Rocky Mountain High, or can you still get away with no reservations?

[WeLikeCamping]

So, at first this was going to be "California Dreamin'", or "Sierra Scenery", but you know, Covid. I plan these trips weeks in advance, spending many hours researching routes, destinations, activities and unusual things. I much prefer dispersed camping, which adds a layer of challenge - especially when traveling in popular regions. So that's what I did. Twice. After much research on the Sierras, my route would have been up 395 to just south of Tahoe, then cross over to the west side of the range and make my back down. After many frustrating hours of trying to figure out how to get into Yosemite without reservations in July, and finding dispersed camping. I gave up and saved this trip for another time.

So, I changed my focus to the Rockies and Colorado, a place that is near and dear to my heart. I love the mountains, and Colorado has a couple. I spent my honeymoon touring the San Juan's and I cherish the memories made on that trip. That was month's of research, as the internet was still pretty new and web pages were more or less non-existent, but it resulted in a honeymoon adventure that set the bar for future trips.. Consulted with the wife, and she agreed that Colorado was a better choice for now and we can shelf the California trip for a time when the weather is better. Thus ensued more weeks of research and planning.

I'm not an itinerary kind of guy. I can develop a route/plan and schedule the time, but I cannot guarantee that I will follow that route/plan and therein lies a fundamental problem for me. When I plan, I will allow for deviations as it's likely I will deviate from that route/plan. Trying to dispersed camp with a large trailer is challenging anywhere, but especially when visiting popular destinations. Trying to book a site at a nearby campground is impossible for me, as I have no clue where I will be in six months. Reservations to get into a park? Never. So, there you have it. I plotted a route through Colorado, taking the (paved) back roads as much as possible, trying to locate dispersed camping where possible and visiting some of the more popular attractions. So, here are the preliminary details:

Vehicle: Ram 3500
Accommodations: 26' bumper pull trailer
Passengers: 1 large dog, 2 medium dogs and a small dog. 2 humans.
Time: Just over 2 weeks
Distance: (projected): 2097 miles

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Day one: Get as far away from the heat of Phoenix as possible. Originally planned a route north to Flagstaff, then up through the 4 corners/Reservation to Cortez and end up in Durango to visit family. After discussion, we decided to take a different route out of Phoenix, one that would get us to elevation and cooler temps faster. We also decided to leave on a Friday night.


It was 115+ degrees and we left just before a storm rolled in. We traveled north on 87 to Payson, AZ. this area was recently devastated by huge forest fire that was started by a car fire. in June/July of 2020, the Bush Fire burned 193,455 acres of beautiful desert/riparian/forested areas. 87 was closed for much of this time as the fire started along this highway and raced north and east to inundate the Four Peaks region. There were some beautiful hidden spots in the Four Peaks that I've kept close:


I hope this remote park did not burn, but I am not confident. Anyway... We traveled on through the night, turning east on 260 at Payson, then to Heber, and North on 377 to a dispersed site I found in Google Earth. We drove through a bit of rain and arrived at the site after the rain passed. Everything was soaked - which is good for Arizona, not so good for dispersed camping. Found a relatively dry spot in a cool Juniper forest and settled in for the night.

 

[workerdrone]

Just got back from the San Juans in CO and was able to find prime camp spots paid and free with no reservations - traveling light though, tent camping out of 4x4 pickup.

Check up on the road closures, lots of recent mudslides and damage - avoid Independence Pass for one, you could get a big fine with a trailer

Have a great trip!

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Thanks, the San Juan's are one of my very favorite places, and I've spent much time there and in Southwestern CO in general. For this trip, we decided to avoid that area in order to expand our horizons, and try to check off some National Park destinations. I had to do something to recoup the cost of my America The Beautiful pass, and I've always wanted to see more of the Rockies, so, on we went...

The Heber-Overgard area was established and settled by Mormon pioneers in the late 1800's. Soon after, the Aztec Land and Cattle company, better known as "The Hashknife Outfit" purchased around a million acres of northern Arizona to run 32,000 head of cattle. This is prime cattle country, rolling grass-covered hills rising into Juniper and Ponderosa forest, and about as rural as you will get in Arizona. To this day, it is more or less a junction stop for fuel and eats while on the way to other parts of the state. This area is also known for UFO activity, with some debate as to whether Travis Walton was actually abducted or was experiencing an alternate reality. Anyway, it's an interesting story. The next day we pulled out of our dispersed site a few miles north of Heber and got back on the road north. Our goal for this day was someplace near Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado. In my research, I found some dispersed areas around the pass.

