Canadian Vistor to Arizona (Phoenix, Tucson: RV parks, crime rate, university)

[luvmyretirement]

Hello everyone. My wife and I, both retired, are travelling to Arizona with our small trailer to spend February and March. We were thinking of staying in Catalina State Park but after reading a few of the topics about Tucson we are not sure anymore. It would seem from reading here there are a number of gangs and the city is not clean. In the past we have never read or heard anything bad about Tucson.

1. Is Tucson as rough and dangerous at night as has been reported on this site?

2. Has anyone stayed at Catalina State Park and is it a nice park to stay for a month or so.

3. We were thinking of a couple of day trips to Nogales Mexico. Is Nogales a safe place to visit. Would it be safe to be there in the evening or for that matter during the day.

4. Can anyone recommend an RV park or state park in the Tucson or Phoenix area.

5. Would Apache Junction be a better place to stay then in the Tucson area.

My wife and I enjoy travelling and hope to return from Arizona late next spring with lots of great memories. Any and ALL suggestions would be very much appreciated. In the past we have stayed mostly in Texas but look forward to going a bit further west this time.

Clark Quinlan
Windsor Ontario Canada.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by luvmyretirement

Hello everyone. My wife and I, both retired, are travelling to Arizona with our small trailer to spend February and March. We were thinking of staying in Catalina State Park but after reading a few of the topics about Tucson we are not sure anymore. It would seem from reading here there are a number of gangs and the city is not clean. In the past we have never read or heard anything bad about Tucson.

1. Is Tucson as rough and dangerous at night as has been reported on this site?

2. Has anyone stayed at Catalina State Park and is it a nice park to stay for a month or so.

3. We were thinking of a couple of day trips to Nogales Mexico. Is Nogales a safe place to visit. Would it be safe to be there in the evening or for that matter during the day.

4. Can anyone recommend an RV park or state park in the Tucson or Phoenix area.

5. Would Apache Junction be a better place to stay then in the Tucson area.

My wife and I enjoy travelling and hope to return from Arizona late next spring with lots of great memories. Any and ALL suggestions would be very much appreciated. In the past we have stayed mostly in Texas but look forward to going a bit further west this time.

Clark Quinlan
Windsor Ontario Canada.

Well, I'll give it a try:

1. Tucson is not a hot bed of crime. The crime rate is up - worse than Phoenix - but I suspect it is primarily in the bad areas of town. Depends on where you stay. This isn't Florida. I've never heard of a snowbird being robbed and murdered along the freeway.

2. Never been there, but I've never seen a bad state park around here. I do wish they would not allow snowbirds to park there all winter and let us taxpayers enjoy the parks we pay for - but I digress.

3. Nogales (Mex) is safe in the day time and at night too. Lots of tourists around. Not to say someone won't snatch your purse or camera if you leave it lying about - or you won't get mugged if you are in some remote area of the AZ side. Most snowbirds are in bed before the killing starts .

4-5. Depends on what you like. Tucson is not as popular with snowbirds as Phoenix because it is colder and there is less to do. The big snowbird havens are Quartzite and Yuma these days. Warmer and lots of company there. In Quartzite thousands camp on BLM land for a small fee and boondock for the winter with generators.

Eastside PHX parks are often like little towns - the same people come back year after year. They have activities and potlucks and such.

On the west side of PHX, I recommend Cotton Lane RV Park. I keep my RV in their storage lot. It's right off I-10 on, you guessed it, Cotton Lane. Development is encroaching but it's still in the middle of farm fields. It's too rural for crime to be a significant factor. There is a swap meet across the freeway and all the shopping, medical and other amenities one could dream of 5 minutes away. Gotta be 55, though.

[luvmyretirement]

Thanks for your reply Ponderosa. In regards to item 2...I agree state parks should be for people from the state first. In most state and provincial parks we have stayed the rule is no more then one month stay.

Is the March and April temperatures in Tuscon noticably different from the Pheonix area.

You mention in Quartzsite people camp on BLM land. What is BLM land?

thanks for your help.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by luvmyretirement

Thanks for your reply Ponderosa. In regards to item 2...I agree state parks should be for people from the state first. In most state and provincial parks we have stayed the rule is no more then one month stay.

Is the March and April temperatures in Tuscon noticably different from the Pheonix area.

You mention in Quartzsite people camp on BLM land. What is BLM land?

thanks for your help.

Tucson is about 5 degrees cooler than Phoenix at any point in time. So in Jan is low 60s there versus high 60s here. But by March/April the 5 degrees cooler would be an advantage.

