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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. 

Calico Ghost Town – Zion – Valley of Fire – Death Valley

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Calico Ghost Town – Zion – Valley of Fire – Death Valley
November 27th – December 6th, 2021 (9 nights)

Living in California not only offers access to world class campgrounds in the state, but also proximity to outstanding parks in adjacent states.  On this trip, we thought it would be epic fun to string together campgrounds in California, Utah, and Nevada, while at the same time keeping driving times reasonable.  It turns out that world-renown Zion National Park (UT), Valley of Fire State Park (NV), and Death Valley National Park (CA) are all less than three hour’s drive from another!  And, we discovered, this trifecta of park greatness is a must itinerary!  The key caveat here is to make reservations well in advance for both Watchman (Zion) and Furnace Creek (Death Valley) campgrounds since these national parks are very popular.  Additionally, plan on visiting Valley of Fire State Park (one of our top favorite campgrounds thus far) during the week and arrive in the morning before 10 a.m. because it’s first come first serve (no reservations).  Lastly, don’t go to these places in the summer due to extremely hot temperatures.

Calico Ghost Town
In order to a avoid a long drive directly from our home in Carlsbad, California to Zion National Park, UT (about 8 hours), we decided to stay overnight at a San Bernardino County Regional Park called Calico Ghost Town.  It was a silver mining town in the 1880s and was abandoned in the mid 1890s when silver lost its value.  It’s now a campground and old west tourist attraction.  The buildings on main street have been restored to look as they did in the 1800s and are now operated as gift stores and restaurants.   The campground offers full hookup sites and many of the campsites are on dirt pads.  We had site AC3, which is a good full hookup site that is on the trail leading directly up to the town (about a 5 minute walk).  This park caters to families with young children (and people who like driving ATVs, dirt bikes, buggies and other vehicles, as there are off-roading trails here) and has a Knotts Berry Farm feel (and for good reason – Walter Knott purchased the town in 1951).  We walked the main street in the afternoon, browsed a few of the candy and gift stores, and listened to some live music in the early evening.  We enjoyed a movie in our Scamp before bed and left early the next morning.

Zion National Park, Utah
The trip from Calico Ghost Town to Zion National Park (Watchman Campground) passes through Las Vegas, NV and St. George Utah, and takes about 5 hours without stops.  Although we try to limit our drives to four hours or under, we find that if we do have to drive a bit longer, stopping for lunch to break up the ride into a couple of segments makes the trip easier.  On this segment, we stopped for lunch in our Scamp in Las Vegas and arrived at Watchman Campground in the afternoon.  Our campsite, B46 (electric only), is adjacent to the Virgin River with towering colorful mountains surrounding the entire campground.  There are water spigots in the campground and a free central dump station.  The water spigot near our campsite was very high pressure and our Water Bandit and Water Tank Filler Hose combination made it possible to easily fill our water jug without water spraying everywhere (see “How our Water Bandit Saved our Trip”).

Watchman Campground is within walking distance of the Visitor Center, some nice stores and restaurants, and trails (including one designated biking trail – Pa’rus Trail).  There are shuttle stops by the Visitor Center with two free shuttle routes:  (1) the Zion Canyon Line (park shuttle) which runs from the Visitor Center up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to destinations like the Zion Lodge and trailheads, including Emerald Pools, West Rim Trail, and Temple of Sinawava where hikers depart for Zion Narrows (about a 40 minute shuttle ride from the Visitors Center to this last stop), and (2) the Springdale Shuttle (town shuttle) that stops at nine locations in town and picks up and drops off visitors at the park’s pedestrian/bike entrance.  The shuttles were implemented by the park in 2000 as a response to extreme traffic congestion on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  The park service temporarily shut down all shuttles the day after we arrived (Nov. 29th – Dec. 22nd).  As a result, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive became open to traffic and we were able to drive our car to hiking spots along the route (although some parking lots were full).

We spent three fabulous days enjoying the Watchman Campground and the nearby local Visitor Center and shops, hiking trails and bike path (as well as watching the stars at night).  Despite being relatively full, Watchman Campground was quiet and our site next to the river was very peaceful.  We saw deer everyday walking around the campground and they appeared accustomed to people.  We sometimes would walk right by one only noticing when just a few feet away.  There are signs warning of deer attacks posted within the campground, but we did not witness any such hostility.  The signs state that last year multiple visitors were injured by mothers protecting their young.  However, during our stay, the deer seemed content on grazing surrounding foliage and resting by the river.  As with all wild animals though, it’s always best to keep some distance and avoid approaching young ones because the parents are usually not too far away.

