Zion National Park – Scampgrounds

Alabama Hills Extreme Adventure

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 April 21, 2022 April 18, 2022

By: gavin

April 21, 2022

Alabama Hills Extreme Adventure
April 3^rd – 9^th, 2022 (6 nights)

We expected this trip to be an adventure since it is the first trip we’ve been on where all our planned California campsites would be first come, first serve (no reservations). When all the campsites on a trip are non-reserved, it is normal to feel a bit uneasy after driving hours and pulling into each camp area! Questions run through one’s mind, such as: Will there be a decent place to park and spend the night?, What if the campground is full?, and Where will we go if the campground is sold out? Definitely, having a potential backup plan is always a good idea just in case no spaces are available upon arriving. And, planning on arriving early and during the week likely improves one’s odds of getting a spot (or at least gives time to drive to another campground if necessary and arrive there when it’s still light). We also researched each campground in depth before our trip and arrived at each with a list of the best potential campsite numbers (or general locations) to make finding a spot easier. As it turned out, we never had a problem getting a first come, first serve campsite on this trip. Surprisingly, the biggest adventures (and misadventures) were related to the extreme nature of simply accessing some of these more remote camping locations.

The drive to Alabama Hills (near Lone Pine, CA) in the Eastern Sierra is over five hours from our home in San Diego. So, in order to break up the trip, we chose to stop for overnight stays at a couple of interesting places along the way. The first stop on our trip is a fantastic location in its own right, Red Rock Canyon State Park.

Red Rock Canyon State Park
Located about 25 miles northeast of Mojave on California Route 14, Red Rock Canyon State Park might remind one of Zion National Park with its tall colorful pink-striped mountain walls. The spectacular desert cliffs, buttes, and rock formations have striking colors of white clay and red sandstone, pink volcanic rocks, and brown lava formations. The geography is so striking that it inspired many filmmakers to make movies and television shows here. Battlestar Galactica, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Buck Rogers, Capricorn One, The Mummy, Zoro Rides Again, Jurassic Park, Westworld, Lost in Space, The Andromeda Strain, and the Twilight Zone are among the many Hollywood productions made at Red Rock Canyon State Park. For a more comprehensive list, click here.

We pulled into Red Rock Canyon State Park on Sunday around lunch time with our site list in hand, eager to find a great empty spot up against one of the colorful rock formations. We found the campground to be relatively empty and we secured site #16 (one of our top site picks). The campsites are dirt and uneven and, in turn, we needed to use our Andersen Leveler to get our Scamp 13’ level along with wheel chocks to secure our Scamp 13’. The weather was ideal during our April visit – mid 80’s during the day and 60’s at night. For a fly over of the park, click here.

Once we set up our Scamp 13’, we drove over to the Visitor Center and reserved our site #16 for the night and paid the campsite fee ($25/night). There is a central dump ($20 as of this writing) and fill station at the Visitor Center. We also did a little shopping and purchased some park t-shirts and a California State Parks cap in the small gift store. There are also free water spigots throughout the campground. After a great lunch of gnocchi and Bolognese sauce, we hiked the Desert Trail to the top rim above the campground at sunset. The trails at the top of the cliffs provide magnificent views of the desert landscape below. The colors and depth of the scenery around sunrise and sunset is especially enchanting. Wildlife one might see hiking in the park include desert tortoises, snakes, foxes, eagles, hawks, White-throated Swifts, bobcats, and small animals like lizards, mice, and squirrels. The canyon walls turn red at sunrise and sunset, so it’s a good idea when visiting to try to get outside your trailer during these hours. Right before dark, we switched on our Scamp underlighting set to green — under trailer rv lighting apparently can help keep rodents away and the color green has been shown to make mice sleepy! After watching a good movie in the evening, we went to bed, but were woken in the middle of the night by an extremely loud howling wind storm. Even after trying ear plugs and a white noise app on our cell phone, it was still possible to hear the wind. Luckily, since there are no hookups at this campground, we were fully ballasted with water (approximately 150 lbs. of water) which helped at least a bit in keeping our travel trailer from shaking too much.

There is only very spotty internet throughout the campground, but the Visitor Center provides free WiFi which worked pretty well. Additionally, we were successful at getting a good cell signal and mobile data on the top rim above the campground. There is a nice bench at the top which looks out over a valley and we sat on several occasions enjoying the view with good internet, and making phone calls. The next morning we did another short hike before refilling our Scamp 13’ with fresh water (along with our three 6 gallon water jugs) and driving on to our next planned location, the Trona Pinnacles. Note: make sure to use a good dolly when moving water as it can be very heavy.

