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Utah National Parks & More Adventure

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Utah National Parks & More Adventure
October 13th – 29th, 2023 (16 nights)

The primary goal of this adventure was to see Utah’s national parks (except for Zion which we visited on a previous trip).  We were able to reserve some of the national parks long in advance, except for Bryce which was first come first served during the time of our trip.  However, for those national parks where reservations weren’t available, we found alternative locations, such as surrounding State parks and private campgrounds.  Because our home base of Carlsbad (San Diego) is far from Utah, we traversed through the states of Arizona and Nevada on this journey.  We didn’t make reservations in advance for Arizona because we wanted some flexibility in selecting cool locations in case the weather didn’t dip down in time for our trip.

Days 1 & 2:  Prescott, Arizona
The night before our trip, we checked weather for our first planned stop, Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground (about five hours from home).  It turned out temperatures were still in the upper 80’s.  Since we had no reservations here, we looked at our route and, instead, headed for the mountains to Prescott, Arizona (low 70’s daytime temps, 40’s at night).  We made calls on the way and found a private campground, Point of Rocks, nestled up in the Granite Dells area near Watson Lake (only about 8 minutes from downtown Prescott).  We were offered site #50, a premium site which butts up against granite stones (part of the Dells) (around $60/night).  The site has full hookups (water, electric, and sewer) and there is free WiFi (which was fast — we were able to stream movies).  The area is spectacular with stunning scenery of granite stone formations.  There is a trail right from the campground that leads to Watson Lake and a series of trails that follow the lake’s perimeter.  One could spend days hiking here.  We also enjoyed walking through historic downtown Prescott.  There is a town square with a clock tower and historic court building.  We walked streets lined with old Victorian homes (built in the 1800s) which are beautiful.  The farmer’s market (Saturday mornings 7:30 -Noon) was also really interesting — we purchased catsclaw honey, concord jam, Aebellskyvers (Swedish donuts), homemade berry pie, and turkey eggs!  We enjoyed our first day so much, we asked if we could stay another night and, luckily, they accommodated us!

Day 3:  Flagstaff
Our next stop was supposed to be Sedona (a must visit for anyone who hasn’t seen the spectacular red rocks here).  However, like our initial planned stop, the temperatures in Sedona were in the upper 80’s.  So, instead, we continued to head to a higher elevation with cooler temperatures.  At over 7,000 feet, Flagstaff is a cool place to visit (daytime temperatures during our stay in the low 70’s, mid 30’s at night).  We found out the the state campgrounds had just closed their season (around Oct. 10th), so, again, we researched some private ones and found a nice one very close to downtown Flagstaff (Woody Mountain Campground).  We chose one of their very private campsites (A70), which is dry ($49/night) (although they have many with hookups for not much more money, but the sites are closer together).  There is free WiFi, but we found it to be very slow at our campsite.  However, our Verizon here was extremely fast (over 100mps download), so we opted to use it instead of the campground WiFi.

Flagstaff is a university town (Northern Arizona University) and, thus, the downtown is very busy with lots of students.  There are numerous shops and restaurants and the famous Route 66 runs through downtown.  There is an Amtrak station in the middle of town and over 100 trains a day pass through!  We spent a couple of hours walking around and perusing the shops before heading back to and enjoying our quiet campsite.  There are a number of interesting things to do in Flagstaff, including visiting the world famous Lowell Observatory.  The Visitor’s Center at the Amtrak Station provides a lot of good information.

Day 4:  Monument Valley, Utah
Back on our regularly scheduled itinerary, we arrived in Monument Valley, Utah at one of the few campgrounds within the valley — Gouldings RV and Campground.  Gouldings is a private campground which also has a lodge as well as individual homes that can be rented that overlook the majesty of Monument Valley.  We had campsite #66 ($65/night) which has full hookups.  The site is spaced out ok, but, if we came back, we would ask for campsite T10, which is priced the same as #66 but is an end spot overlooking the valley.  The campground provides Wi-Fi, but it is very slow.  However, when we tried our Verizon service, we received even slower data rates (even though we had 5 bars!).  We’ve been in other remote areas before (e.g. Death Valley) where Verizon shows 5 bars but the service is barely useable.  Gouldings is a full resort and campground reservations include access to all the amenities (e.g. movie theater, indoor swimming pool, laundry room, etc.).  There are also some nice nature trails that originate from the campground.

Monument Valley is Navajo country and one gets a feeling of the old West when visiting.  Gouldings warns campers not to leave their shoes out as wild dogs may chew on them in the night.  We encountered a number of roaming dogs (likely from the Navajo reservation) in the campground and on the trails.  However, they were well behaved and kept their distance.  The main draw for visiting Monument Valley is to take in the grander of the magnificent rock formations (e.g. buttes, spires, mesas, …) and beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  If one has time, Gouldings sells tours through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park — a seat on one of their open air trucks (covered by tarp) that last 2 or more hours (about $80/person).  Alternatively, one can buy entrance into the park ($8) and drive the 17 mile road on their own (although it is unpaved and can be bumpy).  We didn’t have time for a tour, but found plenty of excellent scenic viewing areas while driving out of town on the way to our next stop, Dead Horse Point State Park.  We left early so we had plenty of time for photographing the dramatic rock formations within Monument Valley.  While taking some aerial images along the road, a herd of wild horses ran by us!

Days 5, 6, & 7:  Moab, Utah
Moab is the town that is home base for many tourists and rock climbers/boulderers flocking to the area to explore.  There are nice hotels, shops, restaurants, and numerous adventure outfitters.  Tour companies here offer off-road buggy trips into the desert among many other outdoor adventures.  And, Arches National Park is located only about ten minutes outside town.  Of course, if one has a small travel trailer, it’s not necessary to stay where most of the tourists congregate.  Instead, numerous campgrounds provide more natural and uncrowded surrounds.  We did explore Moab a couple of times — once when driving into the area on our way to our campground (we had lunch and bought some t-shirts) and another time after visiting Arches National Park to have lunch (try Quesadilla Mobilla for an awesome quesadilla!) and do laundry (Moab Laundry Express, which is across the street from Quesadilla Mobilla).  Make sure to fill your tow vehicle when in Moab as there are no gas stations outside the town (in the state and national park areas and campgrounds).

We chose to stay at Deadhorse Point State Park (DHSP), which is about 45 minutes away from Moab.  The location is ideal because the state park is located between two of Utah’s five national parks.  Arches National Park is about a 45 minute drive in the direction of Moab, and Canyonlands National Park is about 20 minutes’ drive in the opposite direction of Deadhorse Point State Park.  There are at least a couple of campgrounds inside Deadhorse Point SP, Wingate Campground and Kayenta Campground, as well as some dispersed camping.  Of the two organized campgrounds, we chose Kayenta Campground because of its beautiful natural surroundings on a canyon rim.  We stayed in campsite #3 ($50/night) for three nights, which has a spectacular view of the canyon.  The site has an electrical hookup along with a firepit, BBQ, picnic table and pavilion.  This is the first time we used our 30A extension cord — it came in handy in allowing us to back our 2020 Scamp 13′ all the way next to the picnic area pavilion (which provides shade), while at the same time being able to reach the electric hookup pedestal.    There are no water spigots, but we were able to attach our portable drinking water safe hose with water filter onto the threads at the dish wash station to fill our water jugs (for shower and sink water).  The campground does have a free central dump station.  There is almost no cellular service here, but the Visitor’s Center close by has free Wi-Fi (along with a nice gift shop) and we also found some signal up at Deadhorse Point Overlook.

There is plenty to do just inside Deadhorse Point State Park itself for a few days without even considering the national parks nearby.  We are glad we scheduled three nights here but could have been very content and busy doubling that time.  The best view of the Colorado River as it snakes around a bend is up at Deadhorse Point Overlook.  We watched a sunrise and a couple of sunsets here.  We found sunrise the best time for photographing the river against the bright orange backsplash of buttes, spires, and mesas.  Visitors are only allowed to fly drones here November through February (with a permit).  There are a number of trails connected to the campground.  The West Rim trail is a recommended highlight as is mountain biking (if that’s your thing) on the Intrepid Trail.  Make sure to leave a half day for exploring Canyonlands National Park and another half day for hiking through Arches National Park.  Having an America Beautiful Pass ($80 annual pass) makes things convenient and avoids the $30 vehicle entry charges (if you are 62 years old or older, get the Senior Pass as it is a lifetime pass for the same price and gives 50% discounts at many campgrounds).  Reserving a timed entry slot ($2) at recreagtion.gov is necessary for Arches National Park if you want to visit the park anytime between 7am to 4pm (we made ours using the Visitor Center WiFi the night before our visit —  a limited number of slots open after 6 p.m. the night before for last minute reservations but up to 3 months in advance for those planning way in advance).  A timed entry reservation isn’t necessary if arriving before 7 a.m.  If possible, plan to go as early as possible to avoid the crowds and the heat of the day.  We reserved a 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. slot at Arches, arrived at 7:15 a.m. (no line), and finished our tour of the park by around Noon.

Both Canyonlands and Arches national parks have nice visitor centers with great stuff to buy, including cool t-shirts and souvenirs for those friends and family holding down your home fort.  Our highlights at Canyonlands were visiting Mesa Arch (0.6 mile walk), Buck Canyon Overlook, Grand view Point Overlook (1.8 mile hike), and Upheaval Dome 1st Overlook (0.6 miles).  Our favorite stops at Arches were Balanced Rock (view), Windows Section with 2 arches (0.5 miles easy trail), Delicate Arch (difficult 3 mile trail, but families with small kids do it!), a petroglyph panel, and finally Devils Garden (with the widest arch of the park, Landscape Arch) (1.9 miles, moderately easy).

Days 8 & 9:  Goblin Valley State Park
We left Deadhorse State Park heading to Goblin Valley State Park, one of the most remote places in the United States, without any assurances we would have somewhere to stay.  We tried to make reservations at the campground at the earliest possible time (months in advance), but due to the popularity of the place and limited availability (only 24 campsites and two yurts) we were unable to secure a campsite.  We crossed our fingers that perhaps the campground sets aside a few “first come first serve” campsites (like we had seen at other campgrounds).  Our backup plan would be to look for a free dispersed campsite outside the park (which we had read about online).  We made sure we used the dump for our Scamp 13′ before leaving Deadhorse Point SP and fully loaded it with water (plus our three 6 gallon water jugs which we filled at the DHSP dish wash station).  These supplies would allow us to stay several days without hookups if necessary.  Note:  there is a free drinking water pump at the Goblin Valley State Park entrance adjacent to the Visitors Center and campers not staying in the park can dump here for a $15 fee.

We arrived at the Goblin Valley State Park (GVSP) entrance station about 11 a.m. on Friday morning.  But, our campground hopes were quickly dashed by a park ranger who told us no GVSP spots ($45/night) were available.  He recommended trying the free dispersed campsites down the road and mentioned the park had purchased surrounding land from the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) last year and had created defined sites out on the dirt land off the main road, each with a firepit.  He said anything that was cleared was a legitimate free site (e.g. no parking directly on shrubs).  So, we drove back down Goblin Valley Road, the one we had just driven to get into the park, about 6 miles from the park entrance and turned left at the first dirt road we saw (a clue was that there were travel trailers parked out in the area).  Luckily, after just a very short drive down only a slightly bumpy dirt road, we were able to secure a really nice free spot (first come, first serve) with a great view (click here for video).

We were also able to intermittently get one bar on Verizon service to send and receive texts at this spot.  The tradeoff was having to drive about 10 minutes to get into the park, and we did have to pay $20 for a 48 hour access pass to the GVSP park.  Note:  on our second day, we saw another expansive area of free state park dispersed camping on the road leading to Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead (although it seemed like there was absolutely no cellphone signal with Verizon in this area).

The main draw inside Goblin Valley SP are the goblins of course!  These magical stone hoodoo structures, formed from deposits laid 170 million years ago by a vast inland sea, stand like giants in a remote forest full of goblins.  There are three main connected valleys, named appropriately:  Valley 1, Valley 2, and Valley 3.  We only explored Valley 1, but one can keep hiking for miles to meander through miles of these stone hoodoos.  Even though we visited in October, the sun was intense midday and hiking around for an hour or so was enough until dark (the fun doesn’t end at sunset here — we were told the park pass allows one to stay inside the park until 10 p.m.).  So, we came back after dark on our first day to explore the park at night.  We attended a really interesting ranger station talk about scorpions.  After the talk, the ranger led everyone on a trail and used a black light to find and show everyone scorpions (they glow under the light)!

Goblin Valley State Park is so remote that it gets really dark here at night.  In fact, it is one of the darkest places on Earth and is a certified Dark Sky Park (offering unparalleled views of the Milky Way, especially in the summer months).  A trip here wouldn’t be complete without wandering through the goblin fields under the light of a billion stars.  One of our favorite activities during our visit was to photograph some of the goblins under the stars (particularly the Three Sisters formation) on a warm Fall night.

On our second and last day here, we hiked the Little Wild Horse Canyon trail (just outside the park about 5 miles down a side road).  Instead of hiking the entire 8 mile loop (which can take up to 8 hours), we turned around after about 2 miles, returning the same way we came.  This took us about two hours going at a steady rate (it’s difficult to go very fast because of uneven stone flooring and fun obstacles on the path).  This is one of the most amazing hikes we have ever done and is a must when visiting if one is able to do some climbing over small boulders and walk on uneven terrain.  The canyon walls are like varied works of art, with different colored earth hued tones smoothly blended onto one another, crafted by millions of years of water erosion. One shouldn’t have claustrophobia to do this hike, because there are parts of the hike which may require turning to one’s side to get through the narrowest parts!  The hike is rated as “easy to moderate”, a mostly flat and shaded walk, and we saw many families with kids doing it (the trail is like a jungle gym and obstacle course for both kids and adults).  But, this doesn’t mean anyone can do it.  Being agile and sure footed is mandatory, as the rocks are slippery due to fine sand!  One can always try for a while and turn around if it gets to be too much.  It’s important to note that slot canyons can be very dangerous during rain storms as flash floods through the narrow canyon walls can be tragic to hikers caught by surprise.  So, always check the weather and make sure there’s no chance of rain (not just in the immediate area, but surrounding areas that may affect the canyon).  We were told to avoid hiking in these canyons entirely during the area’s monsoon season (June – September).  Also, take plenty of water on your hike and stay hydrated.  Note:  we wanted to buy some tshirts at the Visitor Center after our hike.  But, there was a long line of cars which looked like over an hour wait to access the Visitor Center parking lot and park entrance and only one lane (e.g. meaning campers and park pass holders still had to wait)!  So, instead of driving in, we parked our car at a close trailhead outside the park and walked past the waiting cars which were at a standstill waiting on the main road.  At this point we were really glad we weren’t staying at the park campground!  After buying a shirt, we walked back to our car and drove down the road without any wait!