We drove up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive on our own since the shuttle service was not running.  On our second day, we hiked Emerald Pools and Grotto Trails (about 6 miles / 2 hours combined).  The Emerald Pools hike leads to three tiers of natural ponds (we combined the lower, middle, and upper pools in one hike). Scenery includes stunning mountains, red rocks, waterfalls over sheer rock faces, and emerald colored pools.  In the afternoon, we rode our bikes from the campground to Pa’rus trail which runs along the Virgin River (easy paved 3.5 mile round trip ).  The trail’s name is derived from Paiute (indigenous people language) and means “bubbling tumbling water”.  It’s a beautiful ride along the river and up the canyon and can be done within a half hour on bike (or much longer time if walking).  We enjoyed watching stars in the evening as Zion National Park is very dark and starry (it was officially named an International Dark Sky Park this year).

We were pleasantly surprised to find fast internet at Watchman Campground!  We made our mobile phone a hotspot and used our laptop.  An internet speed test showed quick speeds (40Mbps download / 7 Mbps upload)!  We were able to stream some news video (off our Sling TV), take care of email, catch up on Instagram, and do some internet browsing!  It turns out that the park allowed installation of a Verizon cellphone tower in a stealth building near the Visitor’s Center!  Having internet made it also possible for us to research future planned stops and check traffic heading to our next destination.

On our third day in Zion, we drove up to the last Shuttle stop (#9, Temple of Sinawava) and took the park’s most popular hike, Riverside Walk, which is an easy stroll.  The paved Riverside Walk, which follows the Virgin River upstream one mile through narrowing sandstone canyons ends at the Zion Narrows.  If you want to continue hiking up the Zion Narrows, it requires walking on the wet rocky riverbed.  Many people try to walk to Orderville Canyon, a two hour hike upstream, where the canyon is at its narrowest.  In order to make the riverbed hike more comfortable, it is recommended to rent neoprene insulated socks and hiking shoes which many of the area retail outlets offer.  Since we were there in December and the river water temperature was 47 degrees, shops were also recommending water proof dry pants.  A local shop gave us a quote of $50 per person per day to rent insulated socks, hiking shoes, and dry pants.  Because we wanted to explore other trails and also heard people say their feet were freezing despite the insulated apparel, we decided not to get wet.  Also, some people report foot/ankle swelling and pain after hiking for hours on the uneven river stones.

Our last hike before leaving Zion National Park was on the Watchman Trail.  This trail is an easy walk from the Watchman Campground and a fantastic way to see the entire Springdale Valley.  The trail itself climbs from the valley high above the park.  The trail climbs about 400 feet (but not to the height of the Watchman Spire itself) and is moderately easy and took us about two hours to complete round trip.  There are great views of the surrounding peaks and park below at the top of the trail!  After three days of exploring, we felt content that we had experienced some of the best of Zion National Park.  However, we could have easily spent a couple of more days which would have allowed a hike up to the top of the popular Angels Landing as well as potentially making a day of the Zion Narrows.  We met one camper who comes back every year and stays for ten to fourteen days and never leaves the campground (he’s happy to sit outside and read books and just absorb the views)!  Note – just recently, Zion National Park announced it will require a permit to hike Angels Landing starting next April (April 1, 2022).

We left Zion early in the morning so we could arrive at Valley of Fire State Park early as it is first come first serve (no reservations).  Because we didn’t know what to expect at our next destination, we filled up our Fresh water tank at our Watchman campsite (from our water jug / filled from a spigot) before leaving.  We also dumped our Black and Grey tanks on the way out of Zion at the free central dump.

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
We arrived at Valley of Fire State Park, the oldest and largest state park in Nevada, at around 9:15 a.m. after a 2 ½ hour drive from Zion.  Our goal was to arrive before 9:30 a.m. as the campground does not accept reservations and we wanted to stay inside this popular park.  There are two campgrounds within Valley of Fire State Park:  (1) Atlatl Rock Campground (has water and electric hookups) and (2) Arch Rock Campground (water spigots only).  Both campgrounds are a short distance from each other and there is a shared free central Dump Station right outside the campgrounds.  We targeted Arch Rock Campground because the campsites are a bit more private and scenically placed within the rocks compared to Atlatl Rock Campground.  We found water spigots at each campsite at Arch Rock Campground (and some have threads which may allow the connection of a fresh water hose).  We didn’t have any cell phone coverage (Verizon) at the campsite but found good coverage at the top of the stairs at Atlatl Rock as well as several parking lots on White Domes Road above the Visitors Center.

