Advice on Phoenix area campgrounds

[BusManRG]

Hubby and I are planning a trip to Arizona in March to enjoy a bit of Spring Training. The plan is to split the week between Vegas and the Scottsdale area. We currently have tickets for one game and hope to get one or two more as they go on sale. Any suggestions on parks in the area would be appreciated. I've checked most of the usual apps, but none of them seem....great. Ok at best. I've reserved a site at the KOA Mesa/Apache Junction. On paper, it had the most appeal, other than the distance to the ballparks. Wish we could have gotten a site with the larger patio area, but at this time not available. Any and all comments and suggestions are appreciated! In Vegas, I've requested a site at the Oasis. Seemed like those of you who attended the rally there had a great time. Not sure what the turnaround time is on there online reservation system. I just sent off the request, but who knows? I might be back needing Vegas help too!

Thanks!!

Sandy

 

[SNOKING]

Hubby and I are planning a trip to Arizona in March to enjoy a bit of Spring Training. The plan is to split the week between Vegas and the Scottsdale area. We currently have tickets for one game and hope to get one or two more as they go on sale. Any suggestions on parks in the area would be appreciated. I've checked most of the usual apps, but none of them seem....great. Ok at best. I've reserved a site at the KOA Mesa/Apache Junction. On paper, it had the most appeal, other than the distance to the ballparks. Wish we could have gotten a site with the larger patio area, but at this time not available. Any and all comments and suggestions are appreciated! In Vegas, I've requested a site at the Oasis. Seemed like those of you who attended the rally there had a great time. Not sure what the turnaround time is on there online reservation system. I just sent off the request, but who knows? I might be back needing Vegas help too!

Thanks!!

Sandy

Feb and Mar are the two busy months in the valley. If you can find a spot take it. If you have Passport America the Cal-Am resorts honor it for 7 days at 1/2 prices. They keep a number of sites for temp drop ins. There are many in Mesa. 8-10 miles away from Scottsdale. Chris

 

[MTPockets]

Check out www.Maricopacountyparks.org - they have some nice spots for short stays...

 

[JohnD]

We stayed at an RV park behind a Ramada Inn right next door to Sun City RV on Grande Ave. in Mesa when we broke down two years ago.

Good place to stay with nice facilities . . . but nothing as far as activities are concerned.

Don't remember the name (other than the Ramada Inn, who I think owns it) . . .



They had some much larger sites than this in the middle of the park . . .

 

[MCTalley]

My only input on the Mesa KOA is that to make sure that the site you reserved has EXACTLY the same power as your RV (30 or 50 amp). They are the only park I've ever run across that absolutely will not let you use a dogleg or adapter to change over to the other. We didn't read that on their rules and lost about $60 as a non-refundable deposit when we arrived to check in to our 30 amp site with our 50 amp RV (that was all they had available at the time).

They shooed us out the door and sent us on our way. KOA corporate was "sorry, take it up with the campground", campground said that we should have read the rules on the reservation email (it was all the way below all the paragraphs of fine print regarding pets and I don't see it listed anywhere on their website).

 

[Lynn1130]

Sun City RV on Grande Ave. in Mesa when we broke down two years ago.

John, you might be off by about 40 miles. Sun City and Grand Ave. are in Surprise and the West Valley. Mesa is about 40 miles or more to the east.

As mentioned, take what you can get. Spring Training means thousands from around the country until April 1 and training is over. I don't know if you have a particular team in mind, as you have some tickets already but the Dodgers, White Sox, Royals and Rangers parks are near Sun City. The Mariners and Padres are close by in Peoria. The Cubs, DBacks, Giants and Rockies are in the east Valley (and I probably forgot one or two).

I understand Cubs tickets are already 25% above stub price and half of Chicago is here that time of year. Plan on some crowds and high ticket prices.

 

[BusManRG]

My only input on the Mesa KOA is that to make sure that the site you reserved has EXACTLY the same power as your RV (30 or 50 amp). They are the only park I've ever run across that absolutely will not let you use a dogleg or adapter to change over to the other. We didn't read that on their rules and lost about $60 as a non-refundable deposit when we arrived to check in to our 30 amp site with our 50 amp RV (that was all they had available at the time).

