Most RV friendly Cities and States

[ThaOpenRoad]

What cities and states do you think are the most RV friendly?

Watching this video - https://youtu.be/4X9dN7W7OWI - made me think of the idea for this thread.

If I would have to guess I would say Arizona and inland Southern California is pretty darn friendly to RVers. Alaska probably too. As for cities I would say Venice Beach, California. And Vancouver, Canada.

[westernrvparkow]

fulltimedaniel wrote:
Qouted from a well known poster:

"And, like it or not, there is only so much any city can do to roll out the welcome wagon and not step on local businesses. They could offer free RV sites with full hookups, but that sure would put a dent in the business of the local RV parks. How would the local restaurants feel if that same town offered free breakfasts and dinners for tourists at their community centers? Would the local auto repair facilities welcome the county maintenance garage fixing tourists cars for free? Giving away one business'service to increase the business at another is robbing Peter to pay Paul at best. Who has the right to make the determination that a souvenir shop is more important than a RV Park?"

The problem with this reasoning is this: Wal Mart is A. Not the city B. They offer no hookups or amenities.

Thus to compare what WalMart or Cabelas does by allowing people to Park their RV's in their lots IS NOT on the same plane as the City Offering free breakfasts, car repair or RV hookups thereby competing DIRECTLY with Denny's et al.

In fact many cities and counties all over the country do have their own RV Parks and some are the nicest I have stayed in. This is for a fee, often very reasonable and THAT is the REAL competition to the RV Parks...Not WalMart.

As we have come to expect from your posts, you are once again way off topic and completely obfuscating the point. The tread is about friendly CITIES and STATES, not Walmart or Cabelas. I couldn't care less about what a Walmart or a Cabelas does with overnight parking in their lots. That is between them, the landowner and the local authorities. However, when a municipality chooses to compete directly with a local business, and I don't care the rationale they use, that is wrong. The comparison to opening a free RV park to compete with the local private parks is exactly the same as offering free food at their community center or free auto service at their maintenance facilities and thus competing with the local restaurants and auto repair companies.
The rationale often stated by these municipalities is with the money visitors save not paying for an RV site allows them to spend more money at the other businesses in town. That is the definition of a government choosing what businesses should thrive and which ones should fail. That might be good politics in Cambodia, but not in the US.

[fulltimedaniel]

Qouted from a well known poster:

"And, like it or not, there is only so much any city can do to roll out the welcome wagon and not step on local businesses. They could offer free RV sites with full hookups, but that sure would put a dent in the business of the local RV parks. How would the local restaurants feel if that same town offered free breakfasts and dinners for tourists at their community centers? Would the local auto repair facilities welcome the county maintenance garage fixing tourists cars for free? Giving away one business'service to increase the business at another is robbing Peter to pay Paul at best. Who has the right to make the determination that a souvenir shop is more important than a RV Park?"

The problem with this reasoning is this: Wal Mart is A. Not the city B. They offer no hookups or amenities.

Thus to compare what WalMart or Cabelas does by allowing people to Park their RV's in their lots IS NOT on the same plane as the City Offering free breakfasts, car repair or RV hookups thereby competing DIRECTLY with Denny's et al.

In fact many cities and counties all over the country do have their own RV Parks and some are the nicest I have stayed in. This is for a fee, often very reasonable and THAT is the REAL competition to the RV Parks...Not WalMart.

[wing_zealot]

Your welcome, I'm more than happy to do that for you.

[IBcarguy]

I want to thank all of you folks that dislike CA and won't come here with your RV...you all will help free up some of the RV spots that we enjoy the most. 🙂

[Jbrowland]

AJBert wrote:

D.E.Bishop wrote:

jplante4 wrote:
Boy I hate seeing New England being bunched in with Kalifornia. Gordon, I wonder if you've been to either.

It is spelled with a "C"!

The problem for me, and evidently many others, is the people who vote in the state for other people who have ruined the state and have been spreading their poison to neighboring states.
And don't get me going about the "celebs" from Hollyweird!

Edited because I decided not to take the bait. Posts like this are poison to RV.net. Time to close this useless and very political bashing thread.

[Jbrowland]

jplante4 wrote:

Jbrowland wrote:
Here we go again with the California bashing. Please come and we Californians will GLADLY show you more National Parks than any other state in this glorious country. Not to mention, hundreds of miles of rugged coast that would make your draw drop. Sure, it comes with a price but I think it's worth it and so do millions of visitors every year from around the world.

And I just read a rather long post about how no one in their right mind even bothers to try to camp in California in the summer due to overcrowding. SO what good does it do to have all these wonderful resources if you don't get to use them?

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a two week RV trip. We are booked in Point Reyes National Seashore (close to San Fran, Muir Woods Golden Gate NRA, Alcatraz, and more) and then heading south through parts of Big Sur right on the water (had to change plans a little due to the bridge collapse in Bug Sur) and then to Monterey, Santa Cruz, Pinnacles National Park, Morro Bay along the PCH. All of the places we are staying are state and national park campgrounds and I have done almost the same type of tip in the summer.

It's possible but it takes some planning and it is worth it. 🙂

[azdryheat]

jmtandem wrote:

I think California sux for being RV friendly with that lousy 55 MPH speed limit for anybody towing something.

If the 55 mph towing speed limit is the worst thing you can think of about taking an RV into California then it must be a pretty great state and you can't find much to complain about.

RV'ing wise, Cali isn't that bad. As far as it being a 'pretty great state' it once was but that was decades ago when I lived there (born and raised in the OC). Now, Moonbeam and the rest of the socialist's are destroying Kali. The Kali voters have put some real wack-jobs in office. The state is broke. Kali was recently considering seceding from the Union. I could go on.