We drove into Valley of Fire State Park on a Wednesday morning in December and headed past the Visitor Center straight toward the campgrounds.  The first thing we noticed was the out of this world landscape of crazy, huge, bright red Aztec sandstone rocks.  It certainly made sense why scenes from Star Trek Generations were filmed within Valley of Fire State Park!  We passed Atlatl Rock Campground and turned into the entrance of Arch Rock Campground.  Upon entry, we immediately noticed many open campsites in the lower, more open, part of the campground.  Since there was no one behind us on the road, we decided to drive around the entire campground loop to see if we could get a really cherry spot.  As it turned out, we found a beautiful campsite in site #29, the last site on the loop and surrounded by towering red rocks!  The site has its own picnic area as well as a dedicated threaded water spigot and plenty of sunshine for solar panels.  We set up our Scamp 13’ at the campsite and then drove back down to the entrance of Arch Rock Campground to pay the “Iron Ranger” (metal fee collection box).  This involved placing our campsite fees of $25 per night cash (non-Nevada vehicle fee) into the metal lock box and taking the receipt back to our campsite and displaying it on the post (note: hookup sites are $10 more per night).  It appeared that the “Iron Ranger” here only takes cash or check.  We only brought $50 cash with us on our trip and no checks, so we just covered our campsite fees for two nights!  (Note to self – bring more cash on future trips).

There’s plenty to explore at Valley of Fire State Park, so a minimum of two nights at the campground will allow a good visit.  This is one park where it really pays to have a trailer or motor home because there aren’t really many places to stay nearby.  Many people visit for the day, driving in from Las Vegas (about an hour away), but miss much of the park’s greatness (e.g. starry nights, big horn sheep walking through the campground in the early morning, fantastic sunrises and sunsets ….).  Stop by the Visitor’s Center to get a park map (and see the park film and exhibit).  Then, drive White Domes Road above the Visitor Center to take a number of scenic hikes.  We chose White Domes for our first hike – the highlight is a really spectacular slot canyon.  Closer to the campgrounds, make sure to see Arch Rock and climb the stairs of Atlatl Rock (seen in Star Trek Generations) to view the petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years at the top of the platform (and grab some internet while on the top of the platform!).

Two large bighorn sheep walked right past our Scamp 13’ on our first morning!  We watched one of them ram one of the water spigots to get it to turn on.  Then, the other came down off a large steep rock and both drank fresh water at the spigot!  They also put on a show by ramming their horns together, making a tremendous crashing noise.  We saw this pair at other times during our stay as well as many other bighorn sheep families on our hikes.  It was an amazing experience being so close to these beautiful magnificent animals.

The Fire Wave hike (Parking Lot #3) is one of the park’s most popular.  The rainbow colored rock formations are incredible and the hike takes about an hour.  After hiking Fire Wave, make sure to hike Rainbow Vista Canyon which ends in an otherworldly view of a landscape that looks to be from another planet.  We saw 9 bighorn sheep during this colorful easy canyon hike.  We followed these two hikes up by walking Mouse’s Tank where petroglyphs are on display.  If you have more time, there are some other interesting sites to see like Elephant Rock, Petrified Logs, and Beehives Rock Formations.

We could have stayed a couple of more days at Valley of Fire State Park as we enjoyed it so much, but we had reservations made six months in advance for Furnace Creek (Death Valley National Park).  So, the next morning, after sharing the free Central Dump station at Valley of Fire State Park with a mob of bighorn sheep (enjoying fresh water from the spigot), we retraced our ride back through Las Vegas and then onto Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park, California

We passed Creech Air Force Base on the way to Furnace Creek Campground and watched Predator / Reaper drones taking off and landing.  We also stopped at the Area 51 Alien Travel Center, close by Area 51, refueled our tow vehicle and purchased an alien t-shirt.  We arrived at Furnace Creek Campground in the afternoon with almost a full tank of fuel and found our site #55 (no hookups).  Furnace Creek Campground is a paved parking lot on flat ground in the desert with mountains in the distance.  When we arrived, we were told the central Dump Station was closed in the campground (although we could use another one down the road toward the Visitor Center).  After walking around the entire campground, I didn’t see any water spigots to fill our 6 gallon water jug (just metal sinks for washing dishes).  I’m glad we filled our Fresh tank and dumped our Black and Grey tanks before leaving Valley of Fire State Park!  We ended up filling our water jug at an empty neighboring campsite’s spigot.