At Holbrook, I reluctantly turned onto I-40, heading east. I hate this road, it always is problematic with heavy traffic, inattentive and dangerous drivers and some serious potholes, not to mention wind. We took it anyway, because it was the fastest way to get where we wanted, and we had a lot of miles to put down. This is pretty country though, and we settled into the rhythm, following the Puerco River east, watching trains and traffic along the way. This road crosses the vast Navajo reservation, and there were a lot of "trading posts" and dinosaur exhibits. It also crosses the northern edge of the Petrified Forest National Monument.




For a real Trading Post experience, take Indian Route 191 north from I-40 a few miles to Ganado, and the Hubbel Trading Post. This post was established in 1878 and continued on to 1967 when the family sold the post to the National Park Service. You can still go there to buy and trade stuff, and it's an awesome microcosm of Arizona history.





Stopping for fuel in Gallup, we could head north on 491, or....

 

[Ace Brown]

I like Grand Mesa NF but I live close. It’s been busier than it was pre Pandemic but still plenty of boondock camping options as long as you’re not looking on a Friday evening.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Grand Mesa is on my short list for the next visit

 

[86scotty]

Following this thread with interest. We never have any trouble boondocking in Colorado. Well, I take that back. Close to the front range you are screwed....and you probably don't want to be there anyway.

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Funny, that's right where I headed

To continue.... Stopping for fuel in Gallup, we could head north on 491, or keep going east a bit. If you take the 491, know that for some reason traffic is always heavy in Gallup and people seem to just make up rules for driving on the fly. A couple of years ago coming into Gallup, there was an overpass intersection under construction. I approached at the speed limit, watching the traffic as there was not much room for them to accelerate, and there was a huge semi up next. Apparently, the woman behind him didn't want to wait, so she went around and merged into my lane, barely a hundred yards or so in front of me. Got to really test my brakes on that one, and was able to swerve into the middle lane to avoid her. She just cruised blithely on her way at about 55. Anyway, I digress. I've taken the 491 a couple of times and it's a very rough road for a highway, was under construction each time and probably still is, and you have to slow to 35 for every village along the way to Shiprock. Also, there is reservation traffic. slow. reservation. traffic. I don't recommend this route. We decided to keep going east.

Many years ago we did a road trip to Avon, CO and of course, I had to make an adventure of it. This was before Google Earth. I scoured maps of the region and found a road through the reservation that appeared to go directly to Chaco Canyon from the south, now called "Chaco Canyon Road" and appears to be a paved road. Anyway, back then, it was a dirt road following a pipeline. It was an epic adventure, finding this road, then following it at night, pulling off to sleep in the back of the van before continuing on in the morning. Looking at Google Earth today, I notice that the road from Thoreau, NM (IR 371) appears to go directly to Farmington. Researched it a bit and decided to go for it. A very nice road, I highly recommend it if you are traveling in this direction. Going north to Farmington you pass through rocky mesa's, rolling grasslands, oil wells and agriculture. Traffic was light and the road was smooth.

Amazingly, we were about 50 miles from nowhere, and my wife was able to conduct a zoom conference. Had to use both phones, but it worked. From Farmington or just east of there, Bloomfield, you can take 516 or 550 north to Aztec/Durango. If you like scenic, rural roads, just west of Farmington is the La Plata Highway, a two lane country road that ends in Hesperus, CO. East of this area is the Navajo lake reservoir. A huge lake.

