By   Stacy
Posted On 12/06/2018 17:44:39
Trip Date 10/28/2018  

Camping | Arizona | Holbrook | Sun Valley | Camping in Arizona | RV Parks near Petrified Forest National Park | Camping in Arizona near Painted Desert | Review of Sun Valley RV Resort

During our fall westbound RV road trip, the Petrified Forest was one of the national parks that we hoped to visit. In our search for RV parks, we came across a "resort" in Holbrook, Arizona - about 30 minutes away. We knew that we could easily plan a day trip to the national park, so we booked our stay.

If you are in search of a place to stay in your RV (or tent) near either Petrified Forest National Park or the Painted Desert, take a look at this review which follows our two night stay at Sun Valley RV Resort. While "resort" is probably not the word that I would use to describe the location, the price was right, the staff was very friendly and we had all that we needed during our stay. What more can one ask for?

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Campground Amenities at Sun Valley RV Resort

Sun Valley RV Resort has 25 RV sites plus 2 sites for tents. Upon our mid-afternoon arrival, we could immediately see and feel the Route 66 charm and character of the campground.

Entrance to Sun Valley RV Resort

As we approached the entrance door to the office, a posted sign advised us that the office staff was "out on appointment". We easily spotted an envelope addressed with our name which included perfect instructions and all that we needed in order to get settled for our stay. (We were pleasantly surprised to see that credit cards are now being accepted as, when we originally made our reservation, the website clearly stated that payment could only be made in cash or check. In the late afternoon, following a tap-tap-tap on our RV front door we were greeted by a friendly employee bringing the credit card receipt for our stay.)

Office at Sun Valley RV Resort

The park was clean, and although the bathhouse was closed for renovation during our stay, we did have access to a unisex restroom in the main building. An after hours code is provided to guests which allows access to the restroom, laundry machines and sitting room / clubhouse.

Another View of Sun Valley RV Resort Office

It is apparent that a number of improvement / renovation projects are currently underway. At the time of our stay, other than an outdoor sitting area for all to enjoy, a small dog run for pets as well as a playground for kiddos, there were no other recreational activities available at the campground.

Outdoor Sitting Area for Sun Valley RV Resort Guests

And unfortunately, due to the recent heavy rains, the playground was overwhelmed with water during our stay!

Sun Valley RV Resort Playground

We had an opportunity to visit with the employee who lives and works on-site and we were quite impressed. She was young, energetic and had a very positive attitude. She let us know about the petrified wood that the resort offered for sale, answered a few questions and even stayed open for a few extra minutes so that we could return with a $10.00 bill in order to get quarters for our imminent laundry needs.

Petrified Wood for Sale at Sun Valley RV Resort

Reservations can be made by completing and submitting the online contact and registration information, however sites are not assigned until arrival at the park. Sun Valley RV Resort offers a wide variety of discounts including AAA, AARP, Escapees and Passport America plus military discounts. With our 50% discount through Passport America, the total cost for our two night stay was $47.72 including all taxes.

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Campsite Amenities at Sun Valley RV Resort

Of the 25 RV sites at Sun Valley RV Resort, seven have 50-amp electric plus on-site sewer and water. The remaining sites are all 30-amp, 11 of which have on-site sewer and water and seven have water plus access to the park's dump station. There are a combination of pull-through and back-in sites and all have very level packed dirt /gravel parking. Although there are no trees near the RV spaces at the campground, all sites were clean with a wooden picnic table and no other amenities.

Once we submitted the requested information after our arrival, we immediately pulled into our assigned site and settled for our stay. The pull-through parking at site 1 was very easy, as was connecting to our utilities. Our wooden picnic table had seen better days but, like the rest of the park, it had character! Although it didn't prevent us from sleeping, a light sleeper might be disturbed by the road noise from Interstate 40 (which replaced Route 66) that passes by the back of the park. We were happy that our assigned space was one of the furthest from the highway!

View of "RV There Yet?" Parked in Site 1

While phone service was good with both Verizon and T-Mobile, for the first time ever in a US campground in just over a year with these two carriers, the data service was better with T-Mobile! (Verizon did have data service, however it was intermittent at best.) We had no broadcast television reception at Sun Valley RV Resort.

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Favorite Campsites at Sun Valley RV Resort

Our walk throughout the resort was a rather quick one as the tract of land on which it is situated is fairly compact and the campground was nearly empty during our stay. As we compared the sites to our Sun Valley RV Resort map, we concentrated on the 50-amp sites (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and back-in site 12). Of the sites open during our stay, our favorite three sites are 1, 2 and 3. If we have our choice of sites for a future stay, we would select site 1 as it was on the end and therefore slightly more private. (For a future visit, we would definitely request a site in the 1 - 13 range in an attempt to reduce the amount of road noise that can be heard.)

Ready to Depart from Site 1 / Location Marker for Site 1 (inset)

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park

Check back in the coming weeks for our post titled How to Spend One Day in The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. You'll find an overview of our visit along with suggestions on how to make the most of this beautiful part of the country - even if you only have one day to spare.

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Campground Amenities

When planning to camp in either your tent or RV, what amenities do you consider most and least important? What are your deal-breaker amenities (i.e. the amenities that you must have or you won't even consider the park or campground)?

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Weather:72F Sunny

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