Expert: Steve Summers - 7/25/2006

Question
Hi Mr. Springer

I have enjoyed your reply to some of my fellow europeans, and found good inspiration in your tour guide for the LA/Grand Canyon/Las Vegas/Yosemite (etc) trip.
We have an RV for 2.5 weeks, starting in SFO, and then I thought og Carmel/LA/Grand Canyon/Las Vegas/Bryce Canyon/Zion/Yosemite - (might be in wrong geographical order here, sry)
I have a question; we rented a 30' RV, and it will be myself, my wife and her 19 yr old daughter. Is it safe to camp in national parks outside commercial sites/RV camps such as KOA. I find them fairly expensive (usd 50 per day in average). However, I am not prepared to take any unnecessary risks, ie if RV's often get robbed etc.   I'm not so much worried about our cameras etc, but more our security, although would like to bring my stuff home, and not spend time reporting on a police station.
Also; will my 19 yr old "stepdaughter" be allowed to gamble in Las Vegas if accompanied by us ?  She looks somewhat older than 19.

Thanks in advance !

Best regards
Morgan Green, Copenhagen, Denmark (Scandinavia)

Answer
Hi Morgan,

I would say that that camping in the national parks is very safe, as long as you are camping in a designated campground. Inside the national parks, you may only camp in designated camping areas. You can make online reservations at reservations.nps.gov. If you are in or near a large city, camping on the streets is also illegal. I would say that there is a much greater chance of being awakened by the police and being told to move than being robbed. However, you can park your RV in the parking lot of most Wal-mart stores for free. There are some cities where this is not allowed (particularly near the coast), and some store managers have stopped the practice because some people would stay for weeks, and leave a mess behind.
You can find locations at walmart.com. You can also find a few free campsites at www.freecampgrounds.com.

Be sure to check out www.reserveamerica.com, which has many California State Parks and Beaches where you can camp (for a lot less than $50 US). I think we pay about $30 at our favorite beach.

And be sure to check out www.rvparkreviews.com, for reviews of some of the RV parks. You don't want to go to a bad RV park.

Finally, your stepdaughter will not be allowed to gamble in Las Vegas. In fact, she is not even allowed to loiter around the casino. The casino operators are very careful not to let underage gamblers, because they could lose their gambling license.  We took my daughter for her 21st birthday, and she was asked for ID everywhere she went (which she displayed proudly). The gentlemen always apologized for the inconvenience, and she was allowed to continue gambling.

Have fun!

Steve