian Rockies? It will be a traveling experience you’ll never forget!

Visit Bankston Motor Homes, http://www.bankstonmotorhomes.com/, to search for your next motor home or come by and visit with us at any of our five locations. Find the perfect motor home for traveling to all of the splendors of North America.
Your Motor Home Camping in America’s National Parks

Your Motor Home Camping in America’s National Parks

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Those of us who live in the States are lucky. We have one of the best National Park systems in the world. We also have fast, efficient Interstates that will take you close enough to most of them that you don’t have to worry about off-roading in your RV!

But what makes those parks so great is really the breathtaking natural beauty that is preserved there. Every place in the world has its unique sights to see, but you just can’t beat standing on the south rim of the Grand Canyon watching the sun go down.

Here is a brief introduction to 3 of America’s oldest and still best national parks, Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Yellowstone National Park – Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming

Yellowstone is the first, and many consider the greatest National Park in the United States. It’s a wonderland of spouting geysers, unique rock formations and other leftover evidence of a massive volcanic explosion over 600,000 years ago.

Don’t worry, it’s all cooled off now. At Yellowstone, you can see the world’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful. Early settlers thought it was a noxious spew from hell itself, but nowadays we know it’s just a geothermal process, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting.

Yellowstone has a reputation for being crowded, and it’s true that it’s a popular destination. If you really want to see the park, park your motor home and hike off the beaten path. Yellowstone has lots of great hiking trails, more than enough for everybody to enjoy without crowding each other. There are plenty of day hikes with spectacular views.

Yellowstone has at least 12 different campgrounds, and they’re all first come, first served. Before you go, you’ll want to call ahead and see about fire restrictions. If you’re with the family and you want to stick to some luxurious digs, there are KOA’s and other commercial campgrounds just outside the park with more modern conveniences where you can park your motor home or RV.

Yosemite National Park – Eastern California

Yosemite is another one of the oldest national parks in the United States. The wilderness of Yosemite represents all kinds of terrain, including meadows, valleys, mountains and great forests, and it’s not too far from San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Probably the most amazing thing about Yosemite is the waterfalls. It has more waterfalls than any other single place on earth. Steep cliffs of granite abound, and from certain points in the valley you can see seven or eight big ones at once. It may be tempting, but don’t try swimming in the pools, because the force of the water can knock you senseless.

Yosemite also boasts one of the biggest forests of sequoias in the world. These ancient trees stand tall, their tips pushing way up into the sky, like the California Redwoods.

There are 13 campgrounds in Yosemite National Park, and some of them accept camping cars, trailers, motor homes and RV’s. If you plan on heading to Yosemite, it’s best to call ahead and make a reservation. In the summer months, the campgrounds fill up quick.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park – The North Carolina and Tennessee Border

If you like the outdoors, Great Smoky has it all. There are more hiking trails than probably any other area in the US, as well as great fishing and camping. Compared to the parks out west, you’ll see lots more wildlife and plants. Also unlike the west, the weather is mild and there’s plenty of humidity to keep you from dehydrating.

Another reason to head for the Smokies is to experience real, authentic Appalachian mountain culture. There’s mountain music, storytellers, and all kinds of family fun.

Great Smoky is also a great place for RV drivers, because there are lots of auto tours. The park boasts roads where you can see great views, old historic buildings and vast forests as far as the eye can see.

Of course, this is just a basic introduction. You have to see these parks to believe them. These are definitely three places you want to hit at least sometime in your life.

See the States coast to coast in your home on wheels. Your family motor home lets you travel in style. Visit Bankston Motor Homes, http://www.bankstonmotorhomes.com/, to search for your next motor home or come by and visit with us at any of our five locations.