They shooed us out the door and sent us on our way. KOA corporate was "sorry, take it up with the campground", campground said that we should have read the rules on the reservation email (it was all the way below all the paragraphs of fine print regarding pets and I don't see it listed anywhere on their website).

Thanks....I'll follow up ASAP. And I'll continue to check out some of the other parks that have been mentioned!.
Sandy

 

[pegmikef]

We stayed at the KOA in Mesa (my daughter and her family live there). I spent a little over two weeks there (in three visits) in late September and October and thought it was nice and quiet. I did not run into the problem Malcolm described, but the site had fifty amp which is what I use. I liked it because it was fairly close to the sixty and shopping is only a couple of miles away. I used to stay in the a couple of resorts, but got tired of being stuffed between park models.

I thought the Oasis was ok, but the sites are some what small and it is kind of tight parking your TV at the site. FTIW, if you're eligible, Nellis AFB (on the other side of town) has a really nice family camp with very spacious sites.

 

[Gary521]

I have stayed at that KOA and, yes, adapters are not permitted there. Even some of the staff does not know why.

 

[meagle]

I have season tickets to the Giants spring training and stay at Mesa Spirit RV resort. It is nice, clean, and has excellent amenities. There is easy freeway access to the different ballparks from the RV resort. I look forward to this time every year. It is a great time and so nice to get out of the cold and snow.

 

[BusManRG]

I have stayed at that KOA and, yes, adapters are not permitted there. Even some of the staff does not know why.

I called the KOA and the employee was asking how long it had been since the posters had stayed with them? She said there have been many upgrades st the park and that if you stay in a 30/50 amp site, both are available at the post. She said the dogbone rule hadn't been there for as long as she had been there. I looked at my reservations email and couldn't find it listed either. I'll keep looking at other parks, but I'm feeling better about the KOA, thanks!

 

[pegmikef]

I called the KOA and the employee was asking how long it had been since the posters had stayed with them? She said there have been many upgrades st the park and that if you stay in a 30/50 amp site, both are available at the post. She said the dogbone rule hadn't been there for as long as she had been there. I looked at my reservations email and couldn't find it listed either. I'll keep looking at other parks, but I'm feeling better about the KOA, thanks!

I personally liked the KOA better that the fancier resorts with all sorts of amenities that I had no intention of using.

 

[BusManRG]

I thought the Oasis was ok, but the sites are some what small and it is kind of tight parking your TV at the site. FTIW, if you're eligible, Nellis AFB (on the other side of town) has a really nice family camp with very spacious sites.

Hubby was in the Army National Guard for 8 years, so no Rv park benefits. I've heard some great things about the military parks. Lucky you! But for giving 20+ years, you all deserve that and more!

 

[Thenomads]

We have stayed at Mesa Spirit RV Park (2014) and Deserts Edge (2016) and like them both. I think we enjoyed Mesa Spirit the most, it's a little roomier and a fun bunch of people in our area of the park (the park is HUGE). Hope you enjoy Spring Training, we sure did. We will be going again one of these years. In the future make reservations months in advance for a better selection, it is shocking the amount of RV's in the Pheonix/Scottsdale area during the spring. Hope you have a great time! Go GIANTS!

 

[MCTalley]

I called the KOA and the employee was asking how long it had been since the posters had stayed with them? She said there have been many upgrades st the park and that if you stay in a 30/50 amp site, both are available at the post. She said the dogbone rule hadn't been there for as long as she had been there. I looked at my reservations email and couldn't find it listed either. I'll keep looking at other parks, but I'm feeling better about the KOA, thanks!

Could be the case. We tried to stay there in February, 2015 (which is a poor time of the year to have to sit on the side of the road trying to find an open spot within 100 miles of Mesa/Phoenix). On their reservations site, the 50 or 30/50 amp sites were all booked, so given the temperate weather (70's), we decided a 30 amp site would be fine.