Forum Discussion

pdrvnet's avatar
pdrvnet
Explorer
Mar 28, 2020

Traveling for Winter Sports

hi all.

I would love to pursue the idea of traveling with my travel trailer for winter sports. I get the impression that I am not alone in this. But the bit that puzzles me is where do you guys park your rigs during the day?

State lands and private camps are closed in winter. The few that are open (primitive camps sites or private) are hours away from the mountain, obviously not a very practical solution. Places like Walmart or Home Depot allow parking on their premises through the night. This is a good start, but where do you leave the trailer for the day when you are out enjoying winter sports? Below are my ideas that come to mind. I would appreciate it if you guys could help out with your tips, perhaps someone who has done it.

1. Call ahead the principle of a school in a nearby town and ask permission to park the trailer Fri night into Sun night on school parking lots. I figure this is a public place virtually deserted during weekends, so why not try there.

2. Interstate truck rest stops - would they allow to leave my trailer unattended?

3. Tow the trailer to the mountain in the morning, then return to some Walmart parking lot for the night. Repeat for the remaining number of skiing days.

I am interested in Vermont or upstate NY in the US.

Cheers!

Peter.
  • teejaywhy's avatar
    teejaywhy
    Explorer
    Mar 31, 2020
    Interested in the topic. A bit of googling reveals there are some ski areas that allow overnight parking, some free, some with hook-ups for a fee. I wasn't looking at eastern areas but I found a few out west:

    Taos NM
    Wolf Creek CO
    Powderhorn Mtn CO
    Mt. Baker WA
    Grand Targhee WY

    As for leaving the trailer for the day and traveling to the ski area, I wouldn't leave it at a parking lot like WalMart or truck stop. I would look for a nearby open campground.
  • deltabravo's avatar
    deltabravo
    Nomad
    Mar 30, 2020
    SteveAE wrote:
    Why couldn't you just leave the trailer connected to your tow vehicle and park where you plan to recreate?


    That's what I'd do.

    I would never consider leaving my TT in some parking lot somewhere, and drive off with the tow rig to go play in the snow, unless I was at a campground / RV park. That's the only acceptable place to unhook.
  • SteveAE's avatar
    SteveAE
    Explorer
    Mar 29, 2020
    Why couldn't you just leave the trailer connected to your tow vehicle and park where you plan to recreate? This would give you a nice place to come back to for lunch (or dinner if you like moonlight snowshoeing).

    Overnight parking might be more of a challenge if you plan to recreate where overnight parking is prohibited.
    In those cases, perhaps look through these resources: Allstays, Ultimate Campgrounds, Hipcamp, Boondockers Welcome.

    Have fun.
  • profdant139's avatar
    profdant139
    Explorer II
    Mar 28, 2020
    Peter, I re-read your post -- my guess is that there is no boondocking in Vermont and New York, so my suggestion might not work. Maybe a nearby farmer would let you park in the barn??
  • profdant139's avatar
    profdant139
    Explorer II
    Mar 28, 2020
    You know, we had often wondered the same thing. A few ski resorts offer limited hookups in the parking lot, but that seemed to us like camping in, well, a parking lot.

    Here is an alternative -- it depends on some special conditions. Find a boondocking site not too far from the mountain. Wait till the snow level is just above the altitude of the campsite but not so late that the snow melts in the mountains. When all of those variables align, head on out!

    That is what we did during the first week of March -- after a few days of skiing and snow-shoeing and snow-hiking, we got back home just before the Big Quarantine hit California. In this shot, I'm on the far left, and that is Parker Peak dominating the skyline. This site is north of June Mountain Ski Area:


    Click For Full-Size Image.

    And here is the blog post, with more photos. (I was going to say "feel free to check it out if you have a few minutes," but most of us have lots of time on our hands these days.)

    Skiing While Boondocking
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Mar 28, 2020
    Weather and temperatures are a concern but the OP is asking about where , not how.
    Schools, no
    Rest areas? No
    At the ski hill. Yes if they allow it.
    Drive back down from the hill and Wally dock. Yes

    Bigger question is how are you with towing a trailer in the snow?
  • jfkmk's avatar
    jfkmk
    Explorer
    Mar 28, 2020
    Peter,
    I think this would be a bad idea on multiple fronts.

    Leave the trailer unattended at a rest stop? Not unless you’re trying to get rid of it!

    I’m not sure how many schools would allow you to camp there over a weekend. People in the town might not appreciate it.

    I also wouldn’t want to tow a trailer to VT in the snow. It could be tricky enough with just a car or truck. I’ve been in VT when they’ve closed the road due to bad conditions.

    Also, it can be COLD! I’ve been in VT many times when it is below 0F. No way I’d camp in that.

    Seriously, a lot of places offer ski and stay packages for almost the same price as a lift ticket.
  • Thermoguy's avatar
    Thermoguy
    Explorer II
    Mar 28, 2020
    I'm out west, not where you are, but we have Ski areas that have RV parking. A few with power and a few without. Have you checked your local ski areas?
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Mar 28, 2020
    Check the local Walmart’s policy closely. Many are “no overnights.” Home Depot too.

    School lots are public property, yes, but out of your district they are not your public property. Who wants transients on school property when kids resume Saturday sports? Who will clean up the mess some campers leave?

    Not what truck stops want...dropped travel trailers. Heck, some don’t want us at all.

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