Make sure to stop by the Visitor Center before leaving!  They have some excellent souvenirs, including great t-shirts, caps and arrowheads.  It’s also a good place to get connected with free Wi-Fi (and make Wi-Fi calls/emails/texts).  Lastly, drone permits can be purchased for $10 which allow pilots to fly and conduct photography missions over the Goblins!

Days 10 & 11:  Capitol Reef National Park
An often overlooked national park (4th most popular out of 5 in Utah), Capitol Reef National Park (CRNP) is definitely worth a visit while on the Utah National Park circuit.  The outstanding scenery includes impressive colorful rock formations, petroglyphs, and historic fruit orchards.  Capitol Reef NP is also a dark sky area, providing a vivid night time window into the galaxy.  Along with the scenery, there are some very cool hikes to explore.  The area is named for both the Navajo sandstone rock formation which resembles the US Capitol building’s shape and the reef-like towering cliffs which were formed over millions of years by geologic forces (known as the Waterpocket Fold).  In addition, there are arches, bridges, and twisting canyons among other natural wonders.

The first thing we noticed when pulling into this national park was there are no entrance gates or anyone to collect fees or ask for passes.  One is able to go directly to the campground and pull right into one’s space.  We reserved a campsite in the Fruita Campground months in advance.  We arrived a bit early for the 11 a.m. check-in, so we parked across the street from Gifford House (gift store featuring historic items, including their famous fruit pies) in the large dirt area known as Jorgenson’s Pasture.   Not wanting to waste time, we wandered into the historic Gifford House and purchased some home-made souvenirs and a mixed berry and a cherry pie (we were told pies sell out usually by 1 p.m, especially on weekends).  The pies are delicious (cherry, mixed berry, apple crumb, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb, peach right now) and definitely a must try while visiting.  The following day we purchased the apple as well as the peach pies and can verify that these are also excellent!

We reserved campsite #23, a shady spot with a nice close-up view of impressive colorful cliffs.  The campground has a park like feel.  Most sites do not have hookups, and our site didn’t either.  We used the free central dump when arriving and departing.  There is also potable water at several water fills, and a general sink for grey dump and/or dishwashing.  The camp host Karen was very kind, and told us that in August 2023 the campground flooded on her watch, due to monsoon rains, and emergency procedures were enacted.  There is absolutely no cellphone signal here, however free Wi-Fi is available just a mile down the road at the Visitors Center.  We were able to make phone calls over Wi-Fi.  Mule deer roam the campground, giving the area a very natural feel.  Feeding the deer is prohibited (as they are not shy) and the general rule is to give them at least 30 feet of space.  Some of them are quite large with antlers.  The deer families seemed very calm and mostly just grazed or sat on the lawns.

One could easily spend a week here with all the things to do, but since we only scheduled a couple of days we had to pick and choose some of the favorites recommended by local rangers and campers.  We explored Jackson Orchard (which is one of many historic orchards in the Fruita Historic District where the Fruita Campground is located) and picked Red Delicious apples.  You can eat all the fruit you can pick for free as long as you are in the orchard, otherwise it’s $2/pound (cash only, self pay).  Since we were visiting in October, all the other orchards were already closed and Jackson was on its last few apples.  Fruita orchards have apple, peach, pear, plum, apricot, and almond trees.

We took the Scenic Drive which is about 8 miles each way from the campground, and it highlights the natural towering cliffs.  At the end of the Scenic Drive there is a dirt road which goes on for a couple of miles (family cars can handle it) and ends in a small parking lot at the trailhead to Capitol Gorge Road / The Tanks.  The hike starts out easy along a river wash and within a narrow slot canyon (but not nearly as narrow as Little Wild Horse Canyon).  The last short bit (which is optional) goes up a steep stone section that leads to The Tanks (holes in the rocks which hold water).  Some hikers before us told us they had just seen big horn sheep hiking to The Tanks.  The entire hike took us about one hour to complete at a moderate pace.  Since this is considered a slot canyon, all the advice about weather safety applies, aka not for rainy season times (and there are warning signs along the way).

The Fruita Visitor Center is only a 1.2 mile easy trail walk from the campground, so it makes for a good morning walk for some free Wi-Fi, pies, and souvenirs.  Amazingly, our GMRS radios were able to communicate well between our Scamp 13′ and the Visitors Center (despite the mountainous terrain)!  The Visitors Center has some nice souvenirs, as does Gifford House (which is adjacent to the Fruita Campground).  Our favorite things at Gifford House were unique soaps, apple pie, Fruita inscribed kitchen towels, homemade bread and butter pickles, jams, and syrups.

There are a lot of great hikes which can be done directly from the Fruita Campground.  We enjoyed the Fremont River Trail.  It’s a moderate 2 mile hike which includes an easy walk along the river and then climbs up quickly to a viewpoint high above.  The trail was, at times, poorly marked so having Gaia GPS really made things easy!  This hike took us about one hour to complete.  Next, right down the road, past the Visitors Center, are the Petroglyphs (it’s a quick stop with boardwalks for observation).  Our last hike during our visit was to see the Hickman Bridge (again the Gaia GPS app really saved us on this one as the trail lacked markings in places).  Hickman Bridge is a close drive and starts at a trailhead in a small parking lot.  This hike is labeled as moderate as the trail ascends up to a good elevation.  Hikers are rewarded by a view of Hickman Bridge, which is basically a stone arch.  This hike is about 2 miles round trip and took us about one hour to complete.

At the end of our second day here, we felt like we had just scratched the surface of Capitol Reef National Park.  But, with so many places to visit, it was time to move on!

Days 12 & 13:  Kodachrome Basin State Park
After a big drive over the mountains (9,600 feet elevation peak), we reached Kodachrome Basin State Park (which was named Kodachrome by National Geographic in 1949 with the consent of Kodak Film Corporation).  Take one look at the magnificent colorful cliffs and towering red and white stone monolithic spires and the name seems an obvious choice.  There are about 67 spires in the park and one can use their imagination to guess what each resembles — for example, one of the monoliths is called “Fred Flinstone” and another “Ballerina”!  Click here for an aerial flyby made at sunrise.

The first thing we noticed when driving into the park is that the Visitors Center is super nice (it’s the park’s pride and joy after its natural wonders)! They had just done some renovations in the last year and it really shows.  There is a great store with unique t-shirts and souvenirs along with archery bow rentals, a mini frisbee golf course, a small rock climbing wall, many flavors of ice cream for scooping into cones or cups, a really nice fire pit with comfy chairs in front, and open extra-long hours.  There’s a seated bar inside for visitors wanting to have something to drink and perhaps work on their laptop.  This Visitors Center makes one feel as if everyone is their special guest and they have tried to make one feel very welcome!  Guided horseback riding is also available with reservations ($65/hour or $103/2 hours per person — 435-679-8100).  The Wi-Fi is fast & free (we made Wi-Fi calls since there is no cellphone service in the park, with the exception of some trails — we found signal at the top of Panorama Point Trail).  We enjoyed early morning walks along the main road to the Visitor Center from the campground (about 1.3 miles / 30 minutes each way) to catch up on emails and news while sitting in front of the roaring outside fire pit.

We had a really nice partial hookup spot, #K-33 (at Basin campground — one of three campgrounds here) ($35/night), which is very private and has water and electric hookups.  There is a free central dump as well.  Having electric hookups was great here because it got down into the 20’s at night and having electric power at the campsite meant we could use our small ceramic heater all night long as well as electric water heater and avoid burning up our onboard liquid propane.  There’s also an awesome laundry building, called the Red Dirt Laundry (open 24/7!), on the road between the Visitors Center and the campground which we used during our trip.  We have found just packing enough clothing for about 8 days on long trips is a great way to travel light because usually there are campgrounds (or areas close by) that have laundromats (we do laundry once per week).  Note:  always make sure to carry some detergent, dryer sheets and a few $10 rolls of quarters with you!

This is a great park to ride your mountain bikes because there are plenty of accessible trails (not all trails allow bikes, but the two major ones d0).  Having bikes meant that we could cover a lot of terrain in one day which would have taken us several days of walking.  Our favorite rides were the Grand Parade Trail (1.5 miles, easy for hiking and biking), the Panorama Trail (3 miles, easy/moderate, hiking or biking) and the Panorama Point (1 mile extension to the Panorama Point trail, breathtaking views).  Note:  some parts of the trails (even the easy ones) had some erosion with steep ruts and might require one to dismount the bike and walk over the area.  There are plenty of other great trails here as well if time permits!

Days 14 & 15:  Bryce Canyon National Park
Only about a 45 minute drive from Kodachrome Basin SP, Bryce Canyon NP is just a short hop away.  Because our visit was in late October, the campgrounds had already changed from reservations to first come first served.  We arrived at the campground around 11 a.m. and there was no wait at the entrance of the park.  We pulled up to the gate station, and once we showed the attendant our America the Beautiful Pass we proceeded directly to Sunset Campground (one of two campground in the park).  The other campground, North Campground, is right near the Visitor Center at the park entrance.  We chose Sunset Campground, just about a mile and a half down the road from the Visitor Center, because many of the main trails are within walking distance of the campground (and parking space at the trail parking lots is difficult to find even in late October unless one arrives very early).

Because nighttime temperatures had started dropping very low (into the 20s), the park decided to close all RV loops within Sunset Campground with the exception of Loop A on the day of our arrival.  The free central dump (located at North Campground) was also closed due to freezing weather.  We had dumped when leaving Kodachrome Basin SP, so we had no issues for the two days of our visit.  Most of Loop A was vacant when we arrived on a Thursday morning.  The procedure is to pick a site (all are dry sites with no hookups) (make sure no one has taken it already / no tag clipped to post), park in it, and then go to the Iron Ranger at the entrance to Sunset Campground and fill out an envelope (add cash, $30/night for RVs), and put it into the payment box.  Then, go back to the campsite and attach (clip) the tear off section from the envelope onto the campsite post.  We chose campsite #240 because it is an end site (a bit more privacy and less chance of noise and smoke) and was long enough for our Volvo XC40 and Scamp 13′ with room to spare.  There is a water spigot at the central bathroom.  We found cellphone coverage through Verizon to be good here with fast speeds (fast enough to stream video).

We found the Visitor Center here to be large and very crowded.  There’s also a lodge, which has a dining room (tourist prices).  In contrast, the campground provided good solitude from the more trafficked tourist areas.  And, there were tourists visiting from all over the world — we heard a lot of different languages spoken on the trails.  Going early morning for hikes meant less people (and easier parking if driving).

We found Bryce Canyon NP to be amazing.  The geologic wonders of the rock formations (spires and cliffs) and the number of these formations throughout the park is remarkable.  The red rocks and varying hues provide dramatic color to the interesting shapes.  There are two main hikes that are a must if one is capable (otherwise, there are observation points along the canyon rim).  The Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop is the most recommended hike and is a complete loop that passes through dramatic scenery of spires and other interesting rock formations.  We recommend starting at Sunset Point (an easy walk from Sunset Campground) and dropping down the steep switchbacks of Navajo Loop and then making the way around with the final ascent of Queen’s Garden to Sunrise Point (Sunset Point>Sunrise Point).  Then, walking back along the rim from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point provides nice overlooks of the hoodoos below (and then onto Sunset Campground).  This is the opposite direction recommended by the park (but we found that it was less busy and avoids the quite steep ascent of Navajo Loop to Sunset Point at the end of the hike).  Along the way, there are hoodoos which represent Queen Victoria and E.T.!  It’s also fun assigning traits to other hoodoos seen on the hike!  This hike is rated as moderate as there are some steep walking sections.  We spent about 3 hours on this hike (including about 1/2 hour stopping) travelling 5.8 miles on this route (with an ascent of around 625 feet going from the valley floor back up to the rim).

The second “must” hike (if one can do it), which was our favorite, is Peekaboo Loop.  It is rated as strenuous because there are many switchbacks and a climb of about 1,560 feet (more than double the climb of the Queen’s Navajo Combination Loop).  It’s best to get to the parking lot at Bryce Point before 9 a.m as the lot is small and fills up quickly (it’s a bit far of a walk from Sunset Campground).  Overall, we found the hike to be thoroughly manageable for people of all ages (as long as they stop for rest when needed).  Our new friend Dwight, who we met (along with his wife Sharon) at Capitol Reef NP (click here for their website), joined us on the hike (since they also came to Bryce).  Just like the first hike, we opted to do the hike counterclockwise (instead of the recommended clockwise direction) and felt this was a good way to go.  We took our time and spent 3 1/2 hours hiking the loop (which included about 30 minutes of stops along the way).  We thought this hike is the most dramatic as the valley is densely filled with hoodoos (including the Wall of Windows, The Alligator, and Hindu Temples).  And, every turn is filled with an awe inspiring photo-worthy sight!

Day 16:  Lake Mead National Recreation Area
About a half hour outside Las Vegas, Boulder Beach Campground is an oasis within Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  The entrance fee is covered by the America The Beautiful Pass (or, without a pass, there is a $25 per vehicle entrance fee).  We reserved campsite 83 ($20/night), which has no hookups and panoramic lake views.  There is a free central dump at the entrance and water spigots are located throughout the campground.  The campground overlooks Lake Mead and is connected to many lake side communities via a paved 34 mile bike path.