We followed 64 through Bloomfield to fuel up and find some food. On the Southeast corner of S. third street and W. Broadway Ave (64), there is a tiny little Mexican food dive place, La Botana. There is a big lot and a couple of trees, so we pulled in and let the dogs out on their leashes, and ordered up some burritos. Excellent food. This place is basically a shipping container kitted out for a Mexican kitchen. It was kinda pricey for a dive, but we were starved. Getting our burritos, we hit the road, as I still had some miles to cover this day. We continued east on 64, heading toward Dulce, NM and Archuleta Mesa. Conspiracy theorists believe that there is a deep underground Alien base here - where abducted humans are taken for some sort of testing. We didn't see any of that and I couldn't find any place to book a tour. This is a beautiful road that follow a winding valley up into the mountains. Finally, we were getting some elevation. Cruising through Dulce, you wind through more beautiful, grassy ranch and farmland. Eventually, you deadend into US 84. Taking this north, you will eventually get to Pagosa Springs. There is a variety of RV parks along the Blanco river, and more just outside of Pagosa Springs, along the San Juan, but we were planning our first dispersed in Colorado. Besides, these places are pricey for just an overnight stay. Just south of Pagosa Springs, you will pass the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park. This is a privately owned zoo that harbors regional wildlife that was either donated, or rescued from other zoos. Anyway, it's a cool stop for kids.

At Pagosa Springs, we bypassed the town and headed north on the 160, following the San Juan river north toward Wolf Creek Pass. It was getting late in the day, on a Saturday and I had pinned several potential camping spots, further up in the pass. This is where I was headed. Years before, I camped a beautiful gravel bar on the East San Juan. As we headed north, the wife reminisced, and despite the miles of washboard, she wanted to try it again. I told her it was Saturday and more than likely every available inch was taken, but you know, I humored her. Glad I did too. There is a NF campground about a half mile in, but it was packed. If you keep going, to the first bridge, about 3 miles of narrow, shelfy, washboard broken up by rocky potholes, there is a wide spot to camp. I would not recommend this road for the faint of heart, especially pulling a big rig. There are a variety of places to camp here, but there is one spot that is at the back of the flat, tucked into the trees, that is a primo spot for any camping. I was amazed that this spot was not taken, and I wedged my trailer into it as quickly as possible. If you keep on this road for another mile or so, you will find more sites, and the gravel bar that I camped years ago, but after talking with a fisherman, he said it was packed. Keep going on this road and you will end up in some beautiful country for wheeling. I would not go further than the gravel bar site if pulling a big rig, and shortly you enter private land. There is a very cool trail leading up a narrow steep canyon to the north from here, following Silver Creek. I did it with my SxS, and would not recommend anything larger, as it is narrow, steep and slick with big drops. Beautiful country though.

We settled in, broke out a bottle of wine to celebrate and I was relieved and encouraged. Our first camp in Colorado, dispersed and about the best site one could wish for. We were tucked into the shade, off the road, near the creek, and the nearest other spot was at least 50 yards away.


Across the river, we spied another camper, this guy with an unusual rig:

Not even sure how to describe it. They were quiet campers though. It was still warm, but cooled as the sun passed over the deep canyon. Took the dog to the river, several times so he could get his fill of water play.



Beau is a strong swimmer, and loves fetching. He got a workout here.

Our first meal:

 

[WeLikeCamping]

I wanted to post this picture separately, so I could climb up on my big soap-box. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I think that we (as a group of outdoor enthusiasts), need to maybe start self-policing. I realize that it can be dangerous confronting people about their bad behavior, but maybe there are ways we can do it without direct confrontation. I wish I had my telephoto lens connected when I watched a grown man riding a one-up quad, with a child in his lap, neither wearing helmets, in fact, the man just had a pair of shorts on...ride through the campsite, then take off through the grass up the draw to get back onto the road:


There was no track before he blithely sped on past the "No Motor Vehicles" sign. Now there is a track. The next clueless or careless rider will see this and think it's okay, and before you know it, dead grass, beer cans all over, and a new washed-out ravine is created, possibly washing out the road to this camp. FS responds by OHV access is cut off in this area. Heck, they may even close the camping. OHV riding is restricted enough in Colorado, and just a few more people like this is all it takes to convince the man to come down hard on everyone.

Later that night, a sedan rolled in and camped closer to the road in a tent. They started a huge bonfire, despite the forest being in Stage II. I wish a ranger had stopped by. For me, I will take pictures, record license plates and descriptions and I will report this kind of activity whenever possible.

//off soapbox

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Dawn came early for us on Saturday. There were four dogs that all wanted to do their business. Right now. So, we got up, put some coffee on, grabbed a handful of doggie bags and headed out to enjoy the beautiful Colorado morning. The gentle roar of the East San Juan called to Beau, and he raced ahead to jump in the water.