BLM is Bureau of Land Management. It's public land. There are many acres of it around Quartzsite that are open to long-term, seasonal camping. I think they charge $30 or so a month. It is like a small city out there with everything from small travel trailers to Bluebird MHs. Tank pump outs and water service is provided by vendors with trucks. Various other business types roam the place. Lots of the people staying there do crafts, RV deco-painting, you name it. It's something to see even if you don't stay there. It's all close to town for supplies. It is an extremely popular option. They have a huge rock hound show each year.

[rambrush]

I personally would avoid Quartzite because it does turn into a city. Really crowded in winter.
Just North of Lake Havasu by airport is BLM land and it fills up but is close to whats happening.
Pockets all way down the river from Parker to Yuma of BLM land.
Of of I 8 is Dateland and Gila Bend both used to have trailer parks plus down in Ajo so do some googling should bring up some hits.

[aj661]

I'm a little prejudiced, having spent most of my life in the Phoenix Metro area. With that in mind, Apache Junction is a MUCH better place to spend your winters than Tucson. I worked in the AJ/east Mesa area for 21 years. There is a large winter visitor population here. There is a State Park at the foot of the Superstition Mtns: Lost Dutchman State Park. I don't know anything about the accommodations there, but it's a beautiful area with hiking trails, etc. There are many RV parks in the area.

Violent crime in AJ is low. If you've never spent a winter here, you need to try it. You will read a lot of complaining in the local papers about "Snowbirds", but you'll find that most people here are friendly and polite...except on the road! If you have any other questions, let me know and I'll be happy to help you out in any way I can.

[Imissthefall]

I live in Yuma and we get a TON of Canadian snowbirds...you may want to chek out Yuma..just becasue I don't like doesn't mean you wont!!

[Steve97415]

If you are contemplating staying at Catalina S.P., I would use Oro Valley, rather than Tucson, as a source of statistical data. For example in 2002 (the last year for which this site posted crime statistics there) here are the crime index ratings:

Oro Valley = 94.3
Tucson = 708.9
South Tucson = 1162.3
U.S. average that year = 328.4.

This shows what other posters have been saying: Tucson is a big, big city and you can't broad-brush any generalizations about safety that apply to the whole metro area. The further north you go in the Tucson area, the safer you'll feel. Anywhere beyond 3 miles or so north of the university should be fine.

Nogales is pretty safe, but don't take more money with you than what you'll need, and don't keep a billfold in your back pocket. I recommend those travelers' "security pouches" that attach to your belt and tuck inside your pants for carrying anything more than pocket change.
The border towns aren't very satisfying to visit, anyway. Nogales is no more representative of Mexico than Disneyland is of the U.S.

[zonababe]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Well, I'll give it a try:

1. Tucson is not a hot bed of crime. The crime rate is up - worse than Phoenix - but I suspect it is primarily in the bad areas of town. Depends on where you stay. This isn't Florida. I've never heard of a snowbird being robbed and murdered along the freeway.

2. Never been there, but I've never seen a bad state park around here. I do wish they would not allow snowbirds to park there all winter and let us taxpayers enjoy the parks we pay for - but I digress.

3. Nogales (Mex) is safe in the day time and at night too. Lots of tourists around. Not to say someone won't snatch your purse or camera if you leave it lying about - or you won't get mugged if you are in some remote area of the AZ side. Most snowbirds are in bed before the killing starts .

4-5. Depends on what you like. Tucson is not as popular with snowbirds as Phoenix because it is colder and there is less to do. The big snowbird havens are Quartzite and Yuma these days. Warmer and lots of company there. In Quartzite thousands camp on BLM land for a small fee and boondock for the winter with generators.

Eastside PHX parks are often like little towns - the same people come back year after year. They have activities and potlucks and such.

On the west side of PHX, I recommend Cotton Lane RV Park. I keep my RV in their storage lot. It's right off I-10 on, you guessed it, Cotton Lane. Development is encroaching but it's still in the middle of farm fields. It's too rural for crime to be a significant factor. There is a swap meet across the freeway and all the shopping, medical and other amenities one could dream of 5 minutes away. Gotta be 55, though.

I always look forward to reading your posts, great sense of humor. Will you be publishing a travel guide in the near future?

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by zonababe

I always look forward to reading your posts, great sense of humor. Will you be publishing a travel guide in the near future?

Well, thank you. No travel guide; there is nothing to do here.