Having only a day to spend, we drove to the Visitor Center about two miles down the road from the campground.  It’s well-staffed and we received maps and recommendations on things to do.  We spent the day riding our bikes from the campground toward the Visitor Center and then along the flat DG-paved Historic Railroad Trail.  The trail can be walked or biked and follows the path high above Lake Mead that was carved out in 1931 by construction firms working for the federal government to build nearly 30 miles of railroad connecting Boulder City with the Hoover Dam.  The railroad was used to bring construction materials to build Hoover Dam.  The connection to the Hoover Dam became public in 2007.  The Historic Railroad Trail is 3.7 miles (one way) plus getting to it from the campground along the paved bike path is about 2 extra miles.  So, the ride to and from Hoover Dam from the campground is about 12 miles round trip.  There is only a slight grade going to the dam and we found the ride to be fairly easy.  There are fantastic views of the lake along the trail and five train tunnels which are really fun to walk/ride through (click here to see our video).

There are a couple of sections of short climbs when approaching the dam parking area.  We used our bike locks to secure our bikes while we took a tour of the Hoover Dam.  The 30 minute tour cost $15/person and gives an interesting look inside the dam, including views of the turbines which are used to make electricity as Colorado river water passes through them.  Biking back to our campground was a bit quicker due to the slight downward grade.  Overall, this stop exceeded our expectations by offering excellent lake views (and great weather), fantastic bike riding on a historic trail, and an interesting inside look at Hoover Dam.

Final thoughts:
This was a fantastic journey and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys nature and transcending scenic beauty.  We found creating this trip by linking the national parks and complementing the gaps between them with state parks is a great way to build an epic adventure.  There were so many highlights on this trip that it seemed like we had been travelling for months, rather than just a couple of weeks.  And, having to be spontaneous due to weather and finding unexpected treasures in new locations added to the thrill of unique and exciting travel.

Preparation was the key to making the trip easy.  Before the trip we had our Scamp 13’s bearings repacked (which we do every two years) and also had our Volvo XC40’s rear brake pads replaced.  Packing plenty of food and water to last two weeks allowed us to focus solely on seeing the sights.  Many of our favorite stops didn’t have water, so carrying three extra 6 gallon jugs filled with water for the Scamp fresh tank (along with 12 gallons of reverse osmosis drinking water) was mandatory and allowed us to stay hydrated and showered daily.  Plus, the lithium house battery and DC-DC car charger we installed was a real game changer (see DC-DC charger article).  First, we saved a lot on campground costs by not having to find sights with electrical hookups.  And, we were able to run our 12V refrigerator when driving between locations, keeping our food chilled, and always arriving with 100% charge on our battery.  We did not need to take our solar panels on this trip and never would have needed them, providing valuable extra space in our tow vehicle!  Gaia maps was essential during many of our hikes when trail markings were poor or non-existent.  Having downloaded maps for each location (often no cellular service in these areas) meant we always had detailed geographical views of each trail.  Additionally, the record feature on the app makes it easy to back track one’s path if necessary—like leaving breadcrumbs!  The Victron shunt installed on our lithium battery was also invaluable in showing our lithium battery’s state of charge (SOC), even when driving!  The GRMS radios were also very useful.  Not only did we use the radios for backing up into campsites, but they came in handy for staying in contact when one person stayed in the Scamp and the other took walks (we experienced a little over 1 mile line of sight range, which was often the perfect distance between our campsite and a visitor center where one of us used Wi-Fi to catch up on email and news).

This trip reaffirmed how travelling over land with a travel trailer is an excellent way to see natural sights.  Being able to stay within national and state parks provides the best possible location and the ability to experience these parks at night when the stars and many animals come out.  Additionally, the costs tend to be much lower than staying in hotels/motels (without the travel and time costs to access the parks daily).  There is also an affinity among campers staying at the campgrounds, and, in turn, it’s easy to make camper friends.  On this trip, we met Dwight and Sharon, at Fruita Campground within Capitol Reef National Park, and later met up again and hiked with them at Bryce Canyon National Park.  It’s not uncommon seeing the same people at campgrounds again and again when doing a tour of area parks.  We have made a number of good camping friends over the past four years who we never would have met had we been staying at hotels.  Now that we are home, the only thing left to do is to plan our next adventure!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

Four Jeffery Campground, Eastern Sierra

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Four Jeffery Campground, Eastern Sierra
September 18th – 22nd, 2023 (4 nights)

While looking for somewhere cool to go (as California was experiencing very warm weather), I did a Google search for towns in California with the highest elevations (figuring higher altitudes would mean lower summer temperatures).  Jumping out at number 3 on the list (8,500 ft. elevation), the small town of Aspendell (pop. 100) stood out as a great place to go.  It’s easy to get to (only a 25 minute drive up into the mountains from Bishop) and has stunning scenery, excellent campgrounds, magnificent hikes with beautiful lakes, trout fishing, boating, horseback riding, and some great places to eat.  We had never heard of this location before, but it turned out to be one of our all-time favorite places we have ever visited!  We chose to stay at Four Jeffrey Campground.

The drive from our home in Carlsbad, California to Four Jeffrey Campground is about six hours straight.  However, we chose to break it up by spending the weekend in Los Angeles with family.  It took us about four and a half hours to drive to the campground from Los Angeles.  The drive goes up Highway 14 through Mojave and surrounding desert communities and then up Highway 395 past Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine, and finally to Bishop.  We stopped in Lone Pine on the way up to eat lunch at the Alabama Hills Café (the burgers are great as are their homemade pies).  https://www.alabamahillscafe.com/  Note:  we spent a week camping up in the Alabama Hills on a previous trip which we really enjoyed.  We stopped in Bishop for gas and an RV dump (free if you fill up there, otherwise a monetary donation is requested) at Speedway Bishop. From Bishop, it’s about a twenty five minute drive up into the mountains on Highway 168.  There are many campgrounds in the area, but the biggest is Four Jeffrey Campground which has water spigots, an RV dump (free if staying at the campground, otherwise $10) as well as flush toilets.

Four Jeffrey Campground is spectacular, featuring stunning views across the Eastern Sierra.  There was snow in the mountains even in late September due to the high elevation (Four Jeffrey Campground is at 8,300 feet elevation).  We stayed in two campsites alongside Bishop Creek ($30/night, note:  America the Beautiful Senior Passes (age 62 or older) are accepted for half priced camping @$15/night)  – we were at campsite #10 the first night and then moved over to campsite #8 the next couple of nights.  When talking to regulars, we learned campsite #8 is a favorite.  There are a couple of campsites right across from campsite #8 which can accommodate large trailers.  There’s almost no internet service here (we encountered 1 bar on Verizon in certain areas when walking around the campground).  However, there is a short 10 minute hike up a utility service access road across the street from the campground which leads to a spectacular view over the valley and has about 4 bars on Verizon.

We felt like we were in the mountains of Switzerland while camping at Four Jeffrey Campground.  The air was crisp and cool (60’s during the day and 30’s/40’s at night).  The campground is in a valley surround by high mountains.  The evenings were filled with dark skies and brilliant stars (although we were also gifted a dramatic thunder and lightning show one night!).  We had fun spending one night outdoors photographing the stars and Milky Way (best seen in dark sky locations during the summer).  The South Fork of Bishop Creek runs through the campground and many of the campers brought their fishing rods and reeled in a lot of trout.  Everyone seemed very happy here.  The campground was not crowded during our stay, but perhaps that was because it was mid-week and the end of the tourist season in the Sierra.  It was cold at night and we ran our propane furnace to keep the Scamp warm inside.  We had a great hike from the Bishop Pass Trailhead past South Lake up to Long Lake.  The trail is clearly marked but somewhat difficult due to rocky and steep terrain.  There are many connected lakes and some people tent camp outdoors overnight when hiking to farther areas.  It took us a few hours round trip from South Lake to Long Lake and the hike was one of the most scenic hikes we have ever done.  The scenery of the lakes and mountains is stunning – seemingly untouched and unknown.  After our hike, we went to the Cardinal Café, in the small town of Aspendell, and had a tasty meal.    We also had a chance to take a horse / mule ride up to South Lake using the services of Rainbow Pack Outfitters ($100 per person for 2 hour ride at the time of this article).  The horses / mules are friendly and the guide was very good at getting us up on the animals and leading us along the trail (even beginners are welcome).  Rainbow offers longer trips as well as overnight trips into the backcountry.  We had such a great time up in this area of the Sierra, we didn’t want to leave.  There are enough activities that one could easily stay a week or longer.  And, for those without a travel trailer, Parcher Resort (adjacent to Rainbow Pack Outfitters) has cabins which can be rented.

Instead of driving straight back to San Diego, we stayed overnight at Red Rock Canyon State Park (about halfway to home).  We had camped here before and really enjoyed the area.  This campground is first come, first serve, but was easy for us to get a choice spot during the week when arriving around noon.  We chose site #29 ($25/night), which is one of the best campsites at the base of the bluffs.  There is plenty of room between campsites too.  There is a water spigot across from site #29.  The only cellphone service we found was at the visitor’s center, along with free WiFi, which is about a ¾ mile walk from site #29.  There is also a private RV dump across from the visitor’s center ($20).  The visitor’s center is stocked with some great souvenir values (we purchased a Red Rocks t-shirt and sweatshirt).

Red Rock Canyon State Park is true to its name, featuring brilliant red bluffs which are especially vibrant at sunrise.  There are trails that go up the bluffs, offering spectacular views of the surrounding desert.  It was around 85 degrees when we arrived, so we waited until sundown to hike.  The wind kicked up in the early evening, but didn’t exceed 30 mph and the gusts were minimal.  As we were getting ready to leave the next morning, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise (and the sounds and sights of two large owls perched on the bluffs directly above our Scamp 13’ hooting a friendly hello to start the day)!

We enjoyed this trip so much; we definitely plan to go back.  There is an area of free dispersed camping on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, called the Buttermilks (between Bishop and Aspendell), which we were told are similar in their unusual rock formations to the Alabama Hills.  The Buttermilks access road was closed during our visit so we couldn’t check them out, but we plan to on a future trip!  The area acquired its “Buttermilks” name in the 1970’s when a dairy operated here, but the rock formations also look like piles of curdled buttermilk so the name stuck.

In a crown of jewels (camping areas of special parks offered in California), Four Jeffrey Campground and surrounding areas in the Eastern Sierra are hidden gems — few talk about and even fewer experience the magic of this place.  Highly recommended for the trip of a lifetime!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

 

Southern California Beach Camping

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Southern California Beach Camping
August 5th – 11th, 2023 (6 nights)

When the weather gets hot, the best place to direct your travel trailer is toward the California coast.  And, with so many fantastic locations from which to choose, it may even be possible to book a few beach campsites at the last minute!  That’s exactly what we did when we needed a short trip to test out some new systems on the Scamp (and also enjoy some cool ocean breezes).  Using the Reserve California website, we were able to find stray single night availability campsites (often from last minute cancellations or gaps in reservations) and piece several together from different beach campgrounds to create a nice trip along the coast.   The Reserve California website is great because it shows many campground locations within a given area, so that if the one you are searching is booked there are others pictured which may show availability.  To see a short video we made on our trip, click here.

Gaviota State Park (Gaviota, “meaning Seagull in spanish”)
Located about thirty minutes north of Santa Barbara, Gaviota State Park is a small parking lot style campground adjacent to a nice beach.  We were camped in site #038 ($45/night + $7.99 reservation fee, good Verizon cellphone coverage) toward the back of the campground.  There are water spigots, but no other hookups here.  We read it can get quite windy here (sometimes blowing away tents), but it was calm during our stay.  When we arrived, we inadvertently started testing our Scamp systems when we discovered that, even though our water pump was on, we had no water at our sink!  Fortunately, I remembered what our plumber Oscar had taught us – if you don’t use your plumbing for a while, your water pump can lose its prime.  I removed the PEX connection at one side of the pump, and, with the pump on, let the water squirt out for a couple of seconds.  Then, I reattached the PEX and the pump’s prime was restored and the water worked!  Phew!

The public pier (with a boat hoist) is now closed due to damage sustained from past storms.  One of the most striking features at the campground is the 811-foot span, 80 feet high Gaviota railroad trestle (erected by Southern Pacific Railroad in 1900) which towers over Gaviota Creek as it enters the Pacific Ocean.  The trestle is one of Amtrak’s most photographed landmarks anywhere in the country.  To capture a photo of the trestle with a train passing over, use Amtrak’s train tracker to get an idea when the train is coming.  We found that trains arrive at the trestle within about 15 minutes of leaving or arriving at Gaviota station.  Freight trains also pass over the trestle but their schedules may be harder to determine.

In addition to enjoying the beach (swimming, relaxing, kite flying, fishing), there is a nice trail (strenuous, 3 miles round trip) that goes to the Gaviota Wind Caves up in the mountains behind the campground.  Walk up Hollister Ranch Road toward Hollister Ranch (adjacent to the campground station entrance) and access the trail at the top of the grade through the gate on the right.  The dirt path leads up a strenuous mountain trail to the striking sandstone caves with distant ocean views. Hollister Ranch Road also makes for a nice walk adjacent to and above the ocean and we could spot several dolphin pods on a morning walk.  You can also drive north down the road, but there is a guard gate at the entrance to Hollister Ranch which is only open to residents and workers.  Hollister Ranch is a gated 14,000 acre private residential community amidst a working cattle ranch.  Some of the residents include filmmaker James Cameron, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and musician Jackson Browne.  There is much controversy here about the ranch and its residents blocking public beach access to its pristine beaches (among some of the best surfing beaches in the country).  For a detailed article on this click here.

An interesting recent study by UC researchers using motion activated cameras found a myriad of unexpected animals visit the beach here (including coyotes and bears)!

Emma Wood State Beach (Ventura)
Emma Wood State Beach is about an hour and a half south of Gaviota State Park.  We stopped along the way at the Winchester 76 gas station in Goleta to dump ($7.50).  Emma Wood State Beach campground is “primitive” with no hookups (no bathrooms, electricity, or dump, not even water spigots).  Only travel trailers are allowed and they must be self-contained with bathrooms (tents are not permitted).  We had site #055 ($40/night + $7.99 reservation fee, good Verizon cellphone coverage) which was incredibly close to the water’s edge (we estimate waves breaking less than 30 feet from the rear of our Scamp at high tide!).  A notice on the parks website says “high tides may close the campground at any time.”  Looking and listening out the Scamp’s back rear window facing the ocean made us feel like we were on a boat.  The breaking waves were loud, masking any possible road noise from Pacific Coast Highway above.  Even the occasional train passing by was hard to hear.

