Need a family-friendly stop between Arizona and California? Look no further than Ehrenberg, Arizona’s newest RV resort and cabins: River Sands RV Resort, keep reading for our review of their new tiny cabins.
The drive between Arizona and southern California is hard for kids. It’s just long enough to be a lot for everyone in the car, even with these 10 best road trip hacks for families.
On our most recent trip to Disneyland (here’s our recommendations on where to stay), I wanted a two-night pit stop to break up the drive and help us wind down after meeting Mickey Mouse before we got back home. I just felt like we needed a breather between the magic of Disney and the mundane of homelife.
If you’re interested in an off-the-beaten track destination great for parents and kids, keep reading for the newest cabin rentals and how to explore Ehrenberg, Arizona with kids.
XO,
Amy
Where is Ehrenberg?
Right on the border of California and Arizona is the tiny town of Ehrenberg. Maps said it was 3.5 hours from our house (but with road construction it definitely took longer…)
It’s a drive-by town you’d never stop at unless you made reservations at brand new cabins at the River Sands RV Resort like we did!
I was extra grateful we had booked these because we departed our Disney hotel on a Friday at lunch time and it was gridlock for SO LONG (which felt even longer with a toddler over traffic).
What should’ve been a three hour drive was closer to six hours with the insanity of California traffic. If we had planned to drive straight home that day, it would’ve been closer to a 9 hour car day for my son which would have been miserable for us all. So, if you don’t want to leave at the crack of dawn to avoid a bit of California traffic, this stop is a life saver.
Colorado River access amenities
The resort offered private beach access to the Colorado River, which we took full advantage of. We spent hours out here playing in the sand and dipping our toes in the river.
Other amenities that were kid-friendly included a fishing pond (catch and release only), a playground, heated resort-style pool and an outfitted clubhouse fit for family fun. If you have water toys like boats, jet-skis and more, absolutely this is the place for you.
I judge unplugged trips like this based on how little driving we have to do, and we literally only left the property for dinner, and the only restaurant in town *officially* was one turn and two minutes away, hardly counting for leaving the property.
Are they RVs or cabins?
The resort offers both RV camping spots and fully furnished cabins. We did the cabin and it was a cozy tiny home with two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and patio.
I was impressed that the kitchen offered a full size fridge/freezer and a full size oven/stovetop (which was gas!).
In the shared kitchen/living space there was also a couch and television set-up with all the streaming services we have at home.
The bedrooms are tight. The beds take up most of the space (no room for a pack and play) but they were comfortable mattresses and did offer lots of storage. I put my son’s pack and play in the shared living space of the cabin and that worked out fine, but it did mean we couldn’t watch TV after he went to bed at 7:30 p.m., but with of the bedrooms connected to a back patio, we didn’t miss the indoor living space!
What’s there to do in Ehrenberg with kids?
The only time we left the property was to go out to dinner one night (which was a 2 minute drive and one right turn out of the property).
The River Sands RV Resort has private beach access to the Colorado River and we spent a lot of our time playing in the river. The beach has built-in umbrellas (and lots of families brought their own pop-up shade structures), and lends itself to hours of play time. Plus, the pool, fishing pond, playground and indoor club area kept even a busy toddler entertained the whole time.
What to pack for River Sands RV Resort
Pack bathing suits, that’s really what you need.
A few other things I’ll be packing next time we stay:
-Pop-up shade structure for river beach days
-Cooler to take to the river (and drinks for everyone)
-Fishing pole for fishing lake (it’s catch and release)
-More meals to cook in cabin (there’s one restaurant nearby, others are 20 minutes away so next time we’ll plan to cook more)
We had a lovely stay and will absolutely be staying here again. When you’re not right on the water, it is toasty and a desert climate without much shade, so plan ahead if you go in the summers.
If you’re looking for a few other travel ideas that are a bit off the beaten path, be sure to check out our family-friendly guide to Greer, Arizona, here. Or, check out our itinerary to Winslow, Arizona, and the Petrified Forrest, here.
