death valley national park

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

https://scampgrounds.com/wp-content/themes/osmosis/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 gavin gavin https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9de79417d52cde759ffedf503509748a?s=96&d=mm&r=g December 30, 2021 December 24, 2021

By: gavin

December 30, 2021

Calico Ghost Town – Zion – Valley of Fire – Death Valley
November 27^th – December 6^th, 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. 29^th – Dec. 22^nd). 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.

Wonder Valley (Twenty Nine Palms)

By: gavin

December 19, 2020

Wonder Valley (Twenty Nine Palms)
December 12^th – 14^th, 2020

About a 3-hour drive from San Diego and close to Palm Springs, Wonder Valley is a desert oasis in Twenty Nine Palms, California boasting wide open views and dark skies filled with billions of stars. It’s located very close to Joshua Tree National Park, which borders the Colorado and Mojave deserts. The main features of the park are the magnificent Joshua Trees which stand over 20 feet tall and the massive boulder formations which take many shapes. This is one of the few, if only, places Joshua Trees are found (some say they are also found in Jerusalem).

Although the overnight campgrounds were closed at the time of our visit due to the mandatory pandemic California shut down, the park was still open for day use. We really wanted to go not only to see Joshua Tree National Park for the first time, but also to witness the peak of the Gemenid meteor showers. Fortunately, there is a Boondockers Welcome location very close to the park entrance in Wonder Valley and the owner was very nice in accommodating us for a couple of nights! The boondocking campsite we stayed at is a very large flat paved 2 acre area butting up to the desert. There was one other travel trailer on this site when we arrived, but the area is large enough to fit 10 rigs, so we had plenty of space!

When we arrived it was very windy, but still clear and sunny. We were careful to position our Scamp 13’ small travel trailer directly into the wind to minimize buffeting of the trailer. The wind was very strong, but just blew right over us from the front of the trailer and we didn’t feel or hear much of it. Since there are no hookups at this location, we made sure to fully charge our Scamp’s batteries the day before leaving, fill our Scamp’s freshwater tank with 12 gallons of fresh water and the hot water heater with 6 gallons of fresh water, bring one full 4 gallon jug of drinking water and 2 x 6 gallon water jugs to refill our freshwater tank, bring our Jackery 500 auxiliary power bank, as well as pack our refrigerator and storage box with enough food for a few days. We found out later there is a free water spigot to supply campers’ water jugs at the Visitor’s Center at the entrance of the park on Utah Trail road. We also made sure to bring our solar panels since we would need a little help from the sun to keep our Scamp 13’ batteries charged.

We had a nice late lunch in the Scamp after arriving (some pasta cooked up on the stove) and decided to check out the Visitor’s Center. We found some really cool Joshua Tree t-shirts and spoke to some park rangers a bit. They told us the park would be closed from 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. in honor of the coronavirus curfew now in effect. Darkness falls early in December in the desert and we decided to wait until the next day (Sunday) to go into the park. It was very cold and windy in the evening (early 30’s at night), so we decided to watch a movie hoping the wind would settle (see how to watch movies in the wild). Our Scamp furnace kept us nice and toasty. The wind did quiet eventually and we were able to see some meteors! The sky at night here is very dark and the stars sparkle! The location feels very remote.

The next morning we took a little walk around our campsite in the desert. There are many interesting dilapidated shacks that dot the landscape – our Boondockers Welcome host explained to us that they are the byproduct of the Small Tract Act of 1938, a federal homestead act that deeded mostly 5-acre plots of land to distribute 457,000 acres of desert that the Bureau of Land Management deemed useless (the act was repealed in 1979). Under the guidelines, homesteaders were granted the land if they built homes no smaller than 12 x 16 feet (192 square feet). Most of these structures are tiny, currently in terrible condition, and many still have original old furnishings – we saw one with an old oven and a tea kettle still on the stove! However, some of these shacks have been renovated and we also saw the new construction of a mini-home (supposedly by a man from Texas building his “dream” home)!