Due to the proximity to downtown Ventura and an excellent bike path, there’s a lot to see and do at the campground.  We went out to lunch with our friends Cheryl & Hugh to Andria’s Seafood Restaurant in Ventura Harbor.  They serve nice salads and all types of fish as well as burgers.  We hadn’t seen our friends for some time, so it was nice catching up.  We strolled through the harbor after lunch and checked out the boats and shops.  We also stopped in the Channel Islands National Park visitor’s center and at the transportation company shop, Island Packers Cruises, to find out about how to visit the Channel Islands (boats to the Channel Islands National Park islands leave from this harbor).  Back at the campground, we walked along the bike path which goes on almost all the way to downtown Ventura.  Many of the campers here brought their electric bikes and were riding the path.  Downtown Ventura is really quaint and inviting with a lot of interesting shops and restaurants.  The old Mission Basilica Buena Ventura here can be viewed for free during masses or by paying the $5 entrance fee.  We will bring our bikes the next time we visit this campground.

Thornhill Broome Campground (Pt. Mugu State Park, Malibu)
Only about thirty minutes south of Emma Wood State Beach, Thornhill Broome Campground is right on the sand (quite a distance back from the water).  We had site #17 (31 foot maximum length, $35/night + $7.99 reservation fee, water spigots, no cellphone service, no visitor center or store).  There’s a nice wide sandy beach here with a scenic view of Pt. Mugu.  There’s also significant road noise (as well as headlight glare at night) from car traffic on Pacific Coast Highway just behind the campground.  We needed to use ear plugs to sleep so we wouldn’t hear car and truck traffic noise.  The closest stores or town is downtown Malibu (about 8 miles south).

I used the app PhotoPills to time and plan an aerial sunset photo; the app has an AR mode which shows where and when the sun will be throughout the day.  Just a little ways down the road, Sycamore Canyon Campground is across the street from Sycamore Cove beach and offers a quiet canyon campground setting with an abundance of sycamore trees (free dump here).  A number of trails start at this campground.  We hiked the Scenic Trail and Overlook Fire Road Trail (about 2 miles round trip).  We would stay here if passing by again instead of Thornhill Broome Campground (due to less road noise, available dump, and easier turn around).

We had an unexpected surprise on the morning of our departure.  We found out the campground turnaround was washed out during a recent storm, so turning the trailer around would be difficult (as there was only about a car length of open width on the road).  I tried lifting the Scamp’s tongue to see if I could manually turn the Scamp around 180 degrees.  However, the tongue was too heavy for me to lift (somewhere between 100 and 200 pounds).  I think it would have been easy for me to turn the Scamp around manually  if I had brought my trailer dolly, but we didn’t know about the closed turnaround so we didn’t bring it.  (My friend Perry had a great idea which he suggested after the trip — try having someone sit on the Scamp bumper to help reduce the tongue weight).  We ended up getting a bit stuck in the sand (while being directed during our turnaround by another trailer owner), but finally managed to get out of the sand by unhitching the Scamp.  The other trailer owner helped us lift our Scamp by the tongue and physically pick up the trailer and turn it around.  We then hitched up and were able to get out of there!  Phew!  Life lesson – never drive in soft sand if there isn’t concrete under it!  Yikes!

Overall Thoughts on Beach Camping
The beach camping experience was a fantastic time (overall).  The scenic beauty of the ocean and trails, the sounds of the waves and nature, and the friendly people (and family) we met along the way made it all worthwhile.  It was also very satisfying experiencing how all the systems and knowledge in our Scamp we put together over the past several years really came together to make the trailer very self-contained.  And, the new lithium battery and DC-DC charger allow us to use our 12 volt refrigerator while driving and greatly extend the time we can stay without electrical hookups (almost indefinitely) (article forthcoming).  And, we seem to get stronger and learn whenever we have adversity on an adventure.  Fortunately, we didn’t have any issues we couldn’t solve during this trip!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

California Redwoods & Oregon Adventure

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California Redwoods & Oregon Adventure
May 31st – June 20th, 2023 (20 nights, 2,425 miles)

This was the longest trip we have taken to date in our Scamp 13′ and one filled with the most adventures!  The reason the trip was long is because the farthest destinations on this itinerary are not close to our home in San Diego (and we try not to drive more than four hours per day and like to stay at least a couple of days when exploring notable sights).  We only packed enough clothes and food for ten days (our usual trip length) and, instead, did laundry once midway through our trip (at the Laughing Alpaca Campground) and shopped for food a few times.  We really enjoyed shopping at the outdoor farmer’s markets in Oregon and were able to purchase organic produce including fresh organic duck eggs, fruits and vegetables, and local honey.  We did have one notable mechanical failure at the start of our journey which could have meant the immediate end to our travels (more on this later).  This trip also was the first test of two new systems (new marine grade SOK lithium house battery and new Victron smart lithium solar controller).  Usually we would have done a shorter trip first to test new systems just in case, but we didn’t have time.  So, there was some degree of risk on going out on a big journey without trying out these new items in the field.  Below are some of the trip highlights at each location.

Santa Barbara (Cousin Jon’s House):  Days 1-2
This was the first and last stop on our journey and always very memorable because we get to see our cousins!  Santa Barbara is about 4 hours from our home and makes for a good starting point on the way north.  We took a hike during the day (Jesusita Trail) and then went out to dinner with my cousins at Ruby’s Mexican Food.  Whenever visiting my cousins in Santa Barbara, we stay in my Cousin Jon’s driveway and are fortunate enough to be allowed to pick fresh fruit from their orchard (lemons and oranges).  This time we took a bag of lemons which gave us enough juice to make lemonade for half our trip (we made sure to bring our hand fruit juicer).  Although short, we had a great visit with my cousins.

During the drive to Santa Barbara, I was able to use the SOK lithium Bluetooth battery smart phone app to monitor the Scamp’s new lithium battery status.  This was important to get an understanding of the power draw while running our Scamp’s 12 volt option to power the refrigerator while driving.  With our Scamp’s original lead acid battery, we didn’t use the 12V option to run the refrigerator because it would drain the Scamp’s battery quickly (and we also chose not to run the refrigerator on propane while driving for safety reasons).  In turn, in the past, the refrigerator would stay off during drives – it would be cool but not cold inside since it wasn’t running.  Fortunately, the new lithium battery provides plenty of power to keep our refrigerator running using 12 volts (on this drive, using about 5 amps power draw per hour, so about 5% depletion of the 100ah battery per hour).  Because our 7-way connector was providing about 5 amps of power from the car to the trailer during driving, we arrived in Santa Barbara at 100% State of Charge (SOC).  Based on this successful test of the new lithium battery, we continued to run the 12V refrigerator throughout the trip while driving and it worked great!

Morro Bay (Morro Strand State Park):  Day 2-3
About two hours north of Santa Barbara, Morro Bay is best known for the giant rock that sticks up from the water.  Morro Rock is actually a volcanic plug formed about 23 million years ago when it exploded off the top of a volcano.  It’s been used as a navigational aid for over 300 years since it stands at around 576 feet tall.  In Spanish, “Morro” means crown shaped hill.  It’s also known as the “Gibraltar of the Pacific”.   There’s a road (causeway) that connects the rock to the mainland.  This is the first time we have visited Morro Bay when it was actually sunny.  On all our other visits, Morro Rock had been shrouded in fog.

On the drive up to Morro Bay, the SOC on the Scamp’s lithium battery ran down from 100% to 86% SOC.  We learned that there are many variables (including the tow vehicle’s battery charge) that may affect the current draw on the lithium battery while driving with the 12V refrigerator running.  On this drive, the lithium battery depleted at about 7% per hour of driving.  No worries though as this was the perfect opportunity to try out the new Victron smart lithium solar controller on our 100W solar briefcase.  And, it performed really well – providing over 6 amps per hour of energy back into the Scamp’s lithium battery under partly cloudy skies!  The Scamp’s new lithium battery was fully charged to 100% SOC within a few hours!

We had the opportunity to stay on the beach at Morro Strand State Beach Campground.  Morro Rock is visible from the campground and is a little over three miles south.  Normally, the campsites here are very difficult to reserve.  However, because our Scamp is only 13’ long, we were able to fit into the van and tent camp area (which was relatively empty).  There are water spigots in this area and good Verizon service.  The RV area down the beach has full hookups (water, electric, sewer) and was very crowded.  We had spot 001 ($35/night) and really enjoyed it.  We had a very memorable visit partly because we had a fantastic bike ride from the campground along the beautiful bike paths (some along the beach and others in wooded areas) all the way to Morro Rock (via the causeway)!  We saw seals and sea otters during the journey.  And, the bike ride took us through the charming seaside village of Morro Bay (with its quaint shops and restaurants).  It was a leisurely four hour ride which stretched into the early evening.

After sunset, we tried out a new 4K Roku stick which allows phone mirroring (our old Roku stick gave out after years of use).  So, instead of having to hook up our laptop to play downloaded movies, we were able to connect our phone wirelessly to the Scamp’s television through the quick pairing setup and play a movie from the phone to the Scamp’s TV.  The mirroring on the device works really well and makes playing movies much easier than the laptop setup.  Note:  we had previously played movies from a Samsung Galaxy S9 directly to the TV via a cable, however, once we upgraded phones (to a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G), we discovered the new phones do not support HDMI video out.  In turn, we switched to the laptop method of playing movies.  So, it’s great to be back to the phone method since some services (like Paramount Plus) only allow downloading of content to mobile devices like phones and tablets (and block downloading to laptops / pcs).  For more information on how we play movies in our Scamp, click here.

The next morning we took a long walk along the beach, almost reaching Morro Rock.  We found a lot of sand dollars along the way and the fog had returned to Morro Bay.

Oakland (Sister’s House):  Days 3-4
We made it up to my sister’s house in about 4 ½ hours (parking in her driveway for the overnight stay), just in time to have lunch on College Avenue in Berkeley.  The area is usually buzzing with activity and this visit was no different.  We went to Rockridge Market Hall, a large indoor marketplace and deli, and ordered a garbonzo salad, some cooked bbq chicken and ravioli and sat at a table on the sidewalk to enjoy the meal.  Later, we had a great dinner with family and did a nice hike the next morning with everyone before heading farther north.   Just before leaving though, the mechanism that closes the ball in the toilet valve (which separates the contents within the black holding tank from the toilet bowl and preventing odors from coming out of the black tank below) broke (leaving the valve open)!  I was later told by the toilet manufacturer, Sealand, that it is likely the spring snapped in the mechanism and needed to be replaced (specialty part that needed to be ordered).  Just two days into our twenty day trip, we were presented with an obstacle that had the potential of turning us back towards home.  Instead, we borrowed my sister’s toilet plunger, removed the stick, and used it to cover the hole when the toilet was not in use.  It turned out to be a perfect fit and worked as well as the ball valve to close off the black tank!  Crisis averted!  Phew (Not Pew!)!

Bodega Bay (Wright’s Beach State Campground, Sonoma Coast State Park):  Days 4-5
With our toilet issue controlled, we still needed to dump our tanks before our next stop at Wright’s Beach campground in Bodega Bay.  This campground doesn’t have a dump station, but its sister campground, about five miles south, offers a free dump and water filling station for those staying at Wright’s Beach campground.  After dumping, we set up our Scamp 13’ on the beach (campsite WB13, with slight view of the ocean, across from the campsites directly on the sand which weren’t available when we made our reservation) at Wright’s Beach Campground.  There are no electric or dump services here, but there are some water spigots.  The Verizon service here is poor (although there is better reception above the campground when walking the Kortum trail).  The highlight here was walking the beautiful Kortum Trail high above the campground along the bluffs.  This easy flat bluff trail offers beautiful views of Bodega Bay.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park (Burlington Campground):  Days 5-7
We reached our first stop in the California coastal redwoods (Humboldt Redwoods State Park) after a five hour drive from Bodega Bay (with a brief stop in beautiful wine-country Healdsburg to break up the trip).  Our redwoods campsite, 037Bu ($35/night), was great – very private, spacious and within beautiful old growth giant redwoods.  There is a water spigot close to the site and we had poor Verizon service (although across the street on Grove Trail there was better reception).  There’s also free WiFi (about 3Mbs download when we were there) at the Visitor’s Center.  Because the water spigot was threaded, I was able to connect two hoses together (“two hoses” trick) to fill our Scamp’s fresh tank (and avoid having to use a water jug and dolly to move the water).  The campground is located within a dense forest which results in shade throughout the day, so using solar panels to recharge our Scamp’s battery was not possible.  Fortunately, our new SOK lithium battery has the equivalent energy of roughly two equivalent lead acid batteries – so, being in the forest for a week without electrical hookups or solar power wasn’t a problem.

There are a variety of great trails in the redwoods and we walked a lot of them.  They are mostly “easy” paths which meander through beautiful redwoods.  The size of these old trees is amazing (width as well as height).  We particularly enjoyed the Drury-Chaney Loop Trail, Founder’s Grove Trail, and Hidden Springs Trail (which leads down to the Eel River).  You can watch a video we took of the area here.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park:  Days 7-10
Driving about four hours farther north, we reached Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (about 18 miles east of Crescent City, California).  We stopped in Crescent City for gas and groceries (Wild Rivers Market, good selection of organic and healthy food) before heading inland to the campground.

