7 Top Tips for Tucson Van Life
"So, where are you from?" the conversation inevitably begins. It's a question that I can no longer answer easily, so I've had to come up with a reasonable stock reply.
"Oh, Colorado mostly, but I've been traveling full-time for about three years now."
"Where do you spend most of your time, then? Colorado?"
Hmm, I had to turn that one over in my head... because over the past few years, it definitely hasn't been Colorado. What do I say — "Oregon?" "Everywhere and nowhere?"
"Actually, now that you mention it... I guess I spend most of my time here in Tucson," I replied with a laugh. "This is the third winter I've come back to Tucson. We rented a condo here for three months last winter, and we'll be here for at least a month this year, if not longer. So... I guess you could say it's Tucson."
I'll admit that realization caught even me by surprise, but it was most definitely true. But this year, our experience of Tucson turned out to be eminently different from 2021. Instead of living in a condo in the city, directly off a beautiful paved bike path and walking distance to a whole array of restaurants and other amenities, we were full-on #vanlifing. We spent the month of January circling the city using a variety of dispersed camping options, designated campgrounds, and friends' houses for lodging.
Van Life in the Greater Tucson Area
After a month spent traipsing around the greater Tucson area in our van, ranging from Vail in the south to Catalina in the north, and from Redington Pass in the east to Saguaro National Park in the West, the general takeaway from our experience was that the living is easy in Tucson.
Arizona has long grown accustomed to retiree snowbirds fleeing from the northern climes to the warm, verdant Sonoran Desert. A plethora of campgrounds, both public and private, have sprung up to serve this annual influx of tourists, and on most any side of Tucson, you can find a fantastic campground to stay in. Some of the most popular campgrounds also open up overflow areas from roughly January until April to help deal with the peak season traffic.
Instead of griping and complaining about the annual tourist season, the locals are simply accustomed to it by now after many, many years of practice. Sure, #vanlife is on the rise, and COVID has allowed many more people to dip their toes into a location independent lifestyle, but the number of people traveling in converted vans pales in comparison to the hordes of RVs and pull-behind campers that flood into Arizona from all corners of the continent.
We've seen license plates from as far away as Alaska and Saskatchewan and a flood of plates from the nearby states of Colorado and California. Arizona is a popular destination, and yet, the living around Tucson felt very pleasant and manageable in comparison to some smaller mountain towns we've visited that felt absolutely crushed.
Top Tips for Tucson Van Life
If you want to join the hordes of snowbirds as they flock to Arizona, here are 7 top tips to help you jump straight into Tucson van life.
1. Plan ahead for campground reservations.
If you want the security of a campground reservation, you'll need to plan well in advance. Ideally, try to book your spot several months in advance. We've even heard some people claim that they book their reservations a full year in advance, or as soon as the reservation window opens up.
Popular campgrounds such as Catalina State Park tend to book up well in advance. Even the overflow camping at Catalina is now reservable online.
Some other campgrounds do designate at least one loop for first come, first served camping... but to score a first-come campsite, you have to strategize your arrival day and time to be as off-peak as possible. Unfortunately, it seems that campgrounds change their regulations every year, so some of the current first-come-first-served places may no longer be available by the time you read this article, which is why no specific recommendations are given. The best piece of advice is to look up the latest information on the respective campground websites and if possible, give them a phone call.
2. Dump stations and water fill are available at many Speedway gas stations.
Filling and dumping water is the number one van life chore that we deal with on an almost daily basis. While we carry enough fresh water to last us for several days off the grid in the desert, when we do come into the city, the first priority is refilling our tanks.
Thankfully, we found that many Speedway gas stations in the greater Tucson area offer free RV dump stations, complete with potable water taps for refilling. With a convenient spot for dumping the toilet, sink water, and refilling freshwater, the access to these stations makes dispersed camping across the region much more manageable.
