Where:  Tra-Tel RV Park (Tucson Arizona)

When:  January 1 to March 8, 2022

Cost: $490 + electric (monthly) and $217 with electric included (weekly)

In early 2022, we lived at the Tra-Tel RV park in Tucson, Arizona for a little over two months.  Yes, for the first time, we were SNOWBIRDS escaping the harsh Missouri winters, and we were 1456 miles away from our Missouri home.  Until our stay at Tra-Tel, our experience staying long-term anywhere was quite limited…usually a week maximum.  With Tra-Tel, we wanted to get a feel for what it would really be like if we ever decided to live in our RV on a full-time basis.

We learned a few things.

Tra-Tel RV Park Overview

Tra-Tel is a basic RV park with about 60 sites, and we were able to live comfortably at the park.   Most sites are gravel, a handful have patios (for $25/month extra), and all sites are level.  There’s a good mixture of back-in and pull-through sites as well, and most sites are delineated by large rocks.

As for amenities, Tra-Tel boasts a 7-foot deep swimming pool, a community room with a few books and games, and a private shower-house with updated tile and fixtures.  My favorite amenity was the laundry room because both the washers and dryers took debit cards ($1.75/wash and $1.75/dry).  No more scrounging for quarters!  

One of the nice things about Tra-Tel are the RV hook-ups.   The park owners have installed a light at each pedestal so that if travelers arrive after dark, they won’t have to mess with flashlights to get their site set up.   There were also two water spigots at our site – one for the city water and another that can be used for the black tank flush or just another external water source.

Tra-Tel does not have a formal pet area so pet owners are largely left just walk their dogs around the park itself or on The Loop (more on that below).   One resident named Art has been deputized by Tra-Tel’s management to be part of the poop police.  We rarely saw anyone’s dog poop in the RV park!  

Tra-Tel’s Location is a Mixed Bag

Tra-Tel’s location as some pluses and minuses.  On the negative side, the RV Park is located right off I-10 so the traffic is audible.  Most RV air conditioner units are louder than the traffic noise so my opinion is that the noise issue is all about perspective.

Our rig was parked facing west such that the front faced the Tucson Mountains.   Immediately westward is a large commercially-zoned vacant dirt lot and The Loop multiuse path (more on that below).  During the last week of our stay, bulldozers started working on the vacant lot.  We learned that the owners of the vacant lot were trying to sell it, and therefore wanted to move a little dirt around for the prospective buyer.   There hasn’t been any construction on the site in the two years since the natural landscape was removed.   If construction ever does move forward, that may cause additional noise for RV residents and could also obstruct the mountain views.

Biking and Walking The Loop Near Tra-Tel RV Park

The main reason why we selected Tra-Tel for our two-month stay in Tucson was because it is right next to The Loop.   Literally, “right next to.”  We were excited to hop on our electric bikes and get on the 131-mile system of muti-use paved trails around the city.  We rode a good chunk of it during our stay. 

The Loop is next to the Santa Cruz River, Rillito River, and Pantano Wash.  However, during our stay, the river beds were all dry except for a small section not too far from Christopher Columbus park.  Moreover, many of the river beds, especially those near our RV park, were littered with trash – everything from mattresses to shopping carts.   

My favorite ride was a spur just off The Loop.  After heading north from the Tra-Tel RV Park, we caught the Canada de Oro River Park spur that leads northeast to the entrance of Catalina State Park and scenic views of the Santa Catalina mountains.  That route took us by a couple of golf courses as well.  Our ride was about 32-miles total and a good work-out.        

Our ride south from Tra-Tel RV park was less appealing.  Toward downtown, there is a substantial homeless encampment along the trail.  After a bike accident trying to avoid a homeless person on a ride in Colorado, I’m try to avoid those areas if possible.  The Loop does have great views of Sentinel Peak (the “A” mountain) just south of downtown though.

The Loop is also popular with walkers. About a mile or so north of the Tra-Tel RV park is Sweetwater Wetlands area. We were exploring it one day on the dirt trail and saw birds, turtles, and even a bobcat!

The Tra-Tel RV Park Lease

Upon arriving at the RV Park, we were given a lease by the Tra-Tel management.  Most people would call the lease “boilerplate.” As a lawyer, I actually read the lease!

The lease called stated that we could only have “two small” pets unless we got permission.   Rather than bring up yet another issue, we waited to see if there were any other families in the RV park that exceed the 2-pet limit.   After seeing someone with three dogs (all much larger than ours), Kasie went to talk to management, and she took Sophie along.   After all, who could say “no” to Sophie?  

Kasie:  We have a confession.  We were not completely honest with you when we checked in.

Sara:  What?  Let me guess…

Kasie:  (stuttering).  Well…

Sara:  Hmmmm…You have kids?

Kasie:   No, we have four dogs.

The bottom line is that the RV park was totally cool with our four dogs.  Kids may be another matter. But who knows….

FYI, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Federal Fair Housing Act) prohibits discrimination in housing, including RV parks, based on many things, including “familial status.” That means thatn an RV cannot discrimnate based on the presence of children under the age of 18 in the household.  RV parks are exempt from that if, among other things, at least 80 percent of the occupied units must be occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older.  These FAQs provide a lot more information on exemption.

From what I could find, Tra-Tel is not advertised as 55+ RV park.  Yet, over the course of our stay here, we saw only 1 child, and we think the child was visiting her grandparents.  Thus, RVers with children may want to check with the management about their policies. 

Getting Mail at Tra-Tel RV Park

Being away from home for so long causes many logistical challenges, including getting mail.  We take part in the United States Postal Service Informed Delivery service.  Once enrolled, the USPS scans the front of the letter-sized mailpieces that are processed through USPS' automated equipment, and sends those images to our email.   If there was something that we thought needed attention, we would just contact the sender directly to see what the communication was about.

In addition, we were able to received mail directly at the Tra-Tel RV park.  Kasie especially loved having all of her Amazon packages delivered there.  Because we were in a large metro area, some packages even arrived on the day they were ordered!

The Wildlife near Tra-Tel RV Park

We had a real wildlife encounter with javelinas at the Tra-Tel RV Park.  A family of three javelinas (including one baby) live in the area, and they decided to forage at one of our neighbor’s campsite one morning.  About a dozen RVers gathered around to watch the excitement. A few days later, we spotted them scurrying by our campsite, and our dogs wet crazy barking!

A javelina!   We had been looking for wild javelinas since our visit to The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  The javelinas at the museum were fat and lazy.  Those at our campground were a lot skinner and mobile. 

The Community at Tra-Tel

Two months was enough time to actually develop friendships with some of the Tra-Tel residents.  And, we really got to see just how special the RV community can be.  As an example, we often chatted with a woman named Bev and her dog Dayce while out on walks with our four-legged kids.  When we told her that our dog Brodie was feeling ill, she dropped off essential oils that she thought might help him.  Later, when we learned that Bev’s husband had to go to the hospital, several people in the RV park could be spotted walking Dayce.  Seeing the RV park residents rally in someone’s time of need lifted our spirits greatly.

Our experience staying at Tra-Tel RV park as our first long-term stay was a great choice.  If we are ever in the Tucson area again, we would not hesitate to stay there again.