The first thing we did when driving into the campground was use the free Dump and water fill.   We were fortunate enough to have reserved one of the premium river campsites (#56, $35/night) for three nights.  There was no Verizon reception, but we did get it on some of the trails (most notably on the Hiouchi trail, where we were able to stream the morning news from Sling while walking to the Hiouchi Café).  We were also able to use the “two hoses” trick to fill our Scamp’s fresh tank from the water spigot located across the road from our campsite (best done in the early morning before anyone is awake and driving around to avoid having your hose driven over).  This was an awesome campsite, with a private trail directly to the Smith River behind it.  Just like the Humboldt Redwoods, there was mostly shade at this location.  There are two visitor centers here with similar goods and services – however, the Hiouchi Visitor’s Center offers ranger talks.  We went on an afternoon Ranger led walk on the Simpson Reed Loop Trail (one of our favorites).  The Ranger had a particular interest in forest bathing (like sun bathing, but in the forest) which we learned is the process of calming and healing just by being in the forest and exposed to the oxygen producing trees for a couple of hours.  We really did feel a quiet calming being in the redwoods.  We learned that the redwoods are the tallest trees (like NBA players) while the sequoias are the biggest volume trees (like NFL players).  Grove of the Titans Trail is another great trail which leads through spectacular old growth redwoods.  We met a very friendly deer on the trail who followed us for a little while and didn’t mind being close.  On our last day, we tried the Hiouchi Café and ordered their famous 16” giant pancake (although we couldn’t eat much of it).  We were told by our waitress that in the four years she has worked at the café, she has only seen four people finish the pancake (and one was a skinny 14 year old girl)!

Click here to see a video we made while visiting Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Cave Junction, Oregon (Laughing Alpaca RV Park):  Days 10-12
We made it to our first stop in Oregon, Cave Junction, in an hour’s drive from the redwoods.  We had a beautiful campsite (#19) along the river at the Laughing Alpaca RV Park ($35/night, full hookup site).  There was free WiFi, cable TV, and good Verizon coverage at this park.  The owner, Jeff, is very gracious and greeted us upon arrival, helped us back into the campsite, and spent time telling us about all the things to do in the area (including a weekly farmer’s market which we attended).

The main draw for us here was to visit Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve (we had reserved the Discovery Cave Tour long in advance).  But, the short two day visit turned out to be much more.  We made friends with the owner of this RV park (along with his family and alpacas) and made a promotional video for his business (click here to watch).  We also found ourselves in the middle of an RV club outing (The Rogue River Ramblers), became friends with a number of the Ramblers, and were invited to their meals!  They were very generous and we had a fantastic rockfish dinner which was freshly caught and cooked up by one of their members from Newport, Oregon.

On Friday afternoon (starts at 4 p.m. on Fridays), we went to the Cave Junction Farmers Market in Kerby, OR, just down the road from Cave Junction.  It was a lively affair, with plenty of seller tents and a lot of produce.  We purchased organic duck eggs ($5/dozen), fresh strawberries, and local honey.  The next morning we drove to the caves (about 45 minute drive) to take the two hour cave tour.  There are some parts of the tour where low crouching is required and there are a lot of stairs and climbs.  Some of the rooms are very cavernous.  Overall, the caves were spectacular and the tour given by a park ranger was excellent.  Click here to see our video in the cares.  We did a little hike outside the caves which offered fantastic views of the Siskiyou Mountains.  Later in the day we washed our car because it was really dirty and a little sappy from sitting in the redwoods for a week.  I also purchased a really nice super slim and bright rechargeable flashlight (Nebo ) at NAPPA Auto Parts that works really well in the Scamp (it has a magnetic base so I can hang it on the wall).  We also fit in laundry and the Rogue River Ramblers’ fish dinner, making it a very long day.  The next morning we left for Ashland.

Ashland, Oregon (Ashland Creekside RV Park):  Days 12-14
We made it to Ashland Creekside RV Park in about 1 ½ hours.  Our site, #24, was by the river with partial hookups (electric & water).  There is a free central dump station which we used when leaving.  Although the park offers free WiFi (which we found to be slow at our campsite), the campground does have fast (120Mbps download/16Mbps upload) Verizon connectivity.  There was a nice bench alongside our Scamp, so we were able to set up an outdoor mobile office with our laptop plugged into power from the Scamp’s external 120 volt outlets.  There are a few wineries in the area (we visited Weisinger Family Winery), but the main place to visit is the cute little town of Ashland which is about 5 miles away.  We walked Lithia Park, browsed the stores on Main Street, had homemade ice-cream (cherry-oatmeal flavor) at Mix Bakeshop (which was very refreshing on this sunny and warm day), and saw historic Victorian homes.  The town has a very friendly feel and is home of the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  We stopped for a visit at the Rogue Valley Growers Market (Tuesday mornings) on the way out of town on our last day.  It’s a very large farmers’ market and offers a wide variety of produce (among other things).  We purchased some local honey, coffee beans, and jams.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park:  Days 14-16
We drove the 5 Freeway south along Siskiyou Pass over Siskiyou Summit on our way back towards California.  It’s one of the most hazardous stretches of road along Interstate 5.  The summit is at an elevation of 4,310 feet and is the highest point along the 5 Freeway.  The road goes straight up and straight down (a steep 6% gradient) with plenty of curves!  In the winter, it can be covered with snow and ice.  Fortunately, we had no issues with our tow vehicle and trailer.

McArthur-Burney Falls is a special hidden gem (a couple of hour’s drive south from Ashland).  It’s located at the top of California about an hour north of Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We had a nice quiet campsite, #86, in Pioneer Camp (with great spacing between other sites).  There was enough sun at our campsite that we were able to recharge our Scamp’s lithium battery to 100% SOC every day.  We are glad we didn’t stay at Rim Camp because it was loaded with lots of tent campers and families all packed in fairly close together and there was a lot of noise and smoke whenever we walked through it.  There are threaded water spigots (and the “two hose” trick worked again to fill our Scamp’s fresh water tank!) and a central dump station here.  We had no Verizon reception at our campsite, but there was fast free WiFi and electrical outlets for charging devices at the visitor center (walking distance from our campsite).  Since the area is along the PCT (Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail), lots of hikers with big backpacks would often congregate at the visitor center in the morning (there’s a PCT camp here as well here).  Note:  plan your visit mid-week and make campsite reservations as far in advance as possible, as this campground is extremely popular (especially among day use visitors on the weekends).

The main draw here is the falls, which are spectacular.  They are visible right near the park entrance.  But, if you are willing to do a short hike (about a mile), there is a great loop that goes down to the base of the falls (highly recommended).  Click here to see our video.  This hike is minimally strenuous (it’s on both flat pavement and groomed dirt).  There are some really nice bridges that cross the river along this loop.  We did this hike every day.  There’s also a hike, Pioneer Cemetery Trail, which goes to an old settler cemetery and then on to Lake Britton (there are boat rentals and fishing).  The small town of Burney is about 10 minutes’ drive away and is the closest place to get gas and groceries (the visitor center does sell snacks).

Update:  8/26/23
An article came out today in the LA Times about the new found over popularity of McArthur-Burney Falls!  However, if you reserve a camping spot here midweek, you can avoid most of the problems mentioned in this article!

Castle Crags State Park:  Days 16-18
Only about half hour’s drive from McArthur-Burney Falls, Castle Crags State Park is very close to the 5 Freeway.  We decided to stay here because we had seen the unusual rock formations in the past while driving by on other trips and wanted to explore the area.  There is good Verizon reception at this campground.  We stayed at a campsite, #26 ($25/night), on one of the lower campground loops on our first night (we could hear freeway traffic from the campsite).  We were planning on leaving the next day, but decided to stay another night to avoid extreme heat at our next planned campground.  Our original campsite was rented for the following night, but the Ranger gave us a list of available openings and we found a really nice site, #54 ($25/night), at the top of the upper loop that didn’t have traffic noise.  The site did require us to use our Anderson leveler to its maximum position so we would be level.  There’s a nice trail, River Trail, which crosses a train track and then a pedestrian suspension bridge which goes over the Sacramento River and follows the river for some time.  But, the hallmark trail here, which we completed twice, is the View Trail.  As you may have guessed, the trail ascends up to a spectacular viewing area where both Mt. Shasta and the unusual granite rock formations (formed more than 170 million years ago) of Castle Crags are visible.  There are even free viewing telescopes and benches at the top.

We stayed overnight again in Oakland (Days 18-19) (about 4 hour drive from here) on the way to our next destination of San Luis Obispo.

Harford Pier, Port San Luis Harbor District (San Luis Obispo):  Days 19-20
Four hour’s drive south from Oakland is the small beachside community of Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo county.  Harford Pier is a commercial pier located on a beautiful seaside bay.  We stayed at one of their premium campsites, site CG8, which has full hookups (although the sewer hookup is at the very back of the campsite which was too far a reach for our Scamp’s short hose).  Even the big rig RVs staying at these campsites either had very long sewer hoses or two long sewer hoses connected to each other.  That being said, it wasn’t a big deal since we didn’t need to dump– but, since this is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed at ($100/night), we did expect better hookup service.  However, the campsite views and location more than made up for this inconvenience.  We were located right across the street from the water and had a spectacular view of the entire bay.  Additionally, the tourist town of Avila Beach is a short bike ride away and is loaded with nice shops and restaurants.  We had a great meal at Fat Cats just a brief walk from our campsite along the water.  The fresh fish and chips and crab cakes were excellent (just make sure to arrive early as they fill up fast and it’s first come first served!).  The cherry on top of staying here was being able to ride our bikes (we also walked it) on the Bob Jones Trail (also known as the City to the Sea Trail, about 4.6 miles one way from the Harford Pier to the Bob Jones Trailhead).  This is a wonderful environmental trail (mostly smooth and flat) that wanders next to San Luis Obispo Creek and passes through many natural scenic locations.

We ended our trip back in Santa Barbara (Days 20-21) with some more great times with our cousins before heading home to San Diego.

Final Thoughts
Taking a longer trip is definitely worth doing as it can lead to more interactions with locals, more experiences, and more adventures.  This trip seemed a more immersive and present experience than our usual trips as we weren’t thinking about an imminent return to home but were more focused on enjoying the present moments. The usual thoughts of the responsibilities regarding our home seemed to drift farther and farther out of our minds as we moved forward on our journey.  We found we were very busy every day and didn’t really even have time to sit in our Scamp for any significant amount of time.  We learned that being flexible and thinking out of the box was essential to making such an adventure work (such as the time we had to come up with an immediate solution to solve the toilet valve crisis).  Also, being prepared with the proper tools and equipment paid itself off with dividends.  For example, upgrading our Scamp’s house battery to lithium right before the trip saved the day when we realized there would be no solar charging for a week in the redwoods.  And, having two hoses really made things easy (I actually didn’t use the dolly/jug I brought to move water the entire trip)!  We learned that slowing down and appreciating nature can be very healing (as we witnessed and experienced during our time Forest Bathing during our stay in the redwoods).  We were blessed with perfect weather the entire trip which was almost unbelievable (our rain gear stayed neatly packed away in the back of the Scamp closet)!  Our top favorite new places we visited during this trip were: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Ashland, McArthur-Burney Falls, and Harford Pier.  Our favorite local experiences were shopping at the farmers’ markets in Oregon and interacting with other campers.  It seems campers are some of the nicest people.  Usually, they have a similar mindset of wanting to be out in and enjoying nature.  Now that we are back home, we can’t wait to plan the next long adventure!

 

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

Idyllwild

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Idyllwild
April 17th – 20th, 2023 (3 nights)

Idyllwild is a small mountain town located high up (elevation 5,300 feet) in the San Jacinto Mountains (above Palm Springs) about two hours’ drive from San Diego.  The town is known for outdoor activities, art galleries and quaint shops.  The town hosts a variety of cultural events, including the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (March) and the Jazz in the Pines music festival (July).  For hiking, the best time to visit is spring and fall as the temperatures are moderate and pleasant.  Summer can be hot and crowded and winter can bring lots of snow (making certain trails inaccessible).  A few weeks before our visit, the campground and town area was covered in snow (heaviest snow fall in decades)!  We were lucky that the weather warmed up and the snow cleared by the time we arrived (for the most part)!   For those without trailers, consider staying at the historic Idyllwild Inn (est. 1904) right in the center of town.  This hotel gets good reviews and is reasonably priced.

We chose to stay at Idyllwild Campground (Mt. San Jacinto State Park) which is right in town and an easy eight minute walk to all the shops and restaurants.  The other main campground (Stone Creek), which is about a ten minute drive from town, doesn’t open until May 1st.  We found that even though Idyllwild Campground is close to town and adjacent to the main road (Hwy 243), it was relatively quiet during our mid-week visit.  The 28 campsites are well spaced apart and three (01, 02, 26 @$45/night) have full hookups and three have electric hookups (04, 05, 06 @ $35/night).  The tent campsites are $25/night.  There are water spigots throughout the campground (and flush toilets), but no dump station (other than the sewer hookups at the campsites that have full hookups).  We found Verizon mobile phone service to be very good.  There is a PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) campsite section that accommodates many of the PCT hikers that pass through the area and need a place to set up tent for a night or two.  We saw many of these hikers in the campground!

We reserved site 02 with full hookups (which allowed us to leave our solar panels at home and travel with an empty Fresh tank).  The maximum trailer length listed for the campground is 24 feet, although we saw some spaces that possibly could accommodate much longer trailers (e.g. our friend’s campsite, 04, looked like it could fit a 30 foot trailer along with a tow vehicle).  We met another couple who fit their 27’ Class A motorhome in campsite 26.  So, if you stay within the 24’ maximum, there shouldn’t be any issues fitting into the campsites.  However, one thing we did notice though is that the angle between the road and the campsites isn’t correct if following the direction of the signs, making backing in almost impossible.  So, we drove into the empty campsite opposite ours to make backing into our campsite easier and our friends (with their longer RPOD) could only get into their site by driving the opposite direction of the implied traffic route.  Though, some of the campsites are pull through.

