ARIZONA - CAMPGROUND REVIEWS

Tra-Tel RV Park, Tucson - Arizona - RATING - 4.0/5

WIFI - Yes, one of the better parks for wifi, but still not as good as our hotspots

ATT - Yes, 3 or 4 bars, cuts in and out on the hotspot with the Weboost

VERIZON - Yes, fluctuates between four and five bars of 4G LTE with Weboost

OTA TV - Great reception.  We got all the main channels and several secondary ones

COORDINATES - 31.9708,-110.2881

SERVICES - 20/30/50 AMPS, Sewer, Water

COSTS

Daily rate:	$32.99, taxes included
Weekly rate:	$197.95, taxes included
Monthly rate:	$395.00 with patio plus metered electric
	$375.00 without patio plus metered electric

REVIEW -  We spent January and February in Tucson at Tra-Tel RV Park.  This is a "no frills" RV park.  It is not a resort.  It is not a campground.  It was perfect for our purposes, which was to have easy access to everything in and around Tucson at a reasonable price.  Other RV parks in the area charge $200+ more per month.  We were in site #2, arguably the worst site in the park -- not angled, next to a construction yard, and I think smaller than the spots in the rest of the park.  

Pros: 

•  Friendly and helpful staff.
• Clean showers and rest rooms.
• Pet friendly.  
• 250 steps from the "Loop" multi-use trail.
• No more than 30 minutes from any of the attractions in and around Tucson.
•  It's an easy on and off from I-10. 
•  Clean and safe.
• Reasonably priced.
• Laundry (did not use).
• Rec room with tables, puzzles, books.
• Mountain views and great sunsets.

Cons:  

• The proximity to the Interstate means some road noise.
• Adjacent to a construction yard, which is ugly and sometimes noisy.
• Next to the University's feed lot - luckily, the wind doesn't come from that direction often.
• They are starting a construction project on the vacant lot to the west, which could be noisy for the next couple of years.

Overall impression:  Tra-Tel is a reasonably priced, no-frills, safe, friendly and clean full-hookup park with easy access to the Interstate and Tucson attractions.  Despite the cons, we made reservations here again for next year.

Pato Blanco Lakes RV Resort, Benson - Arizona - RATING - 4.5/5

WIFI - Yes, but it's very slow and it disconnects a lot

ATT - Yes, but it was also slow

VERIZON - Yes, five bars of 4G LTE with Weboost

OTA TV - Not Used here

COORDINATES - 31.9708,-110.2881

SERVICES - 20/30/50 AMPS, Sewer, Water and Cable TV

COSTS - RV Full hook ups - plus electric and taxes 

Daily	$43.00
Weekly	$225.00
Monthly	$450.00
Semi-Annual	$2,400.00
Annual	$4,200.00

DISCOUNTS -  Escapees, Good Sam, Camp Club USA, Enjoy America / RPI, Passport America, AAA, Happy Campers and AARP Discounts.

REVIEW - This is a combination mobile home and RV park, with a good mix of permanent, seasonal and short-term tenants.  They pride themselves on being friendly and welcoming, and we found that to be true.

Pros: 

•  Friendly and helpful staff.
• Extremely friendly place overall - weekly card bingo games and potlucks as well as other activities.  We felt welcome from the first day.  Many of the people we met here had arrived, and enjoyed the place so much, they extended their stay or just didn't leave!
• HEATED swimming pool and hot tub.
• Clean showers and rest rooms.
• Wide spaces, with plenty of room to spread out.
• Pet friendly.  The camp hosts carry dog treats! 
• Library, pool table, exercise "room" in a shelter by the lake.
• Pet walk around the outer edges of the park.
•  It's an easy on and off from I-10. 
•  It has cute little private fishing lakes. 
• In the town of Benson, there's a Wal Mart and a Safeway.
• Near attractions such as Kartchner Caverns State Park.
• 45 minutes to an hour from Tombstone, Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca, Saguaro National Park, and Tucson.

Cons:  

• The proximity to the Interstate means lots of road noise.
• There is a railroad nearby so train horns may wake you or keep you awake.   Our neighbor counted 17 trains one night when she had insomnia.  And they blow their horns about six times going through town.
• When it rains, the outer road collects water and mud, which is both unsightly and no fun when you are walking the dog.
• Limited things to do in the nearby area, you have to drive an hour or so to get to a city with variety of shops and things to do.

Overall impression:  The friendliest RV park we've ever been to.  The scenery here is breathtaking.  It was the perfect place to spend a month, but I doubt I'd stay longer, just because I like being closer to things to do.

Homolovi State Park, Arizona  - RATING - 3.5/5

WIFI - No

ATT - Yes, Three bars, Four Bars with WeBoost but very laggy

VERIZON - Yes, five bars, Five Bars with WeBoost and fast

COST - $30 Nightly, 20/30/50 AMPS, Water, Dump and trash on site

DISCOUNTS - None for out of stater's

SERVICES - 20/30/50 Amps, Picnic Table, Fire Pit, pull through and back in sites

REVIEW - Paved sites. You need to get close to the power pedestal and water. Very quiet, Site 20 is mostly level for shorter RV's, We needed to back up onto three 2X12's to get level with our 40' RV, Some pull thru's will accommodate 80' RV and toads/trailers.  Winslow, AZ is just minutes away so make sure you ger your photo with the girl in the Flat Bed Ford.

We were in Site #20

Grand Canyon Camper Village - RATING - 2/5

WIFI - Yes but spotty and slow
ATT - No bars
VERIZON - Yes, two bars but wavered in and out even with WeBoost. Virtually useless, don't plan on working on line, its not going to happen.

COST - $55 nightly + tax

SERVICES - 20/30/50 Amps, Water, Sewer, pull in or back in sites, picnic tables, fire rings. restrooms, showers, laundry.

REVIEW - Save your money! Go somewhere else. Packed in like sardines (if you have a large coach), The sites were long enough to leave our tow dolly hooked up but VERY narrow. They make you place your BIG rig head in because of utility placement. Virtually a thinly graveled parking lot with a lot of bare spots. We had very fine dust throughout our site with almost no gravel. Had it rained it would have been one heck of a mess. Check in was easy as the attendant didn't really want to talk anyway.  On the plus side there is a pizza joint, steak house, general store and Starbucks within very easy walking distance. My advice is stay away unless you are just planning an overnight stay. It is a really awful place but they have full hookups.  The restrooms were dirty and stinky. Everything is run down.

This is the reason we came