Sedona, Arizona has long been considered one of the most captivating destinations in the United States. Each year more than 3 million visitors make their way to this charming town of only 10,000 residents to experience the beauty and energy of its iconic red rocks. With a perfect mix of outdoor adventure activities, a vibrant art scene, and endless opportunities for relaxation and pampering, Sedona truly has something for everyone!

From the moment we began mapping out our road trip itinerary, we knew that Sedona was one of the destinations we wanted to visit as a family. Genevieve and I had each been to Sedona independently, and both of us absolutely loved it on our previous trips, so we couldn’t wait to share the experience this time around with one another and as an entire family. But first we had to find lodging in the area that would accommodate the tight budget we had allocated for our travels – even in the “offseason.”

Then we discovered the Verde Ranch RV Resort, and we knew almost immediately that it would be the perfect fit for our family.

Then we discovered the Verde Ranch RV Resort, and we knew almost immediately that it would be the perfect fit for our family.

Located just a short 30 minute drive south of Sedona in the town of Camp Verde, the Verde Ranch RV Resort is a new family-friendly property that features 399 full-hookup RV sites along with 16 furnished vacation rental cottages. It also happens to be conveniently located along Interstate 17 and Highway 260 and is in close proximity to a number of nearby attractions and local amenities.

As this was our very first time staying in a RV resort, we were admittedly unsure what to expect going into our visit. However, from the moment we arrived on the property, we were pleasantly surprised by our entire experience! The property itself sits in the middle of the Verde Valley and offers beautiful views of the surrounding landscape, which was especially beautiful in the Fall. The grounds themselves, while not particularly lush and green, were nonetheless clean and well-manicured. In addition, the public facilities such as the laundry rooms, the clubhouse, the workout center, and the resort’s store have been excellently maintained and were super clean throughout the duration of our stay.

Since we’re not RV owners, we opted to stay in one of the beautifully-appointed cottages during our time at the Verde Ranch RV Resort. The cottages themselves come in several different floorpans, including studios, one-bedroom, and two bedroom units. We chose the one-bedroom cottage because it also came with a cute loft space for the boys, which we thought would offer us plenty of space as a family of four. And it more than exceeded our expectations! The space was cozy yet comfortable, and we loved its “tiny home” charm!

The exterior of our cottage offered a nice-sized gravel driveway, complete with a large picnic table and a propane grill for outdoor cooking. It also offered a cute little front patio area, which we utilized on several occasions to do the boys’ schoolwork outside.

Inside the cottage we had a front living room that included a wrap-around sleeper sofa as well as a mounted smart TV with cable. Beyond the living room was a small but functional eat-in kitchen with table seating for 4. While the kitchen did not have an oven, it came equipped with just about every other appliance we could have possibly needed, including a refrigerator, stove, microwave, coffee pot, and toaster, as well as all the dishes and cookware needed for cooking our meals in the cottage. On the other side of the kitchen was our full bathroom, and then at the back of the cottage was the private bedroom with a queen bed, a ceiling fan, and plenty of closet space for storing all our luggage.

Throughout our stay, we were able to live, work, and sleep very comfortably in the cottage, and the same would be possible at any time of year because the spaces are air conditioned during the summer months and heated during the winter. The only issue we ran into during our stay was the wireless internet speed, which are probably on-par for most RV resorts but definitely aren’t up-to-speed with what we’re used to experiencing when we stay at more traditional hotels or resort properties. However, this issue could have probably been resolved fairly easily if we had access to a wi-fi booster or something of that nature.

One of the biggest appeals for families staying at the Verde Ranch RV Resort is its plethora of kid-friendly amenities and programming. We happened to be visiting over Halloween weekend, and our boys had a blast getting to participate in several of the resort’s Halloween-themed activities, including pumpkin painting and a costume contest.

Inside the resort’s clubhouse, families can enjoy a game of shuffleboard or pool as well as a variety of card and board games. Outdoors, the resort offers a really nice playground, several pickle ball courts, a bocce court, a horseshoe pit, and a short riverside walking trail, to name a few.

But the main attraction here is by far the large outdoor pool complex. Located behind the clubhouse, the pool complex offers a large heated pool, a splash pad for the kids, two spacious jacuzzi tubs, and plenty of lounge seating for a day of fun and/or relaxation in the sun. Each day we visited, the pool area was filled with families enjoying the beautiful weather and amenities, and at night, the hot tubs became the popular place to be for the adult crowd looking to relax and unwind at the end of the day.

With so much to enjoy on the resort, it would be easy to visit Verde Ranch and never want to leave the property. But from our experience, that would be doing yourself a huge disservice because there’s so many amazing things to see and do in the surrounding area as well. Sedona, with all its hiking trails and outdoor adventure opportunities, is only a half hour drive away. A few hours beyond that, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon can also be reached on a day trip from Camp Verde. But there are also numerous lesser-known opportunities in the area that are equally worth checking out, including National Parks Service sites such as Tuzigoot National Monument and Montezuma Castle and Well, Out of Africa Wildlife Park, and the historic towns of Cottonwood and Jerome. In our weeklong stay at the Verde Ranch RV Resort, we only scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in the Verde Valley, and we truly believe that you could easily spend a month or more in the area and not get bored.

From our experience, the Verde Ranch RV Resort was an excellent place to stay during the COVID-19 pandemic. With our own private cottage and the majority of the family-friendly amenities being located outdoors, it is perfectly suited for maintaining social distancing. But even in the indoor public spaces, the property did a great job of providing plenty of masks and hand sanitizer to encourage and promote the safety and wellbeing of its guests. However, we still witnessed a number of guests not respecting the policies that had been put in place, and we were disappointed at times to see that the resort staff seemed unwilling to enforce the rules when they saw them being broken. But perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise because we saw very little mask wearing in indoor public spaces as we ventured around the rest of Camp Verde.

While we typically don’t choose to stay at RV parks when we travel, we have nothing but positive things to say about our time we spent at the Verde Ranch RV Resort. It is conveniently located in the heart of the Verde Valley, offers a number of amazing family-friendly amenities, and provides excellent value for the money. We will absolutely look to return the next time we visit Sedona!