We’re on our way to Cottonwood, AZ, just south of Sedona and north of Camp Verde. But, along they way, we’re going to spend 2 nights in Williams, AZ. We were last at Grand Canyon Railway RV Park here in 2022. This is a very nice park, but both train and highway noise it can get loud. And, in early February, high temps were in the 50’s and 60’s with lows in the 20’s keeping us indoors for much of the time. We did revisit the Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery but were less impressed with their offering than during our last visit. We know prices have gone up, but their Charcuterie Board went from $25 to $32. And, personal pizzas went from $18 to $23. It’s certainly not the value it was 4 years ago!
From Williams, we’re headed to the Camp Verde area. We’ve always stayed at Verde Ranch, a beautiful park right at the intersection of I-17 and highway 260. This time we opted for Thousand Trails Verde Valley in Cottonwood, about 9 miles north of Verde Ranch. This is a very unique park with about 350 sites along the bluffs overlooking the river and several loops of sites right along the river. And, just as unique, when you arrive, you’re given a sheet of available sites and told to go pick one. While this offers ultimate flexibility, it’s kind of a challenge to maneuver the RV through a bunch of unfamiliar sites. It’d be much nicer if they offered a golf cart to go select your site with!
Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ
The river-side loops A, B, C, and H offer both pull-through and back-in sites. However, most of the back-in sites are considered premium and not available for our reservation. Most pull-through sites are oriented in a back-to-back configuration, where you and your neighbor share the utility space. These can produce tight spaces once slides are extended. And it means that you share a patio area with another neighbor. In the end, we opted for site A-15, at the far loop along the river. Power options are also unique here – standard reservations are for 30A service. So, even while your pedestal has both 30 and 50 amp service, you are prohibited from using the 50A without paying additional surcharges. Bluff sites, in loops I, J K and M are all Premium and Deluxe sites, offering some of the most spacious sites, all 50A and many offering great views out over the river valley. TT Verde Valley feels like two separate parks, one with small, rather cramped spaces with minimal services and another with huge spaces, views and full services. In the end, we opted for Site A-15, at the far end of the park along the river. We shared our patio area with nice neighbors and never had a back-to-back neighbor during our stay.
Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ
Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ
On Saturday we’re headed to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. Opting to take the “scenic” route, we visit Sedona and on through Oak Creek Canyon. This is a beautiful drive, but allow plenty of time. It took nearly an hour to transit the short 1 or 2 miles through Sedona. At the Oak Creek Vista, you can clearly see the edge of the Mogollon Rim stretching out below. The total elevation change from Cottonwood to Flagstaff is nearly 4000 feet! Established in 1894, the Lowell Observatory is among the oldest in the nation and credited with the discovery of Pluto in 1930. This is a fantastic facility, with exhibits and presentations for the entire family. At dusk, we joined about 40 others on the rooftop of the building for a laser pointer tour of constellations in the night sky. It was chilly that evening, about 30 degrees – but the recliners are heated, making for much more pleasant experience. We’d recommend this observatory to anyone that wants to understand more about our solar system and the planets and stars of the Milky Way.
Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, AZ
While in Cottonwood, we explored a few new restaurants including a wonderful Indian restaurant, Babu Tikka Masala. On Sunday we had brunch at Brewha, a unique Social Eatery and Market in Cornville. Following Cottonwood, we’ll move to two parks in the Phoenix area, Eagle View RV Resort, a favorite in Fountain Hills and Campground USA in Apache Junction. More from there…
Small Home - Big Yard 
