Instead of my usual consumeristic “What I Bought” post at the end of the month, I thought I would change it up this week with some tips for traveling via a RV (recreation vehicle, aka a trailer). Our trailer of choice is an Airstream because of the modern clean interiors and easy-to-tow shape (they’re much more aerodynamic than their boxier counterparts). If you’ve been following for awhile, you might recall that my husband and I used to run an Airstream Rental business called GoSilver. Well we loved building the business, but the day-to-day labor wasn’t really for us (plus we couldn’t really scale unless we infused a lot more capital into the biz). So we sold it when our daughter Emi came along. Well, after a one year hiatus we were back on the road for our annual Airstream trips (but this time renting it from the guy we sold the biz to). This was our sixth annual Airstream trip and Emi’s second, and we had a real blast. So this week I decided to write this post for those of you curious about the RVing experience (which might not overlap much with my fashion and bag-loving audience but 🤷🏻♀️ it’s my blog and I’ll write what I want lol. And don’t worry I will go back to my usual reviews and such next week 😁). I wasn’t much of a camper before meeting my husband, but glamping is a whole other thing (and something I love love love).
So this year we decided to head north since we love to catch the fall foliage in Oregon. This is the 3rd time we’ve done this route and so here are the RV campsites and resorts that we highly recommend for this route (heading out of the SF Bay Area with a drive time of 3-4 hours between each destination):
Healdsburg KOA: This was the first time we’ve been there but I loved this peaceful and large campground. KOA’s are known to be family friendly, usually with several activities for kids right on their campground (this one had a catch and release pond, along with an easy hike). And they have full hook-ups (ie electric, water, and sewer hook-ups—everything you need for the glamping experience).
Prairie Creek Campground at Redwoods National Park: This was the second time we were here and this campground is a must if you love redwood trees and being nestled in the forest. There’s no hook-ups here so you have to rely on propane, the fresh water tanks, and battery onboard the trailer. But at the end of the day I could still take a hot shower and cook a hot meal inside the trailer so it doesn’t really feel like camping at all (though you will need to be mindful of your water usage). Also small trailers work best for this campground with its narrow lane and one or two hairy turns. Also no internet here, which was actually such a nice break.
Sunset Bay State Park (an Oregon State Park): So Oregon State Parks are hands-down the best campgrounds you could go to with an RV. They blow all California State Park campgrounds out of the water. Seriously Oregon is doing it right because for $30-$40 a night you can get an RV site with full hook-ups in a well-maintained campground near some really scenic places. We’ve also tried Harris Beach State Park and love that one as well.
Crown Villa RV Resort or Tumalo State Park, Bend: We love Bend, Oregon, and have stopped by this beautiful beer-loving town every time we’ve headed north. We’ve stayed at the Crown Villa a couple times (but it’s a very expensive RV park at about a $100 a night). Tumalo is another state park and is right outside of Bend (like 10 minutes), and is a great spot except no reception here. As for Bend, I love going to their many many breweries (check out the Bend Ale Trail), and walking around their gorgeous parks. Also don’t forget to checkout the last Blockbuster while you’re there!
Ashland, OR: We also stopped by Ashland to check out the fall foliage in Lithia Park. I love this little town with their cute shops and cute eateries by the creek. But no trailer park is listed here because I wouldn’t recommend the one we stayed at.
Buckhorn Recreational Area: This is usually our last RV spot of the trip every time we head back south because it’s only about 3 hours from the SF Bay Area and it’s the perfect peaceful spot before heading back to grind. No hook-ups but full reception (which is amazing considering it’s basically in the middle of nowhere).
Redwoods State Park
If you made it this far, bravo, you must really want to try out the RV life. I love traveling around the US with our home in tow because it means you only unpack and pack once, plus you have all the comforts of home everywhere you go. Also living a tiny home life for a bit is such a great reminder of all the stuff we have in our regular lives (and how we don’t need any of it really). Oh and I love RVing because I never have to use a gas station bathroom ever again. If you want to try out RVing for yourself, you could rent from GoSilver if you specifically want an Airstream (and want everything you need already stocked and prepared for you). Or you can try Outdoorsy (<—referral link that gets you $50 off your first rental), which is like an AirBnb for RVs, vans, and trailers. Prices can be cheaper there depending on who you rent from, but the service might be hit or miss.
And if you’re planning a road trip with an RV and need to find RV campsites or resorts, you can read my blog post on it here (yep these are all the posts I wrote for GoSilver back in the day). You can also find all my other RV travel posts like this on the GoSilver blog.