ser3nitynow11
Member
My dog and I just drove from LA to Chicago last week... We had such a great time during our travels!!!
My vehicle is a 2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE, which ended up being perfect for this trip! I put a memory foam topper in the back and slept in the car each night. Since it's a hybrid, it is kind of its' own power generator, so I was able to leave the car running all night to keep myself and my dog warm, and my electric cooler cold, while only using about a gallon of gas! It cost me about $300 in fuel to travel 2,330 miles and leave the car running each night.
I choose spots to boondock along my route that were closer to the highways and easy to get to since I had a hard deadline of arrival in Chicago.
For the 1st night, I camped on Long Jim Loop Rd in the Kaibab National Forrest. There's lots of great dispersed camping areas throughout Kaibab, but this spot in particular is close to the south rim of the Grand Canyon as well as the highway I needed to travel on the next day. Cell reception was pretty good here too.
You can download motor vehicle use maps on the Kaibab National Forrest website to find areas where dispersed camping is allowed
In the morning, I took my dog Jezebel to go see the sunrise at Yavapai Point, which was spectacular! It did cost $45 for the park entrance fee, but was well worth it.
The 2nd night of my trip was spent at Big Arsenic Springs Campground at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. It was $7 to camp there for the night, but the grounds were easy to find, quiet, and clean. The cellular reception was poor and I was in roaming the whole time, but Google maps still worked, and I could call and text.
The view of the gorge from the campsites aren't the best, but there are a few overlooks close by and lots of trails that have great views... My only complaint was that driving through New Mexico wasn't very enjoyable. There were tons of speed traps, questionably low speed limits, and an overall seedy appearance to to areas I drove through.
Our 3rd night was in Garden City, Kansas at the Concannon Wildlife Area. I decided to skip the rest of New Mexico and drive through Colorado to get here... I did hit some snowy weather, but it didn't get too bad, and the Highlander handled really well in the snow!
The final night of our journey was spent at Roberts Bluff Access in Blackwater, Missouri.
Overall, I had an awesome journey and I'm looking forward to finding new destinations to go to on my drive back to LA next month!
My vehicle is a 2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE, which ended up being perfect for this trip! I put a memory foam topper in the back and slept in the car each night. Since it's a hybrid, it is kind of its' own power generator, so I was able to leave the car running all night to keep myself and my dog warm, and my electric cooler cold, while only using about a gallon of gas! It cost me about $300 in fuel to travel 2,330 miles and leave the car running each night.
I choose spots to boondock along my route that were closer to the highways and easy to get to since I had a hard deadline of arrival in Chicago.
For the 1st night, I camped on Long Jim Loop Rd in the Kaibab National Forrest. There's lots of great dispersed camping areas throughout Kaibab, but this spot in particular is close to the south rim of the Grand Canyon as well as the highway I needed to travel on the next day. Cell reception was pretty good here too.
You can download motor vehicle use maps on the Kaibab National Forrest website to find areas where dispersed camping is allowed
In the morning, I took my dog Jezebel to go see the sunrise at Yavapai Point, which was spectacular! It did cost $45 for the park entrance fee, but was well worth it.
The 2nd night of my trip was spent at Big Arsenic Springs Campground at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. It was $7 to camp there for the night, but the grounds were easy to find, quiet, and clean. The cellular reception was poor and I was in roaming the whole time, but Google maps still worked, and I could call and text.
The view of the gorge from the campsites aren't the best, but there are a few overlooks close by and lots of trails that have great views... My only complaint was that driving through New Mexico wasn't very enjoyable. There were tons of speed traps, questionably low speed limits, and an overall seedy appearance to to areas I drove through.
- Big Arsenic Springs Campground, Questa, NM 87556
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/LzUpM1CEMkToZYe66
Our 3rd night was in Garden City, Kansas at the Concannon Wildlife Area. I decided to skip the rest of New Mexico and drive through Colorado to get here... I did hit some snowy weather, but it didn't get too bad, and the Highlander handled really well in the snow!
- Concannon Wildlife Area, Garden City, KS 67846
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/vG7m9NyEDH64TNQm9
The final night of our journey was spent at Roberts Bluff Access in Blackwater, Missouri.
- Roberts Bluff Access, Blackwater, MO 65322
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/XBVZUL6UXnyVt46E6
Overall, I had an awesome journey and I'm looking forward to finding new destinations to go to on my drive back to LA next month!