Furnace Creek Campground offers an incredible location for exploring Death Valley.  There are a couple of luxury resort hotels close by (Oasis Hotels:  The Inn at Death Valley and The Ranch at Death Valley).  Be forewarned however, prices in the area are very high.  During our visit at The Inn at Death Valley we browsed the menu and found Caesar salad priced at $19 and chicken breast at $43.  We stopped by The Ranch at Death Valley, just down the road from Furnace Creek Campground, to purchase some supplies to make s’mores with our new camping friends, Holly and Bill, at their evening campfire.  They have been staying at Furnace Creek Campground for the past forty years!  At checkout, without any prompting, the sales person at the register unexpectedly apologized for the store’s high prices when the bag of marshmallows, box of graham crackers, and four small Hershey’s bars rang up to $24!  Winter rates at the Inn at Death Valley aren’t cheap either, ranging between $500 to $600 per night for a single room.  We found the only gas station in town selling Regular gas for $6.70 / gallon.  Given that our campsite fee was only $22/night (non-hookup site), we felt like we could splurge on making s’mores!  We were also happy we had all our food and drinks with us and were able to cook all our meals in our Scamp!

The first thing to do after setting up at Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley is to go to the Visitors Center next door (within walking distance of the campground).  The Visitor Center has a nice amphitheater which shows movies about Death Valley and informative displays (and a great gift shop in front).  There are also an information desk and a board listing the times and locations of various free Ranger programs offered.  We attended an interesting evening star program at the Harmony Borax Works (just down the street from Furnace Creek Campground), where the Ranger spoke about the Cosmos in near darkness under thousands of stars.  Death Valley is a certified International Dark Sky Park.

There is one main bike path in Furance Creek which starts at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center and ends a mile down the road at the Harmony Borax Works.  It’s a quick easy ride on mostly flat terrain on a paved path separate from the main road (people also walk on this path).  Borax (a white mineral) was found in the Furnace Creek area in 1881 and the Harmony plant began processing the mineral in 1883.    The ore’s best known use is as a cleaner for laundry.  Twenty mule team wagons transported borax 165 miles from Death Valley to Mojave.  The Harmony plant shut down after only five years in operation due to the financial collapse of its owner.  Now, visitors can walk a loop and see examples of a 20 mule wagon and homes the Chinese laborers used while mining for borax.  Another short bike ride from Furnace Creek Campground is down Airport Road (behind the Visitors Center) to the Furnace Creek Airport.  The airport is usually very quiet with occasional private airplane traffic.

Many of the main sites in Death Valley are located down Badwater Road.  It’s a 16 mile drive from Furnace Creek Campground to the farthest popular stop, Badwater Basin.  Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America (282 ft. below sea level).  During the cooler months it’s possible to walk out onto the large salt flat.  Large salt formations (salt polygons) seem to span the basin for miles.  The first quarter mile has been flattened like hard packed sand, so it’s easy to walk on.  On the way back to the campground, we also drove Artists Drive (the most popular scenic drive in Death Valley), a 9 mile windy road through colorful rainbow hills formed by volcanic deposits (most vibrant in the afternoon).  If you are feeling energetic and it’s not hot, try the colorful Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral hike (3 miles) through multihued hills.  We added the Gower Gulch loop (additional 1 mile) which climbs up a dramatic mountain with steep drop offs on one side (we saw an older couple turning around, saying it was too scary).  The combined hike took us about two hours to complete.  These hikes are moderate / strenuous and should only be done in cool weather (preferably morning) with a partner and carrying plenty of water.

We didn’t have time for a halfway overnight stop to break up our drive on our way home to San Diego, so we left Furnace Creek early the next morning for the 6 hour drive.  We left the campground at about 5:30 a.m. and stopped at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes on the way out of the valley to witness the dunes at sunrise.  The dunes have a nice golden hue at first light and it’s special walking out on them (and climbing up and running down the hills of sand).  We ate breakfast in the Scamp before leaving Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and then fueled up our tow vehicle in Stovepipe Wells (gas was about $2/gallon cheaper than at the Furnace Creek gas station) before crossing the vast expanse of the Panamint Valley to connect to the 395 highway.