The Trona Pinnacles
The Trona Pinnacles, about 10 miles south of Trona, California, are strange rock formations that rise high (some over 100 feet high) above a dry lake basin (Searles Lake). The tufa spires are composed of calcium carbonate, formed by water deposits. The tufas sit isolated on miles of a flat dried mud basin and have an eerie presence. Over a dozen hit movies have been filmed here along with many car commercials and television shows (including Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Lost in Space, and Planet of the Apes). For a comprehensive list click here.

The drive from Red Rock Canyon State Park to the Trona Pinnacles is supposed to be about an hour and a half. The area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is accessed via a long (5 mile) dirt road off State Highway 178. Despite researching how to access the Pinnacles and instructions on this dirt road, we still managed to have a major misadventure! After a series of unfortunate events (lack of signs, wrong turns, continually narrowing roads), we found ourselves on a grueling ATV trail with no easy and safe way to turn around. We continued on over an hour (10 miles) of slow off-road driving south of Trona Pinnacles in 100 degree heat in April — the road sometimes taking steep dips with large rock center mounds! The trick to preventing the Scamp from bottoming out whenever high rocks appeared on the center mound was to keep one side of the car as high as possible by driving on the center mound. Avoiding plants and rocks on the sides as well as limiting the vehicle lean angle to prevent tipping was also important. There were times when all tires on our AWD tow vehicle slipped on soft sand during steep climbs and lost traction, so we had to ease back a little and try the hill again. Here’s a short video from our off road drive!

When we finally arrived at the Pinnacles from the south, we noticed our shower water pump (which hangs down really low below the Scamp) was damaged. Because of the heat and our broken pump situation, we decided to head directly to the closest town (Ridgecrest) for repairs. Fortunately, a local RV repair shop took us right in and replaced the water pump. While we waited for the repair, we decided we had enough of the Trona Pinnacles and didn’t want to venture back. So, instead, we decided to go to another location we had heard good things about called Fossil Falls (which is on the way to Alabama Hills).

Fossil Falls
Just one hour north of Ridgecrest on Highway 395 (about halfway to Lone Pine / Alabama Hills), Fossil Falls is a BLM campground that’s relatively easy to reach (short dirt access road not far from the highway). The Fossil Falls Campground (elevation 3,307 feet) has only 11 developed campsites (first come, first serve) with picnic tables and grills, but only 4 are recommended for trailers and RVs (4,5,6, & 8). The other campsites are generally smaller, not as level, and harder to get into. Despite arriving late in the day, most of the trailer/RV sites were still empty when we pulled into the campground. We chose site #5, parked our Scamp 13’ at this pull through and level spot, and then walked down to the Iron Ranger box to submit our payment ($6/night at the time of this writing). We knew in advance that these boxes only accept cash or check, so we brought plenty of $5’s and $1’s. To see a fly over of Campsite #5 and the Fossil Falls Campground, click here.

There are no hookups at this campground; however, there is a water pump. Expecting water spigots, we were a little surprised when we found the water pump. It’s actually a real manually operated pump and wrestling the pump to get the water out of the ground takes some effort! We didn’t even try to fill our Scamp 13’ fresh tank here since we planned to dump our Black and Grey tanks and refill our Fresh water tank the next day at a private RV park along the way to the Alabama Hills. It seems it would take a lot of work and time to get a measurable amount of water out of the pump! To see a video of me trying out the manual water pump, click here.

Fossil Falls Campground is a very unique campground in that is at the base of a cinder cone volcano (Red Hill) and the area is strewn with lava rocks, giving the area an otherworldly feel. Camping close to the base of the volcano amid fields of volcanic rock is an unusual experience! Close to the campground (a trail leads to the trailhead from Campsite #1), is a short trail to the “falls”. Between 10,000 and 400,000 years ago, lava flowed in the area. Glaciers formed in the last ice age melted and the water flows ran through the lava rocks at Fossil Falls to create smooth and unusually shaped volcanic rocks. Once at the volcanic rock “falls”, don’t get too close as there is a big drop to the bottom of the gorge.

The next morning we noticed a few more campers set up at adjacent campsites. We were glad we left our green under lighting on throughout the night since, not only may it help keep rodents away, the lights may also prevent someone from accidently driving into the trailer when arriving at the campground in the dark of night. After a nice breakfast and hike to Fossil Falls, we packed up and headed to our next destination, a place to dump and fill fresh water (Boulder Creek RV Resort).

