Boondocking Suggestions For Skyline Dr. Utah

[mackyb]

Does anyone have a good suggestion for boondocking in the Skyline Drive area of Utah? I am trying to find a good place take my 36' Spartan TH to camp and ride the trails in the area.

[garyhaupt]

pnichols wrote:
What b says above about scouting out camping spots ahead of time is very wise advice for offroad boondocking.

However when out and about RV'ing, if you don't tow or otherwise carry along additional transportation (like us) - then your Scout vehicle becomes your walking shoes! This method for scouting keeps us very healthly, but sometimes with sore feet at the end of the day. We've had to use it in Utah's High Uintas in years past.

A drone, Phil...get a drone..or two!

https://youtu.be/Y1j2U3Vjuow



Gary Haupt

[pnichols]

What b says above about scouting out camping spots ahead of time is very wise advice for offroad boondocking.

However when out and about RV'ing, if you don't tow or otherwise carry along additional transportation (like us) - then your Scout vehicle becomes your walking shoes! This method for scouting keeps us very healthly, but sometimes with sore feet at the end of the day. We've had to use it in Utah's High Uintas in years past.

[bka0721]

4runnerguy wrote:
What I can't believe is that there is no one over on the truck camping forum that has posted a trip report to Skyline Drive. Seems like the kind of place they'd head to in the summer.

Often times, TCrs are more like "Fight Club" in that we don't talk about certain places and locations. As well as hope others don't, either.

You know better than anybody your abilities to get your rig in areas. Use your Scout vehicles (motorcycles) and search out locations that work. Move there. Look for the next one when out on the Scout Vehicles. Then keep doing that and next thing you know, you have basecamped for 8 weeks!

It is a beautiful area and should not be missed.

b

[jefe_4x4]

Reaching way back to 1971, our young family traveled the skyline Drive, using our Auto Club of So. Cal. Indian Country map in a ragtop 1966 Toyota FJ40 pulling a jeep trailer. Then it was just a forest road that had not yet been graded. We had one camp along the route in a tent, of course. Mosquitos were just coming out in their ravenous initial pursuit of blood. It was the first week of June on a heavy snow year and we did indeed need 4WD to traverse the mud bogs and occasional snow drifts. This was 30 years, a whole lifetime before we became one of those rabid XTC truck campers of which Dan speaks. Google earth gives a pretty good impression of what it's like now. The area does have it's charm. If you plan on going after the summer solstice, I would not hesitate pulling or carrying a smaller RV. BTW, the place was deserted in 1971. I"m sure it has been discovered by more than RV-er's by the looks of all those ATV-only trails.

[profdant139]

Don't put away your hammer just yet, Phil!

Birdseye Marble

[pnichols]

"No -- the truck camper folks would never go there, Ken. The roads are insufficiently challenging."

Hmmmm ... now that's encouraging! Maybe our little old 2WD Class C can get there after all ... when the roads are dry.

I doubt that there would be any interesting rocks for us to hound for, though, up that way. Maybe we'd have to fish instead.

[profdant139]

No -- the truck camper folks would never go there, Ken. The roads are insufficiently challenging. 😉

[4runnerguy]

What I can't believe is that there is no one over on the truck camping forum that has posted a trip report to Skyline Drive. Seems like the kind of place they'd head to in the summer.

[kohai]

No idea if this is near the trail you are going to:

Potter's Pond

I haven't been there, but it's on my list of places to check out.

[mackyb]

That would be pretty close to some areas I think. I will have to take a look at it on google earth. Thanks!

[profdant139]

Macky, since I had never heard of Skyline, I did a little Google Earthing (a new verb!), and it looks like there are a lot of boondocking sites just south of Tucker. Is that too far north of where you wanted to be??

By the way, thanks for the tip about this area -- it looks great!

[4runnerguy]

profdant139 wrote:
Macky, try going back in time. No, I am not crazy. There is a button on Google Earth that will let you look at photos from earlier years, perhaps with no snow. The photos after about 2000 are pretty good -- the stuff from the early 90s is often too blurry to be useful.

The button is in the lower left corner of the map and is labeled with a year like 1997.

[profdant139]

Macky, try going back in time. No, I am not crazy. There is a button on Google Earth that will let you look at photos from earlier years, perhaps with no snow. The photos after about 2000 are pretty good -- the stuff from the early 90s is often too blurry to be useful.

[pnichols]

That Skyline Drive in the Manti-LaSal NF looks spectacular. .... And to think I spent 4 years in Utah in the AF and never heard of it or visited it back then!

I guess I spent too much time in the desert and High Uintas parts of the state.

Now, our 24 foot Class C probably would not be work well on the Skyline Drive. 😞