RV for Texas state and national parks - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

Alchemist2000 · 10-24-2006, 05:51 AM

Most of our outdoor activities have centered on hiking, with some backpacking thrown in. We are beginning to think about approaching things a bit differently as we start to plan for retirement in a few years. We are thinking (dreaming) about an RV, but know almost nothing about them. We went to the Dallas RV show a few weeks ago, have spent a lot of time on the web, and more recently have visited some of our local RV dealers. For a variety of reasons we think a Class C would be best for us.

Although we have lots of different plans, we would want the ability to use it at Texas state parks as well as national parks in general. Are there any special things we should keep in mind if we plan to use it in these locations? For example, we saw a 29 foot model that we really liked but we are afraid that may be too long for some locations. We know there is a 24 foot limit to rigs going into the Basin at Big Bend. Are there similar types of issues at other locations? What is practical?

I know that we can get some answers on RV type forums, but thought some of you would have more experience with state parks in Texas. Thanks!

rockhill · 10-24-2006, 09:01 AM

The sites at the state parks vary in length. The longer your trailer, the fewer spots it will fit in. This is true in all the parks I have been in. I pull a 21ft trailer and generally have had no problems parking the trailer and truck on my site. Remember that most parks prohibit parking anywhere but on a paved surface. If you have a 30ft class C and a trail car, parking could be problematic.

Turn Key · 10-24-2006, 10:29 AM

We pull a 30' "5th" with a long-bed, X-Cab. Have little or no problem no matter where we go. There are some sites in some parks we can't use but not many. A 30' "Class C" should be easy.

Happy Camping!

Alchemist2000 · 10-24-2006, 03:06 PM

Thanks for your quick responses. That is a big help.

HappyCamper · 10-25-2006, 04:50 PM

We have a 27' travel trailer and have not had any space issues at the TX, Corp of Engineer, or other parks. One problem that plagues many RVers is finding a level site and adjusting if the site is not level. I've seen some sweet class Cs that have auto-leveling jacks that take the work out of putting blocks under the tires.

Another item that varies by park and may impact you is the availability of 50 amp service. If your RV requires 50 amp service you might not always find it. 30 amp seems to be the norm at parks.

Good luck with your purchase.

TX Camper · 11-01-2006, 08:09 PM

Hi,

We have a 28 FT motorhome and have had plenty of room at the state parks here in TX that we have been to.

I have seen 30ft + 5th wheels PLUS their tow vehicle fit without problem in the sites at the state parks we have been to. But like the others have said, some sites will simply be too small for a setup that size. Another thing to think about when going with a large setup is that in some places it's not the site size that is the problem, but rather the small roadway, low tree's, angle of turns, ect. that may prevent a big setup from getting into a peticular site.

What's practical is any size RV that has the floorplan and options you want, will fit into wherever it is you will be storing the RV when not in use, and also meets you budget.

That being said, IMO you should not have any problem at the state parks or national parks with a 29FT Class C or Class A at all. There will be instances when that's not true, but 99% of the time you'll be good to go.