The weather during our stay was ideal for hiking and shopping, with sunny cool days (in the high 50’s) and chilly nights (30’s).  We rarely saw any bugs as well with the cool temperatures.  We brought our new, small, lightweight, electric, ceramic space heater and we left it running all night long every night and it worked great (quietly keeping our Scamp as warm as we wanted and saving from having to use our propane).  We very much enjoyed hiking the trails with our friends Phil and Claudia on this trip.  Many popular hiking trails include:  Devil’s Slide Trail (2.5-mile), Ernie Maxwell Trail (5.2-mile), Suicide Rock Trail (6-mile), Mount San Jacinto Peak Trail (10.6-mile), and South Ridge Trail (7.6-mile).  We could not complete the Ernie Maxwell Trail because the river was running too hard to cross.  We instead hiked a portion of the Deer Springs Trail which is very scenic.  Make sure to get a free Wilderness Permit at the campground ranger station before going on any of these trails (one copy immediately goes into the permit box and the hiker submits the white copy when they return — this allows the rangers to see who didn’t make it back safely at the end of the day and send out a search party).  One day we drove over to the closed Stone Creek Campground to hike Saw Mills Flats Trail (1.7 miles).  We made it about halfway before getting stopped by very heavy snow on the trail (hip deep).

In addition to hiking and enjoying the campground, we also had fun strolling through town.  There are a number of fun shops selling all sorts of tourist novelties (e.g. tshirts, cups, etc.) as well as some good places to eat.  We purchased t-shirts and local blueberry jam.  One morning, I spotted the mayor of Idyllwild (Mayor Max) and his assistant (Assistant Mayor Meadow), both golden retrievers, along with their handler in front of one of the local donut shops, Donuts and More!  The handler let me sit down with them and hug both.  To learn about the history of Idyllwild dog mayors visit here.   We had great burgers for lunch at The Lumber Mill Bar & Grill.

Idyllwild is a fantastic place to relax and rejuvenate for a few days or even a week.  Breathing in the fresh mountain air and smelling the pines are great ways to de-stress and reinvigorate oneself!  And, being able to stay at the campground amongst giant trees … well, we hope it stays idyll and wild!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

Joshua Tree National Park – Ryan Campground

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Joshua Tree National Park – Ryan Campground
February 13th – 15th, 2023 (2 nights)

Joshua Tree National Park is a fantastic place in the high desert to visit in the winter, spring, and fall (too hot in the summer).  The Joshua trees (not really trees but succulents), unusual rock formations, hiking, rock climbing and dark night skies are the main draws.  The best reason for staying overnight in the park is because once the sun sets, the daytime crowds go, leaving quiet peacefulness.  And, the stars are so bright here; it’s the perfect place for stargazing (away from all the city lights).  It’s also not too far a drive for us from San Diego, making it a fantastic mid-week break for rest and solitude.  We chose to visit Ryan Campground (one of many campgrounds inside the park) because it is small and away from the busier tourist areas.  We purchased an annual park pass (America The Beautiful Pass, $80) when we visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in September, so we avoided the $30 entrance fee.

Located at an elevation of around 4,400 ft., Ryan Campground has only 31 campsites @$20/night (reservation only) and is centrally located within the national park.  There are also 4 equestrian sites ($15/night) and 3 bicycle sites ($5/night, first come first served).  There is no running water at the campground and only pit toilets.  There is no cellphone reception here, so if you want to be connected bring your Starlink (or be prepared to drive about 10 minutes back toward the entrance where the hilltop overlooks the valley below).  There are some nice hikes from within the campground and exhibits within a close drive.  On our first day, after setting up our Scamp 13’ in campsite #5 (a nice one) and having lunch, we hiked from the campground to Ryan Ranch and then onto Lost Horse Well.  It’s a short hike (only .3 miles) to the decaying adobe walls of the ranch house and bunk house (circa 1896).  Lost Horse Well is just a little farther.  We also walked part of the Geology Tour Rd. trail from the campground (6.6 miles).  Although we didn’t see any Bighorn Sheep (which are known to be in the area,  we did see a number of strikingly beautiful bluebirds (bright sky blue color) called Mountain Bluebirds.   After hiking, we drove to Keys View — a short drive up to the top of a crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains.  There are benches at the top and panoramic views of the Coachella Valley below– including the Salton Sea, Santa Rosa Mountains, 10,800 peak of San Jacinto Peak (behind Palm Springs), and the snow-covered peak of 11,500 San Gorgonio Mountain.  The San Andreas Fault can be seen below along the eastern part of the Coachella Valley with its jagged slabs of rock and other geological anomalies.

The wind started kicking up strongly on our first night with 20 to 30 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph.  We had received a Severe Weather Advisory email from recreation.gov when driving into the park without further details (and we didn’t have internet access to research what was coming our way once we arrived at the campground).   Tent campers were having a rough time with their tents sometimes folding up in the wind; many of these campers slept in their cars for shelter.  One man, who is travelling the country by bike, told me he was almost swept off his feet when trying to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  Since campgrounds here have no water, we arrived with our Scamp 13’s fresh tank full (giving us some extra ballast).  Our rear stabilizers were down which also helped weather the gusts.  We were unhitched, but the Scamp handled the strong wind well (with only occasional shaking, despite the wind hitting the Scamp directly on its side – the Scamp’s aerodynamic shape likely helped).  The wind was so loud that, despite wearing earplugs and playing white noise, it was difficult to sleep (it sounded like we were on a boat in a fierce storm at sea).  Meanwhile, temperatures dropped into the 20’s and we cranked up our Scamp’s furnace to stay toasty.

The wind continued to blow hard the next day.  It was sunny, but cool and windy.  We bundled up in our down jackets with wind breakers over them.  We drove to the visitor’s center (about 30 minutes) to see their exhibits and souvenirs and also spent some time on our phones (since we had cellphone reception here).  On the way back to Ryan Campground, we stopped at numerous outdoor exhibits and trails which included Cap Rock & Intersection Rock (including .3 mile nature loop) and Creosote Trail.  We also stopped at some popular rock climbing spots.  Some of the names of these rocks are interesting:  Hemingway Buttress, Banana Cracks, Heart of Darkness, Target Rock, The Oyster Bar, Split Personality Rock, Agent Orange, East Wall Hall of Horrors, Exorcist, Diamond Dogs, and Nurn’s Romp.  We tried to visually connect the names of the rocks with the rock shapes, but they didn’t really match.  We guess the rock names are more aligned with the climbing experiences rather than the rocks’ appearances.  The most epic experience though, was walking along desert trails filled with Joshua trees (sights that cannot be matched anywhere else).  The trees, actually a type of Yucca, were, according to legend, named by Mormon immigrants crossing through the desert in the 1850s.  They saw the gnarled outstretched limbs of the trees as reaching their hands up to the sky in prayer (and/or pointing toward the Promised Land) and, so, named them after the biblical figure Joshua.

The wind calmed a bit in the evening of our last night, only to pave the way for an unexpected snowstorm!  Click here for a short video of the snowstorm at our campsite.  Yes, it was actually snowing!  We sure were glad to have two filled propane tanks on board (although we only used a small fraction of one) so we could run our heater all night.  We were very comfortable inside the warm cozy interior of the Scamp (watching movies and playing Sequence and Backgammon games). Looking out the Scamp’s panoramic windows watching the snow blanket the desert floor was a mesmerizing site.  Equally as captivating, was watching the tent campers scrambling to their cars for supplies during the blizzard.  It was difficult to imagine how they were able to bundle up enough in the cold to sleep in their tents (most likely didn’t have propane heaters and we witnessed some sleeping in their cars).  We heard some scary stories the following morning from tent campers who battled extreme cold during the night (temps in the teens).  People also exchanged hot food and hot drinks the morning after the snowstorm.

Our last morning at Ryan Campground was calm with blue skies (temperatures in the 20’s).  We had a chance to take a nice early morning hike (Keys View Rd trail) from the campground (around a two mile round trip flat desert walk) before heading home.  Because we plan to come back, we made note of a number of ranger programs which look interesting–including, Keys Ranch Tour  ($10 for adults, reservations the day before), All About Joshua Trees, and the Evening Program.  Although we experienced a wild weather ride on this trip, it was really exciting and satisfying.  It was great to see how our Scamp 13’ pushed through the challenges with flying colors.  And, these experiences will no doubt elevate our game for future trips.  Speaking of future trips, our next planned trip is back here next month at Jumbo Rocks Campground!  Stay tuned!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

Temecula

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Temecula
January 27th – 29th, 2023 (2 nights)

Temecula is a wine and olive tree growing region about an hour northeast of San Diego.  It gets really hot here in the summer, but is the perfect winter location to hike and go on wine and olive oil tasting tours.  It’s a great destination for a long weekend coming from Los Angeles or San Diego.  We made our trip plans last minute, so we couldn’t make an online reservation at Dripping Springs Campground (about a 20 minute drive from Old Town Temecula); reservations for the campsites are blocked four days before each date. However, we decided we would risk it and show up before noon on Friday and see if we could get a spot.  The process of getting a campsite in person is easy.  Just drive into the campground and find an open campsite and park.  We really wanted campsite #10 (a normally first come first served campsite anyway) because it is at the farthest end of the campground right near the hiking trails.  We arrived at Dripping Springs Campground around 11:30 a.m. after a short drive from Carlsbad and drove straight back to campsite #10.  It turned out to be open and we parked!  After parking, campers have thirty minutes to get a pay envelope and fill out their vehicle information and campsite number, put money (cash or check) in the envelope ($15/night for trailers), and deposit the envelope in the iron ranger drop box (located next to the host trailer at the campground entrance).

After setting up our Scamp 13’ and having lunch, we drove to Old Town Temecula to explore.  Along the way, we stopped off at the Olive Plantation, a family owned and run small olive oil farm.  The sign said tours are available on weekends, but, being a Friday, we were lucky when the owner saw us in the driveway and opened the gate!  She gave us a private tour and tasting.  Of course, they also sell olive oil, and we purchased a $25 bottle of one of their first pressings.  Although small, this olive oil farm has won global awards for the quality of their oil.  After our tour, we continued toward Old Temecula.  Many of the buildings here went up around 1883, when the Southern California Railroad brought travelers and commerce to the Temecula Valley.  Some of these old structures still stand, but have been converted to shops, restaurants, and bars.  We strolled down the main street of Old Town and also walked up and down the side streets.  There are antique shops, places to eat, an olive oil tasting room (Temecula Olive Oil Company), and even a community theater.  We spent a couple of hours wandering and then were ready to retreat to the quiet solitude of Dripping Springs Campground to relax.

Dripping Springs Campground, located in the Cleveland National Forest, is a small but very beautiful campground run by the US Forest Service / USDA (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).   Sitting in a canyon nestled between mountains and adjacent to the Agua Tibia Wilderness, the campground has a creek that runs alongside and a number of very popular hiking and horseback riding trails.    This is also the home of the two inch arroyo toad (a species of toad endemic to California and Baja California, Mexico) whose picture is featured on a sign next to the creek.  The campground has 34 single campsites, 9 equestrian sites (although we saw tent campers using these sites), 2 horse corrals, potable water, and vault toilets.  The best sites are the ones on the farthest end, closest to the trailhead and creek (the host said if you can fit into it, including tent only sites, you can take it!).  We really enjoyed the peacefulness of site #10, which is adjacent to the creek.  We could only get Verizon cell reception at the entrance to the campground.  We downloaded movies onto our laptop at home, so we were able to enjoy cinema in our Scamp in the evenings!

We scheduled an olive oil farm tour at the Temecula Olive Oil Company for Saturday; eight minutes south of our campsite in Aguanga.  We also invited our friends Colleen and Perry (travelling from Canada and who happened to be staying at an RV park in the area for a couple of weeks).  We met at the farm at 10 a.m. and had a really interesting tour which lasted until noon.  The farm owners and tour leaders (a married couple) began their careers with extensive experience in the wine industry and worked in various roles for large corporations.  They then switched their focus to olive oil and have worked their farm for the past twenty years.  During the tour, we were given an inside look at what it takes to grow olive trees and mill olive oil, as well as told personal stories of the owners’ lives and how they came to establish the Temecula Olive Oil Company.  We sampled over ten varieties of their oil and vinegars while listening to the farm and family’s history.  With our bellies full of high quality olive oils and our minds full of olive jokes (yes, olive ‘em)…, we walked the grounds and saw some of their animals (including their pigs) before enjoying a great picnic lunch next to the magnificent olive grove.

We had two beautiful clear sunny January days during our Temecula visit, with rain approaching on Sunday.  So, we did what any meandering Scamp nomad does when foul weather approaches: we cranked up our stabilizers, hitched up, and headed out!

Southern Arizona Fall 2022

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Southern Arizona Fall 2022
November 13th – 22nd, 2022 (9 nights)

Late fall and winter bring cool temperatures to most U.S. locations, prompting many campers to place their travel trailers into storage until spring.  However, southern Arizona’s weather is very welcoming during this period (usually 60’s-70’s during the day and cool nights) and, in turn, lots of snowbirds flock here for the pleasant temperatures.  We wanted to capture the best weather southern Arizona has to offer, so we planned a trip along its southern border.  We chose six locations across the state and kept most drive times to three hours or less.  Our longest drive was from our home in Carlsbad, California (San Diego county) to our first campground, Painted Rock Petroglyph Site Campground in Arizona (about 4 ½ hours).  We chose Painted Rock as our first stop because we needed to break up the drive and it sounded interesting.

Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground is about 1 ½ hours east of Yuma on the 8 Freeway.  There’s a gas station in Sentinel, AZ (they sell Middle of Nowhere t-shirts) about thirty minutes away from Painted Rock Campground, which is a good place to fill up before leaving the 8 and turning off at Painted Rock Road to the campground.  The campground is about 12 miles up Painted Rock Road (paved road, with a small gravel section at the very end) and is an easy drive.  There are no facilities here (no water, electric, or sewer/dump station), so come with your fresh tank full and black and grey tanks empty.  We received good Verizon cellular phone signal here at this very isolated and desolate location.  The fee at this BLM campground is $8 per night (payable to the “iron ranger”, metal box).  However, the fee is only $6/night with an “America the Beautiful Pass” and $4/night with the “Golden Age or Access passport”.  We paid $8 for the night despite having the “America the Beautiful Pass” because the discounts were only posted at the Day Use section of the campground!  So, most people driving in will pay $8/night since the discounts are not posted at the RV campground entrance.  We did save $8 by not making a reservation and avoiding the reservation fee.  We read in advance that the campground usually has a lot of empty sites and since we were going on Sunday afternoon we figured we wouldn’t have an issue getting a spot.  As it turned out, the campground was mostly vacant with only a handful of campers spread out over a very large area.  We chose site #27 which is a great open location.  There is a camp host here, but we only saw someone in the morning near the host trailer riding a tractor and playing with a dog.  We enjoyed the remoteness, quietness, and privacy at the campground, the stars at night, and walking around the volcanic stone mounds trying to decrypt the petroglyph symbols (ancient graffiti) displayed on the rocks.  This stay over was a perfect place to get a great night’s sleep and refresh before the drive to our next stop, Catalina State Park.