Some of the strategies we normally follow helped us tremendously for this trip.  The first thing we always do in trip planning is to schedule trips for the appropriate time of year (e.g. mountains in summer and deserts in spring, fall, and winter).  For this trip, we chose December as our travel month, which usually is perfect weather for these desert climates which tend to be deadly hot (130 degrees) during summer months.  We also normally pack enough food and water for the entire trip, which for this trip provided some safety in case we had a break down in a remote area in the desert (as well as saving on the expense of buying food in pricey tourist areas).  We always make sure to fill up our gas tank before crossing large remote areas, which on this trip there are many stretches of remote desert without any service stations.  Lastly, we always make sure to carry water (or cans of sparkling flavored water) when hiking.  So, when planning your next trip, keep these strategies in mind and also see if you can link several regal national and state parks on your itinerary for a perfect royal flush!

Note:  The “America the Beautiful National Park Pass” is currently $80 and provides for unlimited visits for one year for all national parks for everyone in the car (up to 4 adults)!  Considering many national parks charge $35 per car, it’s a great value if visiting three or more national parks per year.

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. 

Anza Borrego and Julian California

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Anza Borrego and Julian California
November 8th – 14th, 2021 (6 nights)

After recently returning from cool Oregon, we thought it might be nice to take a warm sunny trip to the California desert followed by a visit to a local mountain town.  Since we really enjoyed the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground in Anza Borrego State Park a couple of years ago (our very first Scamping trip), we scheduled a return visit.  The campground is only a couple of hours drive from our home in San Diego and offers some great hiking and biking as well as a cute desert town (Borrego Springs) with its fun shops and tasty restaurants.  When we arrived in the late afternoon to our full hookup site (#A26), it was warm (in the low 80s) and the sun was casting a red glow on the desert sand.  Surrounded by cactus and wide open space, there is a unique kind of vibe in the desert which one feels as soon as stepping outside.  Tall mountains serve as a dramatic backdrop to the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground whose campsites are nestled right up to rocky mountain’s edges.  After setting up our Scamp 13’, we took a long walk around the campground before watching a movie and going to sleep.

The next morning our goal was to hike the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, a 2.9 mile trail that leads to the third largest palm oasis in California (with California’s only native species of palm, the Fan palm).  The trail was closed when we were at the park our first time a couple of years ago due to recovery from a fire, so we were looking forward to seeing the oasis.  We left early to avoid the heat and followed the trail up to a v-shaped gorge where we glimpsed the palm grove (note: the waterfall wasn’t visible when we visited).   Along the way, we kept our eyes open for bighorn sheep on the mountain ledges above us, but these elusive animals remained out of our sight during our hike.  When we reached the oasis we spent a few minutes appreciating the spectacle of the huge grove of tall palm trees in the middle of the desert.  A handful of other hikers were also enjoying the same experience at the viewpoint.  We didn’t spend too long at the top because it was starting to get hot and we still had about an hour hike back to the campground.  Returning to the campground was easier than reaching the palm oasis because it was mostly hiking back down the mountain to the desert floor.  Note:  always hike with a partner and bring plenty of water if attempting this hike because it can get very hot here and there is no cell phone reception on this desert/mountain trail.

Once rested after our morning hike, we decided to ride our bikes into town and have lunch at Carmelita’s (Mexican food).  We were really glad we brought our bikes along because the roads are mostly wide open and flat and having bikes makes it really convenient to explore.  We even road our mountain bikes across portions of desert sand and it was really fun.  The bike trip into town was an easy 15 minute ride.  We sat with our bikes at Carmelitas on their outside patio and enjoyed a fantastic lunch (chips and salsa followed by excellent chicken mole enchiladas).  After lunch, we browsed items at the Borrego Outfitters shop next door (two years ago we purchased really interesting metal interlocking canteens and UV sun sleeves here).  Then, we biked to the Anza Borrego State Park Visitor’s Center on the West end of the park and purchased some t-shirts.  After all the day’s excitement, we enjoyed watching the stars in the evening.  Anza Borrego State Park achieved its International Dark Sky Park rating in 2018 and, as such, is recognized as a premier place for stargazing.  We retired in the Scamp after a long and fun day and watched a movie before bed.