After a lot of research and phone calls, we discovered that RV dumping facilities in this area are scarce! There is a dump station and water at Tuttle Creek Campground in Lone Pine – but, it is only seasonally operated and was not running during our trip. Someone mentioned that the RV park in the town of Olancha (the town south of Lone Pine) has an RV dump, but we were told there is no dump available when we called. We contacted the Boulder Creek RV Resort in Lone Pine a couple of times and were given conflicting information regarding if dumping facilities were available. We decided to risk it, because our trip would quickly be over if we couldn’t dump (our Black tank was already at 50% after a couple of days on the road). After about a 45 minute drive, we pulled up to the Boulder Creek RV Resort in Lone Pine. The first thing I noticed before opening the glass door to the office at Boulder Creek RV Resort is the big lettering on the glass which says “No Public Dump”. I was told at the front desk that they get very busy and usually don’t have time to deal with campers who aren’t staying overnight at their campground (we were quoted $65/night for a full hookup site). After repeatedly explaining that we couldn’t find a place to dump in the area, we were allowed to use one of the small campsites (#27) for $25 to dump and fill fresh water. We were prepared to rent a campsite at Boulder Creek RV Resort for the night at $65 in case they didn’t allow us to dump so we would be able to spend 4 nights in the Alabama Hills. Fortunately, this wasn’t necessary!

Make sure to stop at the Lone Pine Visitor Center on the way to the Alabama Hills! It’s a very large center with lots of information on the Alabama Hills and the area. Plus, there’s plenty of great merchandise like t-shirts and hats!

Alabama Hills
Alabama Hills is an awe inspiring location just outside the small town of Lone Pine in the Eastern Sierra (about a five hour drive north east of San Diego). The area sits at the base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley and features a dramatic mountain range, hills, and incredible large round boulder rock formations. Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet, along with other high snowcapped mountains, forms a panoramic backdrop to enjoy while camping and exploring in the Alabama Hills. Countless movies, television shows, and commercials have been filmed here. The first movies to be filmed in the hills were Water, Water Everywhere and Cupid, the Cow Puncher, both released in 1920 (now considered lost films). The oldest surviving film shot in the hills is “The Roundup” (released 1920) starring Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, which includes a cameo from his friend Buster Keaton. Most major Western actors of the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s were filmed riding their horses amid the rocks of the Alabama Hills which include John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, Tom Mix, Randolph Scott, Robert Mitchum, William Boyd, and Roy Rogers. Other famous movies and television shows filmed here include Gunga Din, Tremors, Iron Man, Bad Day at Black Rock, How the West Was Won, Django Unchained, Gladiator, Man of Steel, Star Trek Generations, Around the World in 80 Days, Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier, and Firefly. For an extensive list click here.

There are several campgrounds in the Lone Pine area (Tuttle Creek Campground, Lone Pine Campground, Portuguese Joe Campground, and Diaz Lake Campground). The only one which we identified as having a dump station is Tuttle Creek Campground; it has water spigots and a central dump station when in season (however, these were still off for winter during our early April visit). After researching all the campgrounds, our plan was to stay within the Alabama Hills (BLM dispersed camping area / no fee) because of the most dramatic views and movie making history. The unsettling thing about camping in the Alabama Hills is that there are no reservations and the campsites, although somewhat defined, are scattered throughout the landscape and have to be searched out (most of which are off the main road on dirt roads – some of which are a bit harsh for towing campers). We read before going that the best sites for trailers are ones very close to the main road. To give us the best possible chance of finding a decent spot, we arrived early in the day and during the week (Tuesday morning). Our backup plan in case we couldn’t find a campsite in the Alabama Hills was to stay at Tuttle Creek Campground because it has nice mountain views as well (just not as dramatic a setting as the Alabama Hills, a campground feel, and ten to fifteen minutes farther from town).

Getting to the Alabama Hills is really easy; it’s just a five minute drive up Whitney Portal Road from downtown Lone Pine and a right turn onto Movie Flat Road. Movie Flat Road is paved for a little while and then turns to dirt. Our goal was to try to find a campsite as early as possible before going too far back so we would have a quick drive to town and, perhaps, a chance of an internet connection (but, as it turned out, we experienced only a fading one bar of Verizon service with occasional text coming though). On our first pass, we didn’t see any campsites that stood out and we quickly found ourselves at the end of the paved road and onto the dirt road. And, having experienced our misadventure at the Trona Pinnacles earlier in the trip, we weren’t in any mood to do extreme off-road adventuring. We turned around and this time slowly made our way back down the paved Movie Flat Road toward Whitney Portal Road. This time we took it slowly and decided to drive down one of the main dirt roads. And, we discovered, there are numerous places to set up a campsite and we found one high up on the hill directly below a tall wall of interesting rock formations. We were told by a ranger at the Lone Pine Visitor Center that the only camping allowed was on the right side while driving up Movie Flat Road (and there are BLM marker signs as well). The BLM is currently in the process of implementing a permit system and plans to better define camping areas to mitigate over use of the area; we were told that this will be happening very soon. As it turns out, our experience off-roading at the Trona Pinnacles gave us plenty of confidence here in the Alabama Hills. In fact, we found ourselves judging the dirt roads with ease and picking out safe routes to locate a campsite. After a short bit of driving, we found an excellent campsite high up on the hill with a panoramic view of the Eastern Sierra (including unobstructed views of Mt. Whitney)!!! To see a video of us driving through the Alabama Hills and our campsite, click here.