Catalina State Park is a two and a half hour drive from Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground and is located in the upscale community of Oro Valley (Valley of Gold), about fourteen miles north of Tucson.   The campground is at the foothills of the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains and only a quick bike ride to the nice town of Oro Valley.  We immediately noticed on our drive into Oro Valley the vast network of bike paths alongside the roads, a large number of popular stores and restaurants, a Ritz Carlton resort, a large hospital, and nice homes all set within the stunning backdrop of the Santa Catalina Mountains.  This place obviously is a well thought out planned community, where many families and retired people call home.  The first thing we did when arriving at Catalina State Park was to use the free central dump on the way to our campsite.  Our site, #18 ($35/night), has electric and water hookups with a spectacular view of the mountains.  Verizon cell coverage was poor, but a useable signal was obtainable by walking around the campground.  The daytime temperatures were in the 60’s, but our water filter was icy the next morning which slowed water flow inside the Scamp (overnight temperatures in the 20’s), so we switched to our internal fresh tank the next night and had no issues.  Fortunately, the fresh tank is inside the Scamp 13’ (underneath the right side bench seat), so it stays warm even in freezing temperatures (assuming the interior of the Scamp is kept heated).  We spent a couple of days here enjoying numerous hikes, including the Romero Ruins hike.  One of the highlights of our stay was when an owl landed on our Scamp’s roof right above our heads and hooted (similar to our Scampgrounds logo)!  Scamper quick tip:  when the night temperatures are forecasted to be cold and electric hookups are provided, bring a small electric ceramic heater (like this one) to avoid using your propane gas (save your propane for when no electric hookups are provided to use for the furnace, refrigerator, gas stove, and hot water heater).

It’s about a two hour drive from Catalina State Park to Patagonia Lake State Park, directly south on the 19 Freeway.  The route goes almost straight down to the Mexican border town of Nogales.  Patagonia Lake is very isolated and is surrounded by rolling hills.  The campground is spread out with its own store, boat ramp, marina, and plenty of picnic tables and small docks available to launch canoes and kayaks.  Cabins are also available to rent for those without RVs.  We had a nice campsite by the lake, #22 ($30/night), which has electric and water hookups (there is also a free central dump at the campground).  Because lush vegetation grows along the shores of the lake, there are few campsites with expansive lake views.  But, campers can walk down to the area of the Visitor’s Center and there are plenty of picnic tables with great water scenery.  Verizon service was only useable in certain locations (e.g. near the Visitor’s Center).  We ran our ceramic heater at this location as well since it was chilly at night and we had an electric hookup.  Individuals and families who enjoy time out on the water with inflatable boats and other types of kayaks/canoes flock here throughout the year.  We also saw people fishing (both from shore and boats).  The area is also popular for birders, as there are a large variety of bird species in the area (including ones from Mexico).  There is also access to Sonoita Creek State Natural Area (which we hiked) close by that is a popular preserve among birders.  There are a lot of trails near the lake and the Sonoita Creek area.  We spent a couple of days hiking, watching wildlife (including birds and deer), and even seeing some free range cows.  Pontoon boat tours ($7 per adult/$5 per child) are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at various times which focus on both avian and discovery interests.  And, bird walks are led by rangers Monday and Friday mornings at 9 a.m. (meet at the Birding Trail near site 12).  Note – tour types, days and times are subject to change, so call ahead to confirm.  We made sure to use the free central dump on the way out of the campground as our next stop was somewhere quite remote and without dump facilities.

Continuing our journey further east for two and half hours, we made our way to Chiricahua (pronounced cherry-cow-a) National Monument (Bonita Canyon Campground), not far from the Arizona – New Mexico border.  The campground is hidden in the mountains thirty five miles southeast of Willcox, the closest town to the area.  We filled up our gas tank in Willcox before heading out onto quiet Highway 186; we didn’t see any cars the entire forty five minute drive to the campground (the drive was easy on paved roads).  Not having learned much about the campground, we expected it to be fairly isolated with minimal facilities or support staff.  We made sure our fresh tank was full (just in case water spigots were not working) and black and grey tanks were drained before arriving (since there is no central dump).  Our expectations were happily turned upside down upon arrival; we passed a beautiful Visitor Center (with a natural rock exterior similar to ones found in Yosemite) and were greeted at our site by one of three volunteer rangers who live at the campground!  Several deer stood by next to us, seemingly unfazed, as we navigated our Scamp 13’ into our site, #14 (nice spot looking out at the mountains, $20/night, no cell phone service, no hookups, but there are working water spigots, a grey water sink for disposing of grey water, and free WiFi at the Visitor’s Center)!  The ranger gave us a brief rundown on some of the trails and made some recommendations on where to explore in this “Land of Standing up Rocks”.

The terrain here is much different than many of the Arizona desert campgrounds.  This mountain campground sits at over 5,000 feet elevation and there are over 1,200 species of plants in the surrounding area.  There are pines, firs, yuccas, agaves, prickly pear cactus and many others.  There is also abundant wildlife, including birds, coatimundi (raccoon like creatures), Arizona white-tailed deer, Javelina (pig like, but not a pig), black bears, Chiricahua fox squirrels, mountain lions, black-tailed rattlesnakes, and mountain spiny lizards.  Our site, #14, has a fantastic view of some of the mountains with stone rock formations for which this area is famous (note:  Site #13 has unobstructed mountain views and is, along with #14, a top choice for future visits).  The Mexican Jay birds are very bold and will stand at one’s feet looking for handouts.  Just ignore them (it’s also prohibited to feed wildlife) and they will go about their business foraging for acorns.  The first thing we did after setting up our Scamp 13’ was to take the half mile trail to the Visitor’s Center.  It’s well stocked with Chiricahua related items (including t-shirts) as well as snacks.  We were given a large map and one of the rangers gave us her list of must see attractions.  We still had enough time before dark on our first afternoon to hike to Faraway Ranch (a ranch homesteaded in 1886 by Swedish immigrants Neil Erickson and Emma Peterson) where a number of ranch buildings are preserved.  Along the way, we saw numerous deer, wild turkeys, and a band of coatimundi (about 20 of them with their tails straight up)!  None of these animals were startled by our presence and walked right by us within a few feet.  It seems this is a land time has forgot where wildlife hasn’t been too disrupted by mankind.  We felt like visitors to the animals’ home and they treated us well.  Here is some video of animals we took close to the campground.

We took the eight-mile scenic drive above the campground to Massai Point (elevation 6900 ft.) on our second day to look out over the Chiricahua National Monument vistas.  We walked the easy half-mile Massai Nature Trail (some Verizon signal here) and marveled at the expanse of standing rock columns formed by volcanic eruptions 27 million years ago.  The unusual rock formations reminded us of our time spent in Cappadocia, Turkey, known for its distinctive “fairy chimneys”.   We were astonished that something like this existed in Arizona.  To get an even more immersive experience, we parked at the Echo Canyon parking lot a little way down the mountain and hiked the moderate 3.3 mile Echo Canyon Loop Trail which winds its way through the mesmerizing Echo Canyon Grotto (a fairytale like series of stone columns nestled closely together).  We didn’t have time for the Heart of Rocks Loop (7.3 miles strenuous loop) which has some of the famous balancing rock structures (like the Big Balanced Rock, Pinnacle Balance Rock, Punch & Judy, and Duck on a Rock), but hope to return and do it in the future.  We are glad we had at least two days here, but if we had known there are so much fantastic scenery and things to do in this area, we would have booked a minimum of three nights.  We met one fit hiker who told us she had been here six days and was just able to complete all of the Monument’s main hikes!  The ranger was right when he told us when we first pulled in that this place is a hidden gem!

We left Bonita Canyon Campground the next morning with a full fresh tank as the next campground, Picacho Peak State Park, notified us that fresh water was not available due to the drought (this was a first for us)!  We headed down the mountain back into Willcox and then continued west past Tucson (a two and a half hour drive from Chiricahua National Monument).  Picacho Peak State Park is located off the 10 Freeway between Tucson and Phoenix.  It’s a largely flat desert landscape with some tall mountains (including Picacho Peak, of which the campground sits at the base).  The freeway can be seen and heard (along with trains) in the distance from the campground (some noise).  We were excited to arrive because we planned to meet Canadian friends (Colleen and Perry) in person for the first time who we know from Instagram (who also travel by fiberglass travel trailer).  We used the free central dump when pulling in and then found our site, #C27 (electric hookup, no water, $30/night, good Verizon cell service).  Site #C27 is fairly private and well located with nice mountain views.  As we finished setting up our Scamp 13’, a horn honked, and we saw our friends pulling in with their Oliver Elite II travel trailer.  We found we had a lot in common and all took a nice walk together after lunch.  Our friend Colleen cooked a fabulous Mexican dinner for us and we enjoyed it at their campsite.  The next morning, we took a very challenging hike to the top of Picacho Peak!  It’s a strenuous hike and some parts are very vertical, requiring the use of steel cables which are anchored into the rock.  It’s recommended to wear leather gloves to avoid getting hand injuries while grabbing the cables.  We made the ascent in about one and a half hours and the descent in a little over an hour.  It’s a thrilling and strenuous hike, and definitely not recommended for the faint of heart (or those with a fear of heights)!  We had a marvelous time here with our new friends and really enjoyed the campground (even though it is close to the city and freeway).  The desert scenery, including cactus and mountains, made for a peaceful stay.

To avoid a six hour ride straight back home to San Diego, we headed to Yuma (3 hours from Picacho Peak SP) for a stay over at Hidden Cove RV Park ($45/night, full hookups).  Hidden Cove RV Park (located in Arizona) is situated right on the Colorado River on the Arizona-California border.  The people here are very nice and this RV park is very close to the highlights of downtown Yuma.  We didn’t have much time though in Yuma to explore, since we hiked Picacho Peak the same day as our departure to Yuma.  We enjoyed a late lunch at a local burger place, Eddie’s Grill, in Yuma before relaxing in the evening (including a walk along the Colorado River path).  There was a beautiful sunset allowing for a nice opportunity to launch the drone for photos.  The next morning, before leaving for home, we walked along the long dirt road across the street from the RV park which parallels an aqueduct and meanders along farmland (which provides miles of peaceful walking terrain).

This turned out to be a fantastic trip.  We didn’t know what to expect, which is part of what makes trips to new places so fun.  We always read about our destinations in advance when planning trips, but the reality is usually different and the sights, sounds & smells of what’s experienced can never be replicated online.  It’s the excitement of the unknown–visiting new locations and meeting new people—that has the potential to greatly broaden one’s horizons.  We never come back from a trip exactly the same as when we left (and this is usually a positive thing!).  It’s the mystery and discovery of what’s just around the next corner that keeps us going!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

California Highway 1

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California Highway 1
October 19th – 25th, 2022 (6 nights)

October is the perfect month to drive up California Highway 1.  The weather is often clear and not too cold and the coastal scenery is magnificent.  On this trip, we chose to stop in Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Oakland, and Bakersfield (on the way home).  The main goal of the trip was to see my sister’s new puppy in Oakland.  Here’s a short video of some of our drive up California State Route 1.

Our first stop after leaving San Diego was Santa Barbara.  We departed on a weekday and purposefully waited until around 10 a.m. before leaving San Diego so that we would be driving through Los Angeles after rush hour traffic.  This strategy worked out really well; we were able to have a mostly traffic free drive.  We parked our 2020 Scamp 13’ in my cousin’s driveway for an overnight in Santa Barbara.  We had a great afternoon exploring Alice Keck Park, which has a nice variety of bird species (e.g. hummingbirds, ducks, geese…) as well as fish and turtles in this pond.  We sat down on a bench near the water and several ducks walked up to where we were sitting and sat down close by (very welcoming).  Some of the ducks are very colorful.  We also observed turtles swimming with their heads occasionally popping up above water.  Some turtles were sunning themselves on top of semi-submerged rocks.  We could have stayed at the park longer walking the nature paths and admiring the wild life, but needed to leave to meet up with my cousin Jon and his wife Ida for dinner.  My cousin, who is vegan, took us to Rascals, a vegan Mexican restaurant which offers tasty food (even for non-vegans!).  We had a great dinner catching up since it had been a couple months since our last visit.  We were treated to a colorful sunset that night as well as a beautiful sunrise the next morning.

We travelled up the 101 from Santa Barbara and joined California Highway 1 (SR1) where it starts in San Luis Obispo.  The four hour drive from Santa Barbara to Big Sur offers magnificent views of the coast and sheer cliffs.  But, be warned, the narrow windy stretches can be very dangerous, so it’s very important to be fresh and aware when driving (especially when towing!).  We passed some beautiful places along the way to Big Sur, including Cambria, San Simeon (Hearst Castle), and Ragged Point (especially windy) before arriving at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  Note: before arriving at the campground we planned to stop at Julia Pfeiffer State Park (day use only) to see McWay Falls (a waterfall that drops onto the beach sand/ocean).  However, the parking lot is very narrow and doesn’t allow campers or trailers, so we couldn’t stop.  Additionally, since we were only spending one night at the campground, we didn’t have enough time to backtrack the ten mile / 30 minute windy drive to Julia Pfeiffer State Park.  Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park campground is within a lush forest, including large old growth redwood trees.  Our site, #17, is under a dense canopy and almost completely shaded.  Fortunately, we didn’t need to bring solar panels on this trip because we were only staying one night and all our other stops provided power.  There is a threaded shared water spigot by campsite #17, although we didn’t need to use it this trip.  There is very limited cell phone service at the campground (we were just able to send texts without images).  There are lots of trails here and we did a bit of walking before dinner.  Along the way, we met a couple who had just purchased a Scamp 13’.  They came over to our campsite and we filled them in on the updates we had made to our Scamp over the first several years of ownership.  It’s always fun to run into other Scampers (Scamp owners tend to be very enthusiastic about their Scamps as these trailers have a cult like following)!