The iOverlander app lists a few of these dump stations, but in our experience, the list is incomplete, and there are even more to be found.
3. Shower at Planet Fitness.
Purchasing a Planet Fitness membership is a long-time van life hack. The very affordable monthly membership provides access to Planet Fitness facilities around the world, and Tucson is a great place to make your membership pay off. Tucson and Oro Valley boast five different Planet Fitness locations, which provide welcome opportunities for scoring a refreshing, hot shower.
We currently pay $23.06 for an individual Planet Fitness membership, but the member can bring a guest with them every single time they visit a gym. We effectively get unlimited Planet Fitness use for the two of us for just $23 per month.
Compare that $23 price to anywhere from $5 to $10 per person per shower at most local pools, gyms, or campgrounds across the country. I've walked away from a pool's front desk before because the price was too outrageous (about $15). Essentially, if we get two showers for each of us (total of four) per month, we've easily broken even on our Planet Fitness membership. In Tucson, we were able to shower almost every other day thanks to the five different gym locations spread around the city.
4. Buy an Arizona State Trust permit.
While you'll find some USFS and BLM land around Tucson that offers stereotypical dispersed camping opportunities, Tucson is also surrounded by a wealth of Arizona state trust land. This state-run land management agency has its own set of rules—most notably, you need to have a permit to camp (or technically, even to hike or mountain bike) on state trust land.
Now, I've never heard of anyone being stopped and asked to show their permit, but making sure you're on the up-and-up provides extra peace of mind. Thankfully, you can easily purchase a permit online, print off a confirmation, and put it in your window. And at just $20 for a family permit ($15 for an individual), it's a small price to pay for the use of this beautiful land.
Unfortunately, the legal camping limit on Arizona state trust land is 14 days per year, not per visit like most USFS or BLM land.
5. Be willing to explore to find dispersed camping gems.
iOverlander lists a wealth of fantastic spots to camp around Tucson, but as you might imagine, a few of those spots, such as Redington Pass and Snyder Hill, are absolutely overrun. However, the app doesn't even come close to listing all of the fantastic legal places to dispersed camp. Be willing to do a little exploring, and come armed with your Arizona State Trust permit.
6. Strategize your camping and your adventures to minimize driving.
While Tucson is a smaller area to cover than the sprawling Phoenix metropolis, crisscrossing from one side of the valley to the other can easily take over an hour. Whenever possible, strategize your camping spots along with the adventures that you're planning to tackle. For example, if you're pulling into Catalina State Park, try hiking the Romero Pools trail directly from the park, and head just north of there to Golder Ranch or Honeybee to ride. Save the other trails further south for when you line up camping closer to those trailheads.
To get an overview of the best hikes and mountain bike rides in the region, click over to these two guidebooks:
7. Keep the bikes inside.
Tucson is, unfortunately, becoming famous for its bike theft epidemic. The first night we spent in our condo in Tucson in 2021, I parked three mountain bikes on a second-floor balcony that was only accessible from inside. I woke up to just two bikes remaining on the balcony. Somehow, a thief had scaled the blank cement wall and stolen a bike.
This year, a couple friends of mine spent a night street camping in Tucson. Unfortunately, they have two bikes and a motorcycle locked on the back of their van. In just one night of street camping, they had to scare off two different theft attempts on their bikes. Thankfully, both were unsuccessful.
If at all possible, make sure that you keep your bikes inside your vehicle. Trust in your fellow humans is a luxury that you can't afford in Tucson.
Parting Thoughts
While the reality of rampant bike theft might feel daunting, with a little preparation and forethought to deal, we found van life in Tucson to feel downright luxurious. Excellent cell phone service, even in some remote desert locations, made working easy. Well-dispersed Planet Fitness gyms and RV dump stations at Speedway took care of the two most difficult van life chores. And the camping was much easier to come by than we anticipated.
It's hard to believe that we only spent a month there this year. But don't worry Tucson: we'll be back for you!
