Cold weather destinations

[hedgehopper]

DW and I just exited the Forest Service Campgrounds as they shut down with the onset of colder weather. Having the camper sit idle until spring is not appealing. So where do you go between now and spring? We like to hike but are not into snow sports, except perhaps snow shoeing. (We live in Denver.)

[Roy_Lynne]

Chatfield State Park???

[spoon059]

I am fortunate to have several MD and PA state parks around my area that are open year round. We have gone (and hopefully will go again this year) to NYC after Thanksgiving for the Christmas decorations.

Before kids we would often camp into December before it got too cold to enjoy. 12 volt space heater and a heated mattress pad would help take the chill off. Now with a 4 and almost 2 year old, thats gonna be too cold to enjoy for several more years.

[All_I_could_aff]

Try Swartswood state park in north jersey (Newton).
Open year round. Clean, warm bathrooms and showers year round. Great hiking and mountain biking. $20 per nite

[Redterpos3]

I love the idea of winter camping but can't find much in my area. The year-round campground is hard to find. Any other Easterners who winter camp who might have some ideas?

[hedgehopper]

d3500ram wrote:
Hey Hedge- do you need hook-ups or are you self contained for a few days of winter camping? Is your Dodge a 2WD model... it looks like it from the photo.

There are some places to boondock in the SummCo area and plenty of snowshoe trails- I guide tours through some of the historical mining areas up here. Even though traction with a TC and 2WD is pretty good, 4WD is almost a requirement up here. If you are comfortable driving to the High Country, it is only a couple of hours from you.

Though we prefer electrical, we go without sometimes. You are correct: our Dodge is 2wd.

[d3500ram]

Hey Hedge- do you need hook-ups or are you self contained for a few days of winter camping? Is your Dodge a 2WD model... it looks like it from the photo.

There are some places to boondock in the SummCo area and plenty of snowshoe trails- I guide tours through some of the historical mining areas up here. Even though traction with a TC and 2WD is pretty good, 4WD is almost a requirement up here. If you are comfortable driving to the High Country, it is only a couple of hours from you.

[2gypsies1]

I believe there are a few RV parks open in winter around the ski areas. Granted, not as nice as forest service campgrounds, our favorites. 🙂

[DutchmenSport]

We use Indiana State Parks, which are actually open all year, but they do turn the water off from November through March. So bring your own water and dry camp. They do keep electricity on. Use a port-a-potty and dump in the pit toilets or just use the pit toilets. You can camp all winter long if you want to. You just need a source for fresh water. You can still dump at dump stations, just no water to flush anything.

Week-end jaunts are great!

[GordonThree]

Many of the forest service CG stay open here in Michigan, mainly to cater to hunters... don't expect plowed roads or sites, but if you can get in, and get out, you can camp there, for free usually.

The 4th season is 6-7 months in my area, excluding it from camping wastes a lot of calendar.

I load up extra propane, extra generator fuel and head out and enjoy. When the snow gets too deep for rustic camping, several State parks plow their roads and open a handful of electric campsites...

Nothing beats the silence found in winter camping.

[MNGeeks61]

We just go up to the seasonal campground - no water, but I have a 120 gallon propane tank, plenty of electric heaters, and an ATV to run around on the trails with. Others do it with snowmobiles, still others ice fish.

In a pinch, the best winter sport is running around a blazing campfire, with root beer schnapps.

[Desert_Captain]

We are fortunate enough to liven southern Arizona which enables us camp year round. It is simply a matter of matching elevation to the current weather. The heat of summer sends us up to the nearby mountains, yes Arizona is very mountainous with an average elevation of over 4,000'. As winter approaches we start visiting the lower elevation CG's and there are almost unlimited choices.

We are currently enjoying a week in Angel Fire New Mexico. My friends house sits at 8,875' which explains why the thermometer read 23 degrees this morning. The days are in the low 50's and drop dead gorgeous does not begin to describe the beauty that surrounds us.

The local RV parks are nearly, but not quite, empty and my buddy was thoughtful enough to put a nice RV pad, complete with 30 amps and water on his property. We left the Class C at home for this trip but could be enjoying it {came with a 35,000 BTU furnace}. Last year we drove the C and then pushed on to Colorado for a couple more weeks of fun.

Here is a shot I took last year and yes we have elk wandering his property every day:



When we return home we will be going to Lost Dutchman SP outside of Apache junction, Patagonia and Roper Lake SP's, Quartzite {of course}, for the January RV craziness, and the Colorado River offers lots of good winter destinations as well {stopped at Buckskin Mountain SP last week on our return from 3 weeks in northern California}.

The point being for us anyway is put that RV in gear and go where the weather makes it fun. Sometimes you don't even have to drive that far but for much of the country that isn't an option. The flood of snowbirds will be with us soon as Arizona remains to be one of their favorite destinations.

:C