The key to finding a good campsite within the Alabama Hills is to take one’s time and go slowly. Stay on the better dirt roads and avoid any that have steep dips. If unsure, stop and walk or bike the dirt road to where you think might be a good campsite. We found that there are many good dirt roads at the start of the Alabama Hills (just a few minutes up Movie Flat Road). Also, only set up camp at a relatively flat site and make sure to bring heavy duty wheel chocks to secure your trailer on the dirt. The site we found was flat but was high up on a hill, so, for peace of mind, we parked our tow vehicle in front of our trailer in the unlikely event it rolled forward.

When planning a trip to the Alabama Hills, it’s helpful to understand how you use your trailer’s resources because there are no dump stations, fresh water spigots, electrical hookups, or propane refilling stations in the Alabama Hills (completely dry camping). First, and perhaps most important, is how long your Black and Grey tanks take to fill and how quickly your Fresh tank is depleted. The Grey and Fresh tank concerns can be addressed to extend your stay. Grey water can be dumped into jugs (see Holy Grail Portable Grey Water Tank Solution). Our Grey tank usually fills in about two to three days. And fresh water can be filled into fresh water jugs and transported with your tow vehicle to resupply your trailer’s Fresh tank. We can go about one and a half days before our 12 gallon fresh water tank is empty (using about 8 gallons of fresh water per day for nightly showers, sink washing, and toilet flushes). We made friends with a local teenager working at a car wash in town and he let us fill our three 6 gallon fresh water jugs (we used our own hose with a water filter for better purity). We also found, while visiting new camper friends we made on this trip, water spigots at Diaz Lake Campground (just 5 minutes down the road from Lone Pine) – although, these are probably only meant for people staying at this public campground. The Black tank usually turns out to be the Achilles’ heel for long stays, as the only way to drain it is by going to a Dump station (unless you want to deal with portable Black tanks, generally not recommended). So, when the Black tank is full, the only choice is to either pack up, dump, and return or to end your stay in the area. We planned to stay four nights in the Alabama Hills and this worked out to be the amount of time it took to fill our Black tank. Lastly, although we did see a propane dealer in Lone Pine, it’s best to arrive with full tanks (we recommend two full 20lb tanks) so there are no worries about keeping the propane refrigerator, hot water heater, and gas stove operational. We found we had more than enough propane for the week from just a single tank running our refrigerator 24/7, our hot water heater for evening showers, and our gas stove for daily meals. But, if it had happened to be really cold at night, a second propane tank would have provided ample resources for running the furnace.

Another consideration when dry camping for a number of days in the Alabama Hills is power. We brought our solar panel briefcase along and it provided ample power for the duration of the trip. Right before the trip, we also purchased a 50’ extension cable for our solar briefcase so that, if necessary, the solar panels could be located a distance away from the trailer to better capture the sun. Because the area can get very windy, we opted to place the backs of our solar panels flat down directly against the ground instead of propping them up with their stands, and this turned out to be an excellent strategy! There was a violent wind storm our first night and the solar panels didn’t even move! In fact, we left them in their position the entire five days of our stay and they performed really well, providing plenty of power. Having the Jackery 500 lithium power station also allowed us to charge all our accessories (cell phones, electric toothbrush, drone batteries, camera) and run our 12V television for movie nights without concern about depleting our Scamp’s battery. When we weren’t watching movies at night or star gazing (more on that coming up), we enjoyed playing one of our favorite games (Sequence or Backgammon).

We learned on our past trip to Valley of Fire State Park (NV) that it’s good to have plenty of cash while travelling (especially in small bills, $5’s and $1’s). On the Nevada trip, we were confronted with an Iron Ranger (steel pay box in place of a live Ranger) which only accepted checks and cash. That time, we barely had enough cash to cover our two night stay. We don’t use checks because there is risk the bank account might be compromised due to the check having both the owner’s account and routing numbers listed on it. On this trip, having cash was especially helpful. Not only did we stay at a BLM campground (Fossil Falls) which has an Iron Ranger, but we also needed cash to pay for our horseback rides and lavender product souvenirs. We now hide an envelope of two to three hundred dollars cash in small bills in our Scamp 13’ so that it is there if needed.