We played in the stream a bit, got the dogs exercised and taking care of business, we made our way back to camp to have our coffee. We debated on whether or not we should stay another day. This is a magnificently supreme dispersed spot and it's been my experience that spots like this don't last in this condition. I feel fortunate that I got to enjoy the peaceful energy of this canyon at the headwaters of the San Juan, and will cherish the memory of this place. While I have been camping my whole life, and my wife for much of hers, we have never been on an extended trip like this. I had to negotiate hard to get her to burn up two weeks of the twelve or so PTO she has accumulated, so that we could have an extended trip, and this trip was as much as I was gonna get, at least for this summer. I hoped it would be as much learning experience as adventure, and that sure panned out. One thing I learned very quickly is that four dogs are just too many. If I'm not feeding them, I'm picking up their poop. Or sweeping out the gravel and sand they drag in. Or cleaning up the clouds of dog hair. Four dogs are too many. Problem is that we adopted two, knowing what our lifestyle was going to be, and hoping that we could make it work. Well, it's possible, but it's a lot of work.

We decided that the weather was still too hot - we were still running from the heat wave that was impacting the southwest. My experience has been that elevation means cooler temps and our next destination would be several thousand feet higher. We decided to head out with the destination of Four-Mile Creek outside of Fairplay, CO. Traffic was light as we crawled back down the hill toward asphalt. This is a pretty canyon, and heading out, I got to be on the stream side, enjoying the view as we crept along.

Finally hitting pavement, I turned toward the Wolf Creek Pass. I really don't get why so many people are freaked out by high passes, in my opinion, Wolf Creek is one of the easiest I've been over. Opened in 1916, it opened up the San Juans for those coming from the east. Our route today would take us past South Fork to Del Norte, where we turn north and follow the San Luis valley to Poncha Springs and Buena Vista, where we head east to the South Park valley and Fairplay. South Fork lies on the Rio Grande at the very west end of the vast San Luis Valley. For many years it served as a stage stop on the trail from Del Norte to Lake City. The Denver and Rio Grande came to the valley in the late 1800's with a line running north to Creede and Lake City, providing supplies for miners and ranchers.

 

[zoomad75]

Funny, that's right where I headed

To continue.... Stopping for fuel in Gallup, we could head north on 491, or keep going east a bit. If you take the 491, know that for some reason traffic is always heavy in Gallup and people seem to just make up rules for driving on the fly. A couple of years ago coming into Gallup, there was an overpass intersection under construction. I approached at the speed limit, watching the traffic as there was not much room for them to accelerate, and there was a huge semi up next. Apparently, the woman behind him didn't want to wait, so she went around and merged into my lane, barely a hundred yards or so in front of me. Got to really test my brakes on that one, and was able to swerve into the middle lane to avoid her. She just cruised blithely on her way at about 55. Anyway, I digress. I've taken the 491 a couple of times and it's a very rough road for a highway, was under construction each time and probably still is, and you have to slow to 35 for every village along the way to Shiprock. Also, there is reservation traffic. slow. reservation. traffic. I don't recommend this route. We decided to keep going east.

Many years ago we did a road trip to Avon, CO and of course, I had to make an adventure of it. This was before Google Earth. I scoured maps of the region and found a road through the reservation that appeared to go directly to Chaco Canyon from the south, now called "Chaco Canyon Road" and appears to be a paved road. Anyway, back then, it was a dirt road following a pipeline. It was an epic adventure, finding this road, then following it at night, pulling off to sleep in the back of the van before continuing on in the morning. Looking at Google Earth today, I notice that the road from Thoreau, NM (IR 371) appears to go directly to Farmington. Researched it a bit and decided to go for it. A very nice road, I highly recommend it if you are traveling in this direction. Going north to Farmington you pass through rocky mesa's, rolling grasslands, oil wells and agriculture. Traffic was light and the road was smooth.
View attachment 675168
Amazingly, we were about 50 miles from nowhere, and my wife was able to conduct a zoom conference. Had to use both phones, but it worked. From Farmington or just east of there, Bloomfield, you can take 516 or 550 north to Aztec/Durango. If you like scenic, rural roads, just west of Farmington is the La Plata Highway, a two lane country road that ends in Hesperus, CO. East of this area is the Navajo lake reservoir. A huge lake.