[AJBert]

D.E.Bishop wrote:

jplante4 wrote:
Boy I hate seeing New England being bunched in with Kalifornia. Gordon, I wonder if you've been to either.

It is spelled with a "C"!

Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are!

Personally, I will never go back to Kalifornia. I spent three different tours there, two in San Diego and one in the Bay Area from the late 80s into the early 00s (not consecutive). I do agree that the state is by far the most diverse when it comes to geography and is really a very beautiful state. No argument there in the least.

I also understand that it is basically three different states, though some only claim two.

The problem for me, and evidently many others, is the people who vote in the state for other people who have ruined the state and have been spreading their poison to neighboring states. Heck, the front range of CO is basically baby CA from Castle Rock up to Fort Collins! Look at WA and OR! And try to find a native CA that lives in San Diego.

But, it really is a state of true natural treasures. Took me a while to lift my jaw back into its normal position after seeing Big Trees National Monument for the first time. Just sad, IMHO, that the people of the state have ruined it so much that others don't even want to visit for the first time.

And don't get me going about the "celebs" from Hollyweird!

[wing_zealot]

fulltimedaniel wrote:

wing_zealot wrote:
I would have to be bound, chained in the trunk vehicle, gagged, and drugged before you would get me to CA.

Why? California has some of the most dramatic scenery ANYWHERE in the world, Yosemite, Sequoia Natl Parks and Death Valley. The California coast drive along Hwy 1. and up through the Redwoods which don;t exist anywhere else in this country.

Most of California's freeways and roads are in decent shape. There are notable exceptions for sure.

The worlds biggest and oldest trees are in California. And so is the world renown Monterrey Bay Aquarium.

California is also very RV friendly in my experience. Most restaurants, fast food places and other businesses have large parking lots that accommodate us. Grocery prices are very reasonable and fruits and vegetables are cheap by most standards and great.

California has a lot to offer especially the RV'er. In fact it may have the highest concentration of RV ownership of any state. Everyone seems to have one of some sort.

I've read some of your posts, thanks but I won't be needing any of your recommendations.

[D_E_Bishop]

jplante4 wrote:
Boy I hate seeing New England being bunched in with Kalifornia. Gordon, I wonder if you've been to either.

It is spelled with a "C"!

[D_E_Bishop]

wing_zealot wrote:
I would have to be bound, chained in the trunk vehicle, gagged, and drugged before you would get me to CA.

GOOD!!!

[jmtandem]

As a native Californian, I still consider it to be the most beautiful state in the country, because of its scenic diversity.
I used to surf in the early morning and in a couple of hours, be skiing in the mountains.

In many ways California may be one of the top five RV friendliest states. Sure, there are some cities that don't want tired beat up 35 year old RVs sitting around on downtown streets. But, that is everywhere. I suspect there are more RV's registered in California that any other state, partly due to the fact that many parts of the state have a moderate Mediterranean climate where winter is mild and camping, bicycling, boating and motorcycling is a year round activity. There is so much to do in California that in many ways it has virtually all the attributes of all the United States contained in just California.

[bikendan]

jmtandem wrote:

You can drive half hour in many states and find completely different conditions and scenery. Where I live in California there are very few rules enforced, hundreds of thousands of acres of Forest with redwoods, some of the cleanest rivers in the whole country, some epic fishing, spectacular off roading, seasons with very little traffic, and mostly friendly people. I've been to Almost 40 states and there is nothing like the real northern California. Above Humboldt.

Unfortunately most people think California is Los Angeles and Fresno and big cities. Just like most people think Nevada is Las Vegas or New York state is mostly New York City. These states have vast regions of unspoiled, very rural and unsettled land with great resources. Most of California north of an east-west line approximately along the IR 80 corridor is totally different than southern California. Northern California is almost like a different state than southern California. And of all the big cities I have ever been to and was born in New York so I do have some big city knowledge and history, San Francisco is by far the most beautiful, cleanest, and probably has the most diversity and things to do. A few short miles from San Francisco is the California delta, 1000 miles of waterways, all of the area is still twenty years ago, laid back, lots of great RV camping, RV friendly, boats of all kinds, etc. The California bashing gets real old on this forum mostly from folks that have never really experienced California. The great America author, Mark Twain, when first seeing Lake Tahoe said it was the 'fairest picture the whole earth affords'. It still is! Thirty years ago National Geographic proclaimed California State Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, as arguably the most scenic highway in all of America. This winter seventy four feet of snow fell in the upper elevations of Yosemite. When that melts the waterfalls will be spectacular. There is lots of California that is not Los Angeles.

Well stated and so true.

As a native Californian, I still consider it to be the most beautiful state in the country, because of its scenic diversity.
I used to surf in the early morning and in a couple of hours, be skiing in the mountains.

We left when we retired because of the political and regulatory path the state is on.:(
But we try camping there every year. And we are currently camping there right now, for 6 weeks.

[fulltimedaniel]

Arizona and New Mexico both great places are very RV friendly.

I have had my 33 foot trailer in San Francisco with no problem as long as you stay off the hilly parts you are ok.

Cities aren't supposed to be "friendly" to RV's or anything else for that matter. They are cities. Tractor trailers up to 75 feet long and big motor coaches up to 45 feet negotiate all cities with few problems. But it takes patience and skill. Two attributes not always present in some RVer's for sure.

One of my favorite places is Alaska. Lots of room here for any kind of RV and the drive up is worth the cost of admission for sure.