Once you’ve arrived with enough food and drinking water for your stay, a completely full Fresh tank and empty Black and Grey tanks, full Propane tanks, cash, have found your perfect spot in the Alabama Hills and set up your solar panels, it’s time to relax, enjoy the landscape, and have fun! Looking out at the panoramic views of the Easter Sierra and snowcapped peaks, we felt like we were in Switzerland. The sights are so amazing here that they are worth the trip even if you do nothing else but sit back in a relaxing chair and take in the scenery. But, there are so many fun and interesting things to see and do, you probably don’t want to just sit around. Make sure to have breakfast (cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos, and pancakes) and lunch (burgers, tuna melts, ….) at the Alabama Hills Café, a local favorite diner in downtown Lone Pine. Also, be sure to visit the Museum of Western Film History ($5 per person). The museum has galleries full of pictures and memorabilia from movies filmed in the area. In the museum’s screening room, watch their educational film for a great background on the movie industry in Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills. To see an old Western film made in the Alabama Hills, click here.

Hiking some of the trails within the Alabama Hills is a definite highlight. Walking amongst the large round boulders with the snowcapped mountains in the background is breathtaking. However, if you only walk one trail, park at the Mobius Arch Loop Trailhead and walk the short loop (less than 30 minutes) to see the famous Mobius Arch (a very unusual rock formation which has a dramatic arch and large hole in the middle). The Heart Arch can also be seen on this short easy hike. In fact, there are a myriad of different arches formed by unusual rock formations found throughout the Alabama Hills and some like to try to find as many as possible! Another great thing to do in the Alabama Hills is star gaze (as well as astrophotography)! The night sky is very bright and filled with stars, so sit back, relax, and look up. You may be amazed at what you see! We saw a strange light race across the sky, come to a complete stop in midair, change color from white to orange above our heads, and completely reverse its direction! More amazingly, we captured it on our camera by chance by taking a 15 second exposure of what we thought was an interesting jet flying over! Of course, Alabama Hills is close to the mysterious and top secret Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake, so perhaps it was a top secret military aircraft. For now, we’ll label it as unidentified (UFO).

The following day was spent on more serious thoughts during a visit to Manzanar National Historic Site (National Park Service), about a twenty minute drive north of Lone Pine on Highway 395. During WWII (1942), the U.S. Government rounded up Japanese immigrants and Japanese American citizens and imprisoned them in military style “internment” camps. More than 110,000 men, women, and children were ordered to leave their homes and be detained in one of ten camps. Manzanar, located at the base of the Eastern Sierra, was one of these camps. Over 11,000 people were detained here and the last few hundred internees left in November 1945, a few months after the war ended. Many had spent over three years at Manzanar. We chose to quietly walk the entire camp for a more personal encounter than experienced from an auto tour. Walking through the mess halls, listening to the stories told by real internees (via audio exhibits/viewing photographs), exploring the gardens, hospital grounds, and cemetery made us think deeply about what happened here and this dark period of American history. It was difficult to reconcile the contrast between the beauty of the snowcapped Sierras on a wonderful sunny spring morning under sparkling dark blue skies and the stark and severe story of this place while walking the grounds. Entrance to Manzanar is free and a visit might leave a lasting impression as it did with us.

On our last day, we enjoyed a fun horseback ride above the Alabama Hills (about a 15 minute drive from our campsite). We called two days in advance to reserve the ride. Julie, from De La Cour Ranch, has friendly horses and provides a wonderful 1 ½ hour ride ($50 per person at the time of our ride) above the hills overlooking the mostly dry Owens Lake (salt bed) as well as the Eastern Sierra. We found the ride relaxing and some of us got a chance to trot a bit. One member of our group (rides usually limited to about four riders) is a beginner and her horse was tethered to Julie’s lead mule for added safety. Julie’s two dogs also joined the ride and ran along the entire way! To see a video of our ride, click here. Julie also rents cabins on her ranch (for all of your non-camping friends who want to join you on your adventures) and she makes natural lavender products from her lavender fields and distillery, which she shares with all her ranch guests. After our ride, we enjoyed a nice lunch with our new camping friends at the Alabama Hills Café. We left Alabama Hills behind us the next morning, but we were already looking forward to a future visit.

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

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.