We followed 64 through Bloomfield to fuel up and find some food. On the Southeast corner of S. third street and W. Broadway Ave (64), there is a tiny little Mexican food dive place, La Botana. There is a big lot and a couple of trees, so we pulled in and let the dogs out on their leashes, and ordered up some burritos. Excellent food. This place is basically a shipping container kitted out for a Mexican kitchen. It was kinda pricey for a dive, but we were starved. Getting our burritos, we hit the road, as I still had some miles to cover this day. We continued east on 64, heading toward Dulce, NM and Archuleta Mesa. Conspiracy theorists believe that there is a deep underground Alien base here - where abducted humans are taken for some sort of testing. We didn't see any of that and I couldn't find any place to book a tour. This is a beautiful road that follow a winding valley up into the mountains. Finally, we were getting some elevation. Cruising through Dulce, you wind through more beautiful, grassy ranch and farmland. Eventually, you deadend into US 84. Taking this north, you will eventually get to Pagosa Springs. There is a variety of RV parks along the Blanco river, and more just outside of Pagosa Springs, along the San Juan, but we were planning our first dispersed in Colorado. Besides, these places are pricey for just an overnight stay. Just south of Pagosa Springs, you will pass the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park. This is a privately owned zoo that harbors regional wildlife that was either donated, or rescued from other zoos. Anyway, it's a cool stop for kids.

At Pagosa Springs, we bypassed the town and headed north on the 160, following the San Juan river north toward Wolf Creek Pass. It was getting late in the day, on a Saturday and I had pinned several potential camping spots, further up in the pass. This is where I was headed. Years before, I camped a beautiful gravel bar on the East San Juan. As we headed north, the wife reminisced, and despite the miles of washboard, she wanted to try it again. I told her it was Saturday and more than likely every available inch was taken, but you know, I humored her. Glad I did too. There is a NF campground about a half mile in, but it was packed. If you keep going, to the first bridge, about 3 miles of narrow, shelfy, washboard broken up by rocky potholes, there is a wide spot to camp. I would not recommend this road for the faint of heart, especially pulling a big rig. There are a variety of places to camp here, but there is one spot that is at the back of the flat, tucked into the trees, that is a primo spot for any camping. I was amazed that this spot was not taken, and I wedged my trailer into it as quickly as possible. If you keep on this road for another mile or so, you will find more sites, and the gravel bar that I camped years ago, but after talking with a fisherman, he said it was packed. Keep going on this road and you will end up in some beautiful country for wheeling. I would not go further than the gravel bar site if pulling a big rig, and shortly you enter private land. There is a very cool trail leading up a narrow steep canyon to the north from here, following Silver Creek. I did it with my SxS, and would not recommend anything larger, as it is narrow, steep and slick with big drops. Beautiful country though.

We settled in, broke out a bottle of wine to celebrate and I was relieved and encouraged. Our first camp in Colorado, dispersed and about the best site one could wish for. We were tucked into the shade, off the road, near the creek, and the nearest other spot was at least 50 yards away.
View attachment 675169
View attachment 675174
Across the river, we spied another camper, this guy with an unusual rig:
View attachment 675170
Not even sure how to describe it. They were quiet campers though. It was still warm, but cooled as the sun passed over the deep canyon. Took the dog to the river, several times so he could get his fill of water play.
View attachment 675171
View attachment 675172
View attachment 675173
Beau is a strong swimmer, and loves fetching. He got a workout here.

Our first meal:
View attachment 675175

The oddball camper you saw across the river was a mid 2000's Buick Century with a homebuilt camper grafted onto the back. I've seen that thing sitting in the parking lot of the Burger King across the street from the dealership I work at in Canon City CO. It's a glorious mess for sure.

Great trip so far!

 

[Tucsontom]

Thoreau, NM (IR 371). Ha! After a gazzilion trips to the San Juans - and dreading the Holbrook to Gallup to Shiprock legs - finally this summer took the Thoreau loop into Farmington. More I-40 time but still fun. Remote, nice, peaceful change. Tucson has had about 9" of rain if not more this summer. I hope Phoenix has gotten their share. Thanks for sharing Fellow desert dweller. To those who do not live in the SW -this amount of rain was beyond sorely needed.