After a decadent pancake breakfast in our Scamp, we headed back to the Visitor’s Center to purchase an America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80) which allows unlimited entry into National Parks for a year as well as other government lands. We are planning on going to Death Valley National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, as well as other National Parks this year, so having the pass will save a lot on entrance fees (currently $30 per car at Joshua Tree National Park). Driving into the park was easy and there are places to stop along the roads. Based on the time of year and the strict pandemic orders, there were hardly any visitors during our trip. There are a lot of very interesting trails, plants (including Joshua Trees), and rock formations to keep one busy for days. We saw Skull Rock which looks like it sounds and completed an easy 2 mile hike to Split Rock. We really didn’t have enough time to see everything and, in turn, we plan to come back in April with friends and will stay inside the park at Jumbo Rocks campground. Joshua Tree National Park is definitely a must visit if only to see the curiously interesting and one-of-a-kind Joshua trees!

How Easy is Towing a Small Travel Trailer for the First Time?

By: gavin

November 21, 2020

How Easy is Towing a Small Travel Trailer for the First Time?

I had no absolutely no experience towing a small travel trailer when our Scamp 13’ was dropped off at our home by the factory delivery driver. After a quick review of some of the Scamp’s features and signing the paperwork (and handing over a check), the driver left and the Scamp was now in our garage ready to be taken on adventures.

I really liked the idea of all the possible trips we could take by having a small travel trailer and the probable fun we would have. Small travel trailers are a golden ticket into places most cannot spend the night (at least not comfortably), like State and National Parks. In the past, we would stay at a hotel if we wanted to visit scenic outdoor locations. And, hotels at these types of places are typically not cheap! In contrast, most nightly campground rates at State and National Parks are generally very reasonable (often less than $40 / night). For example, a full hookup spot (meaning electricity, water, and sewer are provided at your campsite) at Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park is currently only $36 / night. In comparison, a room at the Inn At Death Valley starts at around $350 / night in January. In addition, you can prepare all your meals in your small travel trailer, but would likely have a much higher meal cost at the hotel.

Given all the positives, we decided we would just have to learn how to tow the small travel trailer and hoped it wouldn’t be that difficult. The first challenge came up pretty soon after delivery. In order to register the trailer, we needed to tow it to the local AAA as an in-person inspection is required! With no prior experience, and after a bit of research, we hooked up our Scamp and drove it to AAA. It actually was a very easy first drive experience. The Scamp just follows the tow vehicle and, unless you make sharp turns, change lanes too fast, or go over bumps too quickly, it really isn’t a big deal to tow. It is important to allow for wide turns so the trailer following you can clear whatever you are turning around. The only stress initially was changing lanes, but even that has now become as easy as driving without the Scamp attached. You just have to take it slowly and make extra sure the lane is clear before you change lanes.

Advanced research and preparation seem to be the keys for first time towing success. Just like studying for a test, if you prepare in advance you will stand a higher chance for a positive outcome. First, it’s important you select the right tow vehicle before you buy your small travel trailer. Although I did chat with someone who told me he tows his Scamp 13’ travel trailer with a Toyota Prius, I wouldn’t recommend that for anyone. Instead, choose a vehicle that is rated to tow (meaning the transmission and brakes, etc. were designed for towing) and can easily handle the weight of your trailer as well as the hitch (tongue) weight your small travel trailer puts on your tow vehicle’s hitch ball (to be conservative, having at least 30% more vehicle capacity than the weight and tongue weight of the trailer may be a good starting point). In most cases, a decently powered SUV will do the job for towing a small travel trailer (but check the specs on your trailer and desired tow vehicle). In our case, we chose the Volvo XC40 with the T5 AWD engine and factory installed tow package (248 hp, tow rating = 3,500 lbs if trailer has brakes / tongue weight rating = 350 lbs). Scamp lists the approximate weight of the standard 13’ model between 1200 and 1500 lbs. and the tongue weight at 100 lbs. So, in this case, the Volvo XC40 is easily rated to tow the Scamp. The extra tow and tongue capacity allows for potentially higher weights due to carrying gear in the Scamp as well as provides power for steep mountain passes. The tow vehicle should be ordered with a factory tow package if available and the small travel trailer should be ordered with electronic brakes.

