I think I’ve lost track of how many such posts I’ve done. These past 27 months have found us in dozens and dozens of campgrounds across Mexico and the Western United States and feature everything from boondocking beach camps to $100/night RV parks.
We had planned on heading north via Arizona and Utah. Well, plans changed and Oregon was on the radar but we knew what we didn’t want to do was repeat the same route that we have traveled too many times over the last couple of years. By taking the border at Mexicali and heading down some back roads we effectively missed all of the dreaded San Diego/ LA/ San Francisco traffic. We also made a point of trying out some new spots along the way. Camp CDA research and all 🙂
Villas Mar y Arena Eco-Hotel~ Puerto San Carlos
We made this stop to break up the long Los Barriles- Loreto drive. And it did, although since we headed nearly an hour east to Puerto San Carlos and backtracked back that hour the next day, technically we probably only saved 20 minutes;). However, it was nice to see a different spot. Sadly, in our case, it was windy as hell and the beach was pure muck, not making for a lovely beach stop. The restaurant and eco-hotel look quite nice and the staff is certainly friendly, although at $19, not a huge bargain.
Riviera del Mar RV~ Loreto
Back at Yolanda’s! We have spent plenty of time over the last few years at Riviera RV and love the proximity to the beach and town. Clean, well organized, and friendly as always. $18/night with hook-up.
Coyote Beach~ Bahia Concepcion
Oh, Coyote, how we love you. Because of work, we could only spend two nights on Coyote Beach but it was as magnificently beautiful as ever. $7/night with Oaxacan rugs, water, fresh orange juice, tamales, and empanadas all delivered daily so no effort was required to ever remove our feet from the sand except for our daily hikes. Perfection.
Kadekaman Hotel & RV~ Vizcaino
We always stop in at Vizcaino to visit Fabiola and use the nicest bathrooms in any campground in Mexico bar none. It looks like they are continuing to improve the RV area, which is mostly a dirt parking lot with water and electric now, but at $19 with fast WiFi, and those bathrooms, we can’t resist.
Rancho Grande Gonzaga Bay~ Gonzaga Bay
After navigating unfinished Mexico 5 we arrived at beautiful Gonzaga Bay. We haven’t been here in a couple of years but the palapas, clean drop toilets, and stunning beach were as welcoming as ever. Rancho Grande store across the highway is very well stocked for its size and, if we hadn’t been chasing WiFi, we would have stayed a few days. $7/night
Campo San Felipe~ San Felipe
What a disappointment. We had stayed at Kiki’s in San Felipe two years ago and found the town charming. This time around several campgrounds were full, a couple that were available were either very run-down or we didn’t fit with our trailer, and the town was under protest due to Green Peace being camped offshore shutting down the local fishing fleets. Under protest ourselves we ended up spending two nights at this VERY expensive, run-down campground. Yes, it’s two blocks from the Malecon, yes it’s on the beach, and yes it has a pool. At $35/night you expect something amazing in Mexico. What we got was a bathroom which, while clean inside, looked like an abandoned Turkish prison from the outside, residents and staff alike who seemed disinclined to pick up dog poop and garbage, and so-so WiFi. If we hadn’t had a couple of long driving days and a need to get some work done we wouldn’t have stayed.
Rio Bend RV ~ El Centro, California
This 55+ community/ campground was a great first stop back in the USA. The staff were all super friendly, the campground was filled with amenities such as pool/ pickleball/ golf course, smoking fast WiFi, etc and best of all with the Passport America card it only cost us $25/night. A huge bargain in southern California.
Joshua Tree Lake RV Park~ Joshua Tree, California
We love Joshua Tree National Park but there was no camping available within the borders. Luckily, we found this eclectic little park just outside. The sites and facilities were…fine. But the miles of hiking/ BLM land next door was perfect to get in some walking and they have a fun little Art Fair area, a dark skies Astronomy theater, and host their own mini version of Burning Man. Not cheap at $35/night but a pleasant stop with easy access to the park.
Buena Vista Aquatic County Park~ Kern County, California
What a pleasant surprise. In an attempt to avoid the cities of Southern California we hit the backroads from El Centro towards I-5, ending our day near Bakersfield, not a beautiful area of the state. Thanks to Campendium we found a park for a mere $24/night with a big grassy area for Aspen AND a lake to fetch in. Certainly, not somewhere we’d choose for an extended stay but an unexpectedly nice evening.
Flag City Rv Park~ Lodi, California
What can we say? A big paved RV park right off of I-5. However,it was very near the many wineries in the area along with all the amenities we were looking for after a few long days of driving; hot showers, laundry, a pleasant staff, and with Passport America $32/night. Not exciting but a convenient overnight stop.
Stafford RV Park~ Scotia, California
This little family run place was super friendly and had a couple of interesting features like a tree house to rent that is literally built into the tree and bathroom block where the men’s room has no code but the women do. Why? No real explanation. Set right off of 101 it was fine for a 1-night stop and with Passport America came in at an excellent $17/night.
Turtle Rock RV Resort~ Gold Beach, Oregon
Another find from Passport America. Have you noticed a theme yet? Loving the discounts this card brings. Set on the river and right next to the Pacific off of Hwy 101 it is a pleasant little camp with a super friendly staff. PA rate $22 for 1 night only.
South Beach State Park ~ Newport, Oregon
We planned on trying out a new park in the area but total lack of cell coverage had us moving on to this old favorite. A typical Oregon state park it has a fantastic beach, miles of hiking/biking trails, and good facilities. $31/night.
Premier RV Resort ~ Salem, Oregon
Salem is limited to campgrounds and with just one night planned we hit up the most convenient park to the location we needed. Premier is one of 5 campgrounds under one ownership and is mainly made up of monthly residents with all those typical amenities; camp store, pool, theater, putting green, etc. The monthly rate is an amazingly low $550. The nightly rate, an expensive $62.
And voila. Another trip north is in the books with a lot of great new spots and a new route to avoid our usual traffic headaches. Now, off to camp CDA!