![]() but to score a first-come campsite, you have to strategize your arrival day and time to be as off-peak as possible. Some other campgrounds do designate at least one loop for first come, first served camping. Even the overflow camping at Catalina is now reservable online. ![]() Popular campgrounds such as Catalina State Park tend to book up well in advance. We've even heard some people claim that they book their reservations a full year in advance, or as soon as the reservation window opens up. ![]() Ideally, try to book your spot several months in advance. If you want the security of a campground reservation, you'll need to plan well in advance. If you want to join the hordes of snowbirds as they flock to Arizona, here are 7 top tips to help you jump straight into Tucson van life. Arizona is a popular destination, and yet, the living around Tucson felt very pleasant and manageable in comparison to some smaller mountain towns we've visited that felt absolutely crushed. We've seen license plates from as far away as Alaska and Saskatchewan and a flood of plates from the nearby states of Colorado and California. Sure, #vanlife is on the rise, and COVID has allowed many more people to dip their toes into a location independent lifestyle, but the number of people traveling in converted vans pales in comparison to the hordes of RVs and pull-behind campers that flood into Arizona from all corners of the continent. Instead of griping and complaining about the annual tourist season, the locals are simply accustomed to it by now after many, many years of practice. Some of the most popular campgrounds also open up overflow areas from roughly January until April to help deal with the peak season traffic. A plethora of campgrounds, both public and private, have sprung up to serve this annual influx of tourists, and on most any side of Tucson, you can find a fantastic campground to stay in. Van Life in the Greater Tucson AreaĪfter a month spent traipsing around the greater Tucson area in our van, ranging from Vail in the south to Catalina in the north, and from Redington Pass in the east to Saguaro National Park in the West, the general takeaway from our experience was that the living is easy in Tucson.Īrizona has long grown accustomed to retiree snowbirds fleeing from the northern climes to the warm, verdant Sonoran Desert. We spent the month of January circling the city using a variety of dispersed camping options, designated campgrounds, and friends' houses for lodging. Instead of living in a condo in the city, directly off a beautiful paved bike path and walking distance to a whole array of restaurants and other amenities, we were full-on #vanlifing. But this year, our experience of Tucson turned out to be eminently different from 2021. ![]() I'll admit that realization caught even me by surprise, but it was most definitely true. We rented a condo here for three months last winter, and we'll be here for at least a month this year, if not longer. "This is the third winter I've come back to Tucson. I guess I spend most of my time here in Tucson," I replied with a laugh. What do I say - "Oregon?" "Everywhere and nowhere?" because over the past few years, it definitely hasn't been Colorado. Hmm, I had to turn that one over in my head. "Where do you spend most of your time, then? Colorado?" "Oh, Colorado mostly, but I've been traveling full-time for about three years now." It's a question that I can no longer answer easily, so I've had to come up with a reasonable stock reply. "So, where are you from?" the conversation inevitably begins.
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