We asked one of the park rangers if it would be OK to delay checkout from Noon until around 12:45 p.m. and we were told that was fine.  We wanted to eat lunch before stopping off at Bike Borrego (a local ebike tour company) to pick up a new bike lock (the one we recently purchased had failed).  The owner could only meet us at 1 p.m. to sell us one of his locks (and there are no other bike stores in town).  After purchasing our new bike lock, we drove an hour and a half to our next destination, the Salton Sea.  Unfortunately, conditions were not pleasant at the Salton Sea.  It was 88 degrees with many small flying insects and the air smelled of rotten eggs.  The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, was formed from runoff of the Colorado River in the early 1900s.  In the 1950’s and 60’s it became a resort destination.  Bird watching was also popular as the wetlands were a major resting stop on the Pacific Flyway.  In the 1980s, contamination from farm runoff promoted the outbreak and spread of diseases.  Massive numbers of birds and fish died.  During this time, large amounts of water evaporated which resulted in very high salinity, further destroying fish and other wildlife.  What remains is a toxic wasteland.  It’s not recommended to go into or touch the water and the air often smells.  The air smell is caused by elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide gas coming from the Salton Sea (it’s a highly toxic gas created by organic decay in the absence of oxygen at the bottom of the Salton Sea).  Needless to say, we left the Salton Sea Mecca Beach Campground after only about 5 minutes.  We called ahead to our next planned stop in Julian, William Heise County Park, and fortunately were told we could arrive a couple of days early as our campsite was open!

We arrived at William Heise campground in the charming mountain town of Julian right around sunset after a two hour drive from the Salton Sea.  We usually like arriving to campgrounds earlier in the day as it’s easier to see the campsite, locate a good pad position for the Scamp, and set everything up.  However, this was an unusual circumstance and we didn’t have much of a choice on timing.  Fortunately, we were able to quickly find our campsite (#41) and get everything in order because as soon as we finished setting up, it became extremely dark.  We chose a non-hookup site because the hookup sites at this campground are only partial (water & electric) and generally not as spaced out as the non-hookup sites.  There are water spigots located throughout the campground which we used to fill our Fresh Water tank daily.  And, we used our solar panel briefcase and Jackery 500 lithium battery to supply all the power we needed.  There is also a free central dump at this campground (which we used in combination with our Holy Grail Portable Grey Water Tank Solution to avoid having to move our Scamp).  The weather was nice and cool in the afternoon and evening (a relief from the 88 degree temperatures we left a couple of hours earlier).  Daytime temperatures, in the 70’s, were also much cooler than the desert as Julian is located at over 4,000 feet elevation.

Julian is an old gold mining town where the gold rush happened in the 1850s.  Since then, apples and tourism have become the town’s new gold, and pie and gift shops line main street.  Julian is a very popular day trip destination for people who live in San Diego and Los Angeles because it’s only a two or three hour drive respectively.   People come here for the day to visit the apple orchards in the early Fall and throughout the year to eat apple, apple berry, and other varieties of pies.  Downtown Julian is about a 12-minute drive from William Heise County Park, which we found was good because downtown was very busy when we visited!  We did venture downtown a few times for the mandatory sampling of some of the different types of apple pies at both the Julian Pie Co. and the Julian Café and Bakery!  But, we mostly enjoyed staying in the campground and hiking the numerous trails (e.g. Cedar Creek Trail, Canyon Oak Trail, Desert View/Glen’s View Trail).  The Desert View Trail with a hike up to the Glen’s View outlook is notable because at the peak one can see both Anza Borrego and the Salton Sea on one side and San Diego and the ocean on the other.  Because we arrived two days early, we had ample amount of time to explore Julian and the William Heise County Park.  One interesting stop before leaving on our last day was the Julian Wolf Center.  We were able to observe a couple of wolf packs on our one hour wolf conservation tour ($30/each).  The center seeks to breed wolves and release wolf pups back into the wild. We found the wolf center to be an interesting experience.

This relatively short trip reinforced a couple of our Scamp travel principles.  First, travel to locations which have favorable weather conditions for a more comfortable trip.  We did find both Anza Borrego and Julian to have very favorable weather conditions this time of year (Fall).  Second, be open-minded and flexible if you don’t feel comfortable at the campsite to which you pull up.  And, have your usernames and passwords with you for all your campground reservation websites in case you need to cancel your reservation, make a change, or make a new reservation.  If you do need to cancel at the last minute because you don’t want to stay at the campsite (like in our case with the Salton Sea), you will likely forfeit at least a day’s campsite fee (which usually isn’t much), but it will be worth an overall more enjoyable trip!

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