The next morning, we used the campground’s free central dump station (2 dump stations side by side) before making our way further north onto Carmel-By-The-Sea to visit the old mission.  This drive was much less windy and took us less than an hour.  Along the way, between Big Sur and Carmel-By-The-Sea, we passed several beautiful areas along the coast.  We took some aerial photography at a scenic seaside location on California Highway 1 as well as at the famous Bixby Bridge (built 1932).  The Bixby Bridge is Big Sur’s version of the Golden Gate Bridge!  It’s one of the highest bridges of its kind in the world (over 260 feet above a steep canyon).   We were able to pull over at the north end of the bridge on the side of the road (there is also a small parking lot at the end as well, but it was full and a bit crowded for our setup).  People were trying their best to get good photos of the bridge by positioning themselves at the edge of a steep bluff, which looked a bit risky.  Fortunately, our drone allowed for a safer approach – a flight out over the ocean for some stunning views of the bridge, dramatic cliffs, and sea below.

After our photo touring, we headed north to Carmel-By-The-Sea to visit the old mission.  An aerial video I took can be seen here.  The Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo was built in 1797 and is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California ($13 admission fee).  It’s a beautiful church and one of only three California missions built of stone (made from native sandstone quarried from the nearby Santa Lucia Mountains).  Fortunately, there was plenty of street parking at the side of the Mission for our Scamp 13’.  After a nice visit, we continued our drive to my sister’s house in Oakland (about a two hour drive).

Driving into a big populated city like Oakland while towing a trailer requires special care.  It’s important to be extra cautious as many city drivers in dense urban environments can be reckless.  Fortunately, we managed to arrive at my sister’s home without incident and quickly positioned our Scamp 13’ into its very cozy spot in the driveway (just a couple of inches from the chimney!).  We greatly enjoyed our three days visiting my sister and family in Oakland.  We got to meet the new puppy (and nephew’s new kitten) for the first time and had fun taking walks throughout the city.  We walked on Alameda Island (nice homes and pretty streets), Mills College campus (now a part of Northeastern University’s many campuses), and the Skyline National Recreational Trail (up in the hills with beautiful views above the bay).  We even took a tour through a famous cemetery, Mountain View Cemetery, and walked Millionaires Row (where many wealthy and famous people from San Francisco chose to be buried).  We saw the Ghirardelli Mausoleum where Domingo Ghirardelli (of chocolate fame) and his family are buried.  An interesting story of how he and his family came to rest at this cemetery can be found here.  No visit to Oakland would be complete without lunch at A+ Burger, and our visit didn’t disappoint.  We visited Treasure Island on our last night to take in the beautiful view of the City lights at night from across the Bay.

We divided the eight hour trip home into a couple of four hour segments, with a stay over at the halfway point in Bakersfield.  We selected the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area (our first time here) to spend the night.  Located in the middle of seemingly nowhere (amid farms and dry earth), is a large lake, Lake Webb, surrounded by beautiful trees.  An aerial video I made can be viewed here.  The campground is only about a five minute drive off the 5 Freeway, down a long mostly deserted straight road.  The campground appears as an oasis (very green with trees and water) in the middle of a desert.  There were only a few other campers when we arrived and the late October weather was in the low 70’s.  We were warned at the entrance that the temperature here can get well above 100 degrees during the summer!  We had site #51 ($25/night plus $8 reservation fee) which is right on the lake and is an 84’ long pull through site (full hookups, there’s also a central dump for those sites without a sewer hookup).  We had beautiful wrap around views of the lake inside our Scamp.  There was one bar of Verizon cell phone coverage and plenty of HDTV channels.  Note:  the sewer hookup diameter at site #51 is the same as our hose (which we’ve never seen before), so I had to physically hold the hose over the sewer pipe while dumping.  We noticed on the drive getting to the campground, there is a bike path parallel to the road that provides a nice long ride through farmland.  We enjoyed walking near the lake and watching the ducks, coots, hawks, and other birds swimming on and flying over the water.  This is a popular lake for boating activities (swimming is not allowed).  We were told the busiest time is the Fourth of July (also one of the hottest times of the year here).  We found the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area to be a perfect midway rest stop on the way from San Diego to the Bay area.

So, if you are planning a trip along California Highway 1, consider going in October.  The views are incredible and the weather can be practically perfect in every way!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
September 11th – 18th, 2022 (7 nights)

Visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in the shoulder season is a fantastic way to experience the parks without heavy summer crowds.  The weather was very pleasant during our visit in September with highs in the high 60’s (perfect for hiking) and lows in the low 40’s (perfect for sleeping) and the trails were fairly unpopulated.  Because of the cool nights, we used the furnace in our Scamp 13’ while sleeping and set the thermostat at 58 degrees, which was very comfortable for a great night’s rest.  Because the drive from our home in Carlsbad to these parks is around 8 hours, we stopped halfway for overnights at Bear Mountain RV Park in Bakersfield to break up the drives both going to the parks and on our way home.  Fortunately, we brought along our portable AC system, because it was in the 90’s in Bakersfield!

When searching for a convenient half way overnight stop, our biggest priority was finding a place which was along the route so we didn’t add unnecessary driving time.  Additionally, since we knew it could still be very hot in the Central Valley in September, we also wanted to make sure the place where we stayed had electrical hookups so we would be able to run our AC system.  Lastly, we wanted a reasonable nightly rate since we weren’t going to have time to take advantage of any extra facilities (like pool, laundry room, clubhouse, miniature golf course, etc.) or location (e.g. proximity to the downtown, etc.).  Bear Mountain RV Park in the Central Valley (Bakersfield) meets all of these criteria; it’s just a few minutes off the 99 Freeway (located in between farmland), about halfway from our home to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, it offers full hookups, and the rate when we stayed was only $34/night (although they just raised the rate to $39/night).  Most of the park is occupied by monthly renters, but the last row of campsites is set aside to accommodate overnight guests.  We were assigned site #17 and our friends, Phil & Claudia, who accompanied us on this trip, were parked right next to us.  It was hot (about 95 degrees) when we arrived, so we set up our portable AC system which chilled the Scamp down very quickly.  The park advertises WiFi, but we couldn’t get a good signal at our location.  However, there is a cell tower close by and we got fast internet and good phone service anyway with our Spectrum/Verizon mobile service.  HDTV signals were also plentiful and crystal clear here.  As an added bonus, we enjoyed evening walks along a farmland path of pistachio trees across the street from Bear Mountain RV park.

Because we were towing a travel trailer, we had to take the longer route, Highway 180, to reach Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.  Driving up the more direct route, Highway CA-198E, is not permitted for vehicles over 22 feet long due to severe hair pin turns (our Volvo XC40 is 14.5 feet long and our Scamp 13’ is 13 feet long = our total length of 27.5 feet).  The road into the park during the last hour of driving is windy, but not too bad.  Because Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are national parks, a $35 entrance fee is required at the entrance station.  We opted to purchase the $80 annual America the Beautiful Pass instead which allows access to all national parks in addition to other government lands for a year.  We arrived at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park to a fantastic site (#160, $22/night) right alongside a creek.  This site is spacious and situated in the middle of a beautiful pine forest.  There are no hookups here, but, despite the campground being heavily forested, we were able to get all the electricity we needed by using our solar panels.  We also arrived with two fully filled propane tanks, which provided all the gas we needed to cook, heat our water for nightly showers, and power our furnace to keep our Scamp’s interior nice and warm in the middle of the night.  There is a threaded water spigot close by to site #160 and we used our super hose extender for quick water fills whenever needed!  Also, there is a free central dump station at the entrance of the park (only a few minutes’ drive from site #160) which we used during the middle of our five night stay here (quick and easy).  So, despite the campsites having no hookups here, one can still experience a fabulous long stay at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks with the right gear and planning.  And, Lodgepole Campground is a great location when visiting these parks because it is right at the center of most of the natural attractions.  Note:  there is no cell phone reception at most places within the park (though, there are payphones at Lodgepole Campground, and Waksachi Lodge – a few miles down the road- offers free very poor quality WiFI [when we visited], but the best value in gifts we encountered within the park ).  A ranger informed us that there is a helipad (perhaps the large overflow parking lot at the entrance to Lodgepole Campground) and there are rangers available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

The highlight of a trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks is walking among the giant sequoia trees.  These trees are among the largest and oldest trees on Earth and are magnificent to behold.  What’s amazing too is that they only exist on one place on Earth, and that’s here within a narrow 260 mile path of forest on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation).   Some of these trees are over 3,000 years old!   These giant sequoias are awe inspiring and a trip to this national park should be at the very top of everyone’s bucket list of places to see in their lifetime.  The main trail to see these giants is the Congress Trail.  To get here, one can either hike a 2.8 mile trail from Lodgepole Campground to the General Sherman Tree, or drive to the General Sherman parking area just down the road.  The Congress Trail is a gentle 2.7 mile paved round trip path that goes by some of the largest and well know sequoias in Sequoia National Park.   The trail begins at the General Sherman tree, which is the largest living tree on Earth and stands over 275 feet tall.  Also along the path are the President Tree, Chief Sequoyah Tree, The Senate Group, The House Group, and McKinley Tree.  The President Tree, named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923, is the oldest living sequoia tree at over 3,200 years old (about 250 feet tall).  Curiously, we didn’t see the famous General Lee Tree name on the path.  We speculated that the name was “cancelled” due to him owning slaves and other injustices (which we later confirmed when reading this article).  However, Google Maps still listed the tree and we were able to find it unlabeled.

There are also numerous trails which originate from Lodgepole Campground (some tens of miles long and requiring a backcountry permit for overnight camping in the wild).  One of the most famous is the Tokopah Falls Trail (allow 2 – 3 hours). It’s a roughly 3.8 mile moderately challenging out and back hike which meanders its way up the Kaweah River and comes to a head at the bottom of a 1,200 cascading foot waterfall (although dry during summer and fall months if no rain).  The falls were flowing a little bit during our visit because it had recently rained (hikers previously reported no water flow the week before).  The falls are formed as the marble fork of the Kaweah River slides down a magnificent granite face into the Tokopah Valley.  The trail has areas with sections of stone steps as well as short wood plank bridges.  The last short section of trail is over uneven granite rocks and should be avoided by those with stability issues (the waterfall can still be seen before this section though).  It’s a beautiful hike that passes though forest and meadows.  It’s also common to see bears near the trail in the early morning.  We saw one on our visit.  Sequoia National Park is an active bear area for the American black bear.  It’s mandatory to use the metal bear food lockers to store your food at the campsite.  There are many stories of bear encounters like this one here and this scary one for a camper at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.  Be “bear aware” and try never to sneak up on an unsuspecting bear since startling the animal at close range could provoke a defensive attack.  Usually, the bears will hear hikers and stay at a distance or move away.  If a bear approaches, make yourself look big by raising your arms (and if you are in a group huddle together) and make a lot of noise by clapping and yelling.  It’s generally not recommended to try to outrun the bear (unless you have some slower hikers with you!).  The same advice applies to mountain lions which like to chase running prey.

Make sure to visit the Giant Forest Museum during your visit.  The small free museum has some excellent displays and information on sequoias and the area (as well as a nice gift shop).  There’s also a nice one mile round trip meadow hike from the museum.  On the south side of the museum is a short paved road which leads to Beetle Rock, a large granite rock which you can climb on and offers nice mountain views to the south and west.  It’s a great place to watch the sunset.  Speaking of sunsets, if you have time, also plan a visit to Sunset Rock.  Sunset Rock Trail can be accessed across the road from the Giant Forest Museum.  It’s an easy mile forest trail that leads to a large granite dome (Sunset Rock) which offers superb western views (best visited at sunset).  And, speaking of rocks, climbing Moro Rock should be on your radar (as long as you aren’t averse to climbing a bunch of stairs – about 350 steps to the top – or have a fear of heights).  It’s considered a moderately challenging hike, but it is fairly short (only about .5 miles round trip) and can be completed in about half an hour without stopping (there’s a parking lot at its base).  No serious rock climbing is necessary as this granite dome has rock stairs along with metal handrails to keep visitors safe.  The 360 degree views at the top are spectacular, offering sights of an incredible mountain range on one side and looking way out over the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River toward the Great Western Divide of the High Sierra and down to the San Joaquin Valley below on the other (highly recommended).

There’s so much to do in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks that we only scratched the surface during out five night stay at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park.  We noticed some campers left some days to make long drives (over one hour to the Kings Canyon side of the park) to explore areas, such as Mist Falls and Hume Lake, on the Kings Canyon side of the parks.  But, with the windy roads and drive time of over an hour to cross the parks, we decided to spend most of our time in Sequoia National park and touch the highlight of Kings Canyon National Park (visiting the General Grant Tree at Grant Grove Village) on our way out of the park on our last day.  I’m glad we decided to spend the majority of our time in Sequoia National Park, staying at Lodgepole Campground, because there are more groves of the giant sequoias here.  I would definitely consider coming back in the future and staying within Kings Canyon National park to see some of the waterfalls and other natural wonders though (there are numerous campgrounds within Kings Canyon National Park including:  Azalea Campground, Crystal Springs Campground, and Sunset Campground).  On our way to Grant Grove Village, we refueled at Stony Creek gas station (free WiFi that actually works too!).  There is a visitor’s center and gift shop (the most expensive we visited in the park) at Grant Grove Village as well as some RV parking.  We avoided the two mile round trip hike from Grant Grove Village to the General Grant Tree and back by driving down the road and parking in the small General Grant Tree parking lot.  We got lucky and found a couple of RV spaces to park (there are only around 4 bus/RV spaces).  After viewing the magnificent General Grant Tree, which is just right in front of the parking lot, it got a bit crazy on our way out.  A large tourist bus pulled in and blocked the exit path for a little while.  We were fortunate to have been able to plan our visit to stay during the week and were reminded that, even during the off season, weekends can be very busy in national parks.

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