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Sorry for not keeping up with this story - I got sidetracked with a trip to Chicago. Had to burn up some pre-covid flight tickets. I've got more to say and a few more days to report on, will be updating soon.

On the rain - we were disappointed to miss the rain over the past week, and agree, totally need it. I'm on a White Mountains forum, and the mountains have been getting a substantial amount as well. The green is amazing.

 

[buenavides]

It seems like the expedition went well. The photos that you posted on this thread look amazing.

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Del Norte was to be our next fuel stop. This was appropriate as Del Norte was established on the Old Spanish Trail in the late 1850's, and grew as a supply point for miners and ranchers, becoming the county seat for Rio Grande county in 1874. a few years later, Del Norte was proposed to be the state capital and missed it by one vote. The drive along the 160 follows the Rio Grande river and railroad. You can see old and new rail stock, agriculture and several RV dealerships. Rolling into Del Norte, it's a pretty rural town with maybe two gas stations available. I chose the station on the corner of the 160/112 highways as it was easiest for me to get in and out of.

Del Norte has a plan for riverfront access, with a very nice park on the south side, and what was my failover plan for camping, where there is a very nice (free) RV park on the north side. Crossing the Rio Grande, you quickly enter agriculture and the middle of the vast San Luis Valley. This valley has a long and storied history, going back to Spanish colonization attempts, and even before that, Indigenous people. We followed 112 north to connect with 285 which took us north to Buena Vista, where we turned east. We were getting into mining country now, climbing over a pass to Poncha Springs. This town is a major hub with highway 50 bisecting it. We picked a lot of traffic from highway 50, and it was like rush hour rolling into Buena Vista. We stopped here for provisions, picking up some food and refreshments. Traffic was insane. Like rush-hour insane. I thought that when we cut back south to return to 285, it would lighten up, but no. That was not to happen. Again, traffic was heavy as crossed through a low mountain range, and into the South Park Valley. I had pinned several points along the way, Mushroom Gulch and Trout Creek. We decided to push on to Fairplay and the next dispersed site. Another nice road, we cruised with the traffic until everything came to a sudden stop, about 5 miles outside of Fairplay.


The sucky part of this is that the road I was taking is 1 mile south of Fairplay. We sat through around 45 minutes of bumper to bumper crawling before we could exit on County Road 18, which led west into the Ten mile range. the free camping sites described several open meadows with places to camp, around 5 miles back. Seemed reasonable to me. The pavement ends after about a mile. The remaining miles were an excruciating crawl over washboard, rocky and bumpy road. We crawled back 5 miles to find all the dispersed sites closed, except for a couple that we could not squeeze into and one meadow that just didn't feel right. Approaching Horseshoe campground, we gave in. Stopped in to talk with the host and he confirmed that yeah, pretty much everything was blocked. He did mention that there was another campground about a mile further that had open sites. reluctantly we got back on the horrendous road to crawl up to 4-mile creek. We found a spot in this campground. It was not free, but...as a senior, I got a 50% discount, and the forest was in Stage 1, so fires were allowed in the CG. I scored a handful of wood from a woman who needed help backing her rig into another spot, so we were set for the night. Pretty much exhausted from crawling up the road, we had a quick dinner, some wine and settled in for the night. Lot's of mosquito's here, but a quiet campground and we slept well.

The next morning, the dogs again woke us up at dawn. We grabbed the doggie bags, some leashes and walked down the creek that was across the road.

Looking west toward Mt. Sherman. It was a very hazy day. I was hoping it would clear, but nah, it just got worse.

Four-Mile Creek and Sheep Mountain on the left. There were beaver dams/ponds all along this creek, which we had followed for about the last four-miles. Didn't see any critters though.



Beau is a Lab through and through, lives for water. For some reason, he likes to pee in the water too. Not sure how to break him of this habit.

Sheep Mountain.

The haziness never improved while we were here. Fortunately, we had a cell signal, so we checked the weather and found that this was caused by forest fires in Idaho and upper atmosphere wind dragging it down. Still, it's had to not like mountain views, even hazy ones.