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Planning an 11 Night Pop-Up Camper Adventure - TX, NM, AZ, CO

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    Planning an 11 Night Pop-Up Camper Adventure - TX, NM, AZ, CO

    I posted this on a pop-up camper forum, but figured maybe some of the folks here have done something similar so I figured I'd cross-post here.

    The wife and I are planning an adventure with the kids for this coming summer (7 year old girl, 8 year old boy). We're trying to pack as much as we can in to an 11 night adventure. I'm trying to walk the fine line between seeing as much as we can and not being overly ambitious. We'll be dragging our Forest River Rockwood 1910ESP Pop-up. I'm looking to make the longest 2 drive days the first and last days since we won't have to break down the first morning or set up the last evening since we'll be at home. The idea was to build this trip around the 2 nights at the South Rim. The wife and I have been to both the South Rim and North Rim and felt like the South Rim would be better for the kids' first trip there.

    Tentatively, we're looking at this, with everything subject to change:

    7/4-Home in Houston Area to Carlsbad Caverns NP (drive time 9:50)

    7/5-Carlsbad Caverns NP

    7/6-Carlsbad Caverns to Gallup, NM (drive time 6:57)

    7/7-Gallup, NM to South Rim Trailer Village (drive time 4:08, plus stop at Meteor Crater and
    possible swing through Petrified Forest NP)

    7/8-South Rim

    7/9-South Rim to Mesa Verde NP (drive time 5:23, plus stop at 4 corners)

    7/10-Mesa Verde NP

    7/11-Mesa Verde NP to Roswell, NM (drive time 7:30)

    7/12-Mesa Verde NP to Balmorhea State Park (TX) (drive time 3:46)

    7/13-Balmorhea State Park

    7/14-Balmorhea State Park to Home in Houston Area (8:10)


    I'd love to hear thoughts, suggestions, tips, can't miss stops along the way, etc. We may flip-flop Balmorhea and Carlsbad Caverns but that won't change the core of the trip. The stop in Gallup is a bit random but it seemed like the best spot between Carlsbad Caverns and the South Rim.
    Last edited by aggie182; 09-21-2018, 08:18 PM. Reason: Ha! I'm an idiot, it's only 10 nights

    #2
    I read somewhere recently that the pool was closed at Balmorhea. You may want to check.

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      #3
      I read somewhere recently that the pool at Balmorhea was closed for repairs. You may want to check.

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        #4
        Originally posted by Winman View Post
        I read somewhere recently that the pool was closed at Balmorhea. You may want to check.
        It is. We saw that and figured it would be open by Summer, 2019. If not, we'd switch that out for sure. Most likely, Guadalupe Mountain NP or another State Park.

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          #5
          Depending on your kids they may like Bedrock City near the Grand Canyon. It is on the way and would just be stop for an hour or so. There is also Guadalupe Peak if yall are hikers. I did it with my 3 kids a few years ago when they were 6, 9 and 12. They all made it to the top. It is the highest point in TX. Good advice above about Balmorhea. It was being repaired last time I checked. Bring warm clothes. The Grand Canyon is cold in the summer at night and monsoon season is just starting.

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            #6
            If it was spring, you could see baseball in Phoenix. I'm not sure what there is in Gallup. Meteor Crater is nothing but a hole in the ground, but very impressive hole in the ground. I recommend. Petrified Forest is meh . Try to fit in some Sante Fe NM and Happy Jack AZ. You're on the right track

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              #7
              Have fun!!!

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                #8
                Originally posted by knucklehead View Post
                I'm not sure what there is in Gallup.
                Gallup would be a one nighter. It was a convenient stop before the Canyon and has a Walmart, etc. so we could replenish food supplies and what not before hitting National Parks for the next 4 nights.

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                  #9
                  Planning this trip may be half the fun. The plans are evolving and there's a lot of "What if we do ........." discussions. I may enjoy the planning and research more than the trip itself. As long as the wife and kids enjoy the trip, I'll be a happy camper.

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                    #10
                    The hard part is figuring out how much driving between stops is too much. Google Maps gives me miles and duration, but figuring how much to add to that duration may prove difficult having bathroom stops and the typical slowdown from dragging a trailer through unfamiliar terrain.

                    We should have a minimum of 6 trips under our belt before this excursion so hopefully we'll iron out the kinks of set-up and tear down and figure out what we need and what is just extra crap. We picked up the pop up yesterday. I'll post photos in the next post with my phone.

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                      #11
                      If you are close to Grants, NM I would highly recommend this:

                      As a New Mexican, I love travelling new roads and getting in to the nooks and crannies of the lesser-known attractions of our state.Fueled by the sun, haunted by waters, I always say.Recently a colleague and I had the chance to visit the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano near Grants, and it was a treat.


                      This was our hidden gem find on our 5,600 Griswold trip summer 2017.

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                        #12




                        The deer love this thing, look back behind the trailer.





                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by topduarte View Post
                          If you are close to Grants, NM I would highly recommend this:

                          As a New Mexican, I love travelling new roads and getting in to the nooks and crannies of the lesser-known attractions of our state.Fueled by the sun, haunted by waters, I always say.Recently a colleague and I had the chance to visit the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano near Grants, and it was a treat.


                          This was our hidden gem find on our 5,600 Griswold trip summer 2017.
                          I've not been here, but it is probably 1000X better than Gallup NM. I would not recommend staying in Gallup. Push to Flagstaff or detour to Durango. I think you've got one heck of a road trip planned. Please invite me!

                          I have my own tent!
                          Last edited by knucklehead; 09-23-2018, 08:13 PM. Reason: im a dumbass

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                            #14
                            Nice trailer!! Sounds like a fun trip...

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                              #15
                              That’s going to be a lot of set ups and take downs with a pop up. I would suggest staying a couple of nights at each place and cutting your list of places to stay in half. Only see/stay at the top few places you want to go.


                              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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