Sentinel RV Park (http://sentinelpeakrv.com/) in downtown Tucson proved to be a great place for us to spend the week of Christmas 2019.  With only twenty-three sites, this is the smallest park in which we’ve stayed.  In the short amount of time that we’ve been traveling, finding parks in urban settings and particularly downtown areas seems very rare.  Since our interest was being close to the city, we decided to give this park a try.

What did we like best about Sentinel Peak RV Park?

1. Location, location, location!!!  It’s not just for buying and selling real estate.  It’s also true for staying in RV parks.  We were far enough away from the highway that there wasn’t much road roar.  Yes, cars pass by, and there is a hospital that isn’t too far, so there’s some noise. Downtown is easily accessible by car.  Tucson’s Sun Link Streetcar station and the Mercado are within walking distance.  Access to the bike trail that runs along the Santa Cruz River (part of the 130 miles of Tucson’s city bike trails) is only a block or two away.
2. Did I mention the location?  Not only is this park close to the city’s amenities, but it also makes for easy access to both the west and east sides of Saguaro National Park.
3. There is a security gate for access after hours.  During “normal” weekday business hours, the park gate is open.  At night and on Sundays, the gate remains closed providing added security in the park.

What didn’t we like about Sentinel Peak RV Park?

1. Drainage for rainwater.  Rain during our stay created puddles in the areas between sites for utility hookups leaving our electric cord under water for part of our stay.
2. Communication.  Neither our phone message nor our request for information about car parking that we submitted with our online booking received response until after our arrival.
3. The pool.  We weren’t planning to swim laps in the park’s pool during our stay, but we laughed when we saw how small it is.  I’m not sure you could get more than five people in the pool without losing half of the water, but they do have a pool.

How big are the sites?

They are as big as many of the other parks that we’ve stayed in with plenty of room to extend slideouts on both sides. We did not put our awning out, but I believe that there was plenty of room for that too. If you’re looking for a large patio area, this might not be for you.  Our site (#17) came equipped with a picnic table that fit comfortably between the front end of our rig and that of our neighbors.     

Is there room to park our car?

There are a few 70’ long pull-thru sites in the center of the park.  These would easily allow parking of most rigs with their towed vehicle.  If you’re in a smaller site on the perimeter of the park, you can park perpendicular to your rig.  Park management recommended this when we arrived.  It seems to be common practice for the park.

Businesses we can endorse after our visit that are in the park’s neighborhood:

1. St. Mary’s Mexican Food – Looking for inexpensive and delicious Mexcian to eat in or take out?  This place is delicious.  We loved the tamales so much that we almost went back a second time for tamales to take on the road with us.
2. Mariscos Chihuahua – If you want inexpensive Mexican seafood, this is the place.  There are several of these located around Tucson.  The one on Grande and Speedway is where we went one afternoon.  The smoked marlin fish tacos I had were great and Brian’s Camarones Culichi were rich, spicy, and delicious!
3. Los Olivos – Tasty pizza to take out and have at home while you watch a movie. 
4. Food City – Need groceries during your stay?  This place has an excellent selection and a great produce department at exceptionally low prices.  One trip I made there offered me avocados at 4 for $1.00 and fresh mangoes at 3 for $0.99.  I had to stop myself from buying too much.

Would we go back?

Absolutely!  We loved Tucson and are trying to figure out when we can go back.  We hope to stay at Sentinel Peak RV Park when that happens.  😊