We have found the Volvo XC40 to be an exceptional tow vehicle in many ways. First, since it’s only a four cylinder turbo, it gets relatively good gas mileage — we routinely get 20MPG when towing. It also feels incredibly stable to drive and the weight of our Scamp 13’ is not noticeable (even going up steep grades). And, since it is all wheel drive (AWD), it always feels sure footed even on the bumpy sloped dirt surfaces one is likely to encounter at some campgrounds. We picked up the vehicle in Sweden through Volvo’s Oversees Delivery Program (which is a fantastic experience in itself). This allowed us to drive the car around Sweden for a couple of weeks and get to know the vehicle and the country.

Once you have your very capable tow vehicle, it is time to order a capable hitch to plug into your vehicle’s hitch receptacle. We purchased this heavy duty hitch (2 x 2” shank with 2” ball) which is rated to tow 7,500lbs gross trailer weight and 750lbs tongue weight! So, this hitch can easily accommodate a 13’ Scamp weighing 1,500lbs with a 100lb tongue weight! It has a 2” drop, but can also be flipped to give a ¾” rise (note: it’s best to go to an automotive shop that uses pneumatic tools to properly torque the nut if it’s flipped). We started with the 2” drop, but found that the Scamp 13’ was not level with our tow vehicle (slight drop in center, see images) which resulted in the tongue jack plate sometimes scraping driveways and noisy towing (hitch ball rattling). Once we flipped the hitch, the trailer became level with our tow vehicle resulting in no more scraping and a smoother quieter towing experience!

Having both a capable tow vehicle and hitch set up will mean that you are much less likely to encounter towing problems on the road. Of course, it’s always important to plug in your trailer to the tow vehicle so your trailer’s lights and emergency brakes are communicating with the tow vehicle (and check the trailer lights before leaving). In addition, it’s imperative that safety chains be used whenever towing (see images). Getting the ball on your tow vehicle properly aligned with your trailer coupler takes some practice, but gets easier with experience. I taped a ribbon on the tow coupler so it hangs straight down – this lets me see the ball hit the ribbon, which indicates just an inch or so more and the tow coupler is right over the ball. The step of locking the coupler onto the ball is critical. After locking, I recommend pulling up on the travel trailer coupler a couple times to watch the tow vehicle rear end go up and down to make sure the ball is really securely locked into place in the coupler (none or barely any of the bottom of the ball should be visible if looking at it from the side). In addition, I recommend using a coupler lock, not only as a theft security device, but also to help prevent the coupler latch from popping open while driving. I also like to use a hitch lock to securely hold the hitch in place and prevent someone from walking off with it.

The hardest thing about towing a small travel trailer isn’t the towing. I’ve found the biggest challenge is backing up the small travel trailer so that it goes where you want it to. In this regard, it’s always good to have a helper if available so they can stand outside the vehicle and direct you (either with walkie talkies, cell phones, or shouting). Our Scamp 13’ is very responsive when backing up and it takes practice getting comfortable to what type of wheel movements are required to control the trailer. One trick that really helps when backing up is to hold the steering wheel at the bottom and then turn it in the direction you want the trailer to travel. Don’t let the trailer go anywhere close to a 90 degree position with the tow vehicle when backing up as this can cause damage. It’s always better to take your time and straighten out as many times as you need to get your approach angle right. After a few trips, you will find backing up to be pretty easy. Note: I no longer use our trailer dolly in our garage because I’m used to backing our Scamp into the exact position I want in tight spaces (and you will be too after some experience).

In summary, I’m really glad we decided to purchase the Scamp 13’ even though we lacked towing experience and had concerns about the possible challenges of towing. Ultimately, towing a small travel trailer turns out not to be such a big deal. Towing your small travel trailer should be easy as long as you are prepared and get the proper tow vehicle and equipment (and follow checklists when leaving). If you do this, towing your small travel trailer will not be that much more difficult than driving your car. Initially, it may be stressful, but after towing for a trip or two you will be glad you made the purchase and likely will enjoy your trailer and all the experiences it will offer for many years to come.