30 day trip out West - Dare we without reservations?

[scottz]

I am in the early stages of planning a family trip West for June 2014. We will have 30 travels days. It will be my wife, two sons (7/11) and our dog.

It would be nice to camp as we travel so we can set our own schedule. Camp as we travel means not making prior reservations; dry camp, stealth camp, or find a campground is all in play. I would really appreciate everyones opinion if we could reasonably get away with camping as we travel to the below list of destinations without making reservations.

Please share any specific advise as it relates to camping in these areas:
Day1 - Leave home in Minnesota
- Denver, CO
- North Rim Grand Canyon
- Hoover Dam
- Las Vegas (Casino Campground?)
- Death Valley
- Sequoia National Forest
- Yosemite
- San Francisco
- Lake Tahoe
- Sparks, NV (stay with Family)
Day 30 - Return home, MN

[scottz]

realter wrote:
Your first day from MN to Denver is going to be a killer. You might consider stopping in Sidney at Cabella's. Free camping I understand. Everything else there is expensive ie gas, food , etc.

The first real destination to visit is the North Rim. Denver is simply a big city along the way so I figured we should take the opportunity to visit. The goal is in no way to get the Denver in 1 day.

[bmanning]

This thread highlights the best reason (IMO) to own a truck camper: versatility.

I couldn't even imagine someone asking "Hey, I'm going to tow my TT (or 5er) on a 30-day-trip across the country...do you think I'd be OK without campground reservations?"

Not saying that'd be impossible, but 1000x more feasible in a TC.

[pezvela]

Death Valley is doable in June, no sweat. Well, not actually NO sweat.........

Experiencing 110 degrees for a day or two is part of the whole Death Valley aura. You can do it for a day or two!!! The main issue with DV in June isnt the daytime highs, it's the hot overnight lows that make it uncomfortable, unless you love your TC air conditioner. Few of us do; it's a loud, necessary evil.

Many of the attractions of DV are attractions where you drive through interesting areas or drive to an area with a short walk. Hey, it's a gas to walk around at Badwater, The Racetrack or Devil's Golf Course for 15 minutes in that kind of heat. You'll get the pics you need; hopefully some with heat waves rising around you. You're air conditioned truck is just a short walk away. Dante's View, Artist's palette are easily done in the heat of June. And it's generally a DRY heat; nothing like the humid heat of Minnesota.

You could also do the dunes at Stovepipe Wells before dawn when the temps are great and the creatures are venturing out. Great time for photos, too.

There are high elevation campgrounds where the daytime highs will be below 90 like Mahogany Flat and Thorndike. Wildrose, while not a very good campground, is another but it will be above 90. Homestead Dry Camp could also be below 100 and it's near one of the premier attractions; The Racetrack.

The DV website does mention that Mahogany, Wildrose and Thorndike are closed right now, due to a road washout. So, check back in May if you are seriously considering camping at one of them.

Just avoid camping at Furnace Creek, Texas Spring and Sunset and Stovepipe Wells and you can do DV in June, especially early June.

Just be sure you're vehicle's cooling system is in top condition and carry plenty of water. That's easy for a TC!! But water is available in enough places that you dont have to use it that sparingly.

[realter]

Your first day from MN to Denver is going to be a killer. You might consider stopping in Sidney at Cabella's. Free camping I understand. Everything else there is expensive ie gas, food , etc.

[scottz]

Jeepers92 wrote:
One big reason for a truck camper.....don't need a reservation

Bingo! I agree.

However, while we were in Yellowstone a few years ago, I made a reservation at a different campground inside the park each night. Good thing I had reservations because all the campgrounds were booked up (July). Yellowstone is huge and since you can only camp in Campgrounds while in the park, having reservations was critical to ensure we didn't have to waste time backtracking outside the park.

[Jeepers92]

One big reason for a truck camper.....don't need a reservation

[skipbee]

We can choose to be negative or positive. Using a positive (Zen) approach we have camped everywhere without reservations including Yosemite in late June/July. At 7:00 AM at the Ranger Station in the Valley they assign the cancellations, we always got in for at least a few days. In San Francisco we spent a night on the parking lot of the USS San Francisco Memorial over looking the Pacfic, Seal Rocks and the SF Bay. All along Route 1 and Big Sur, we passed night after night in pulloffs overlooking the sea. We occasionally stayed in California State Parks. We never made a reservation, we were never bothered. Don't worry, relax, stop early. We did camp at a camp ground on the approach to Yosemite and then drove in early to get the site in the valley. Reservations are for sissys.

[Rettrooper]

Last year, we did a 10K mile trip from New England to Washington and back with a 4 day stint at Yellowstone's Fishing Bridge in June. We made reservation for Yellowstone and found out that we really didn't need to as there were numerous empty sites. Snow was still piled quit high between the sites.

Here is what I would suggest to you, which worked extremely well for us:

We would stay at Cracker Barrels over night and every two nights dump and take on water at Flying J's. Join (for free) their RV club, which gives you 1/2 off dumping fee = $5.00. On our return trip through Denver, did the same thing and never a problem. There are boon-docking opportunities all over this country.

Good luck and don't sweat it, you have a great trip!

[covered_wagon]

stickdog wrote:
My only suggestion is stop early, don't push that extra 75-100 miles. We stop early at near empty campgrounds then watch them fill up.

This is excellent advice.

The best places can get crowded. Once crowded they become not the best place(s).

I travel off the beaten path but still have paved roads. I can usually slow way down for miles and miles to enjoy the trip.

Don't try cramming everything in 30 days. Let yourself get rest all along the way.

Way things are getting...... I'd stay up in the mountains and away from big cities, even little cities

[scottz]

dadwolf2 wrote:

scottz wrote:


Death Valley. Worst case scenario, we simply drive through, best case we enjoy an entire day there. Do you see any problems with this plan?

My concern was a Minnesotan with 110 degree heat. At least in the Vegas valley it's a short walk to air conditioning!! Pahrump isn't far away and it sounds like you know what you're getting yourself into. Last time I was in DV it was April and 113.

LOL! I appreciate the special concern for the Minnesotan 😃

I am mostly concerned with the altitude changes on the trip, Minnesota is pretty flat. One trip (Glacier National, Yellowstone, Tetons) we were out for over two weeks, it was 90-100F all day and night, we didn't have AC, our oldest was 2. Altitude, sleep deprivation and inability to stay hydrated resulted in bad headaches/migraines for both my wife and I. I think we are older and wiser now, we also have air conditioning.

[dadwolf2]

scottz wrote:


Death Valley. Worst case scenario, we simply drive through, best case we enjoy an entire day there. Do you see any problems with this plan?

My concern was a Minnesotan with 110 degree heat. At least in the Vegas valley it's a short walk to air conditioning!! Pahrump isn't far away and it sounds like you know what you're getting yourself into. Last time I was in DV it was April and 113.

[wsdepa]

I have camped in 49 states and all of the Canadian provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador. We have traveled over 90,000 miles and have visited many national parks. We almost NEVER make reservations. We usually hit the road around 9am and look for a state or federal park to get to by 2 or 3 pm. As long as you arrive before 4 or 5 Sunday through Thursdays you will not need a reservation. If you must arrive on a Friday or Saturday, you'll need to call ahead at least two days for a reservation. This was the case in Yosemite, Yellowstone, Tetons and other popular destinations. The major exception to this is if you are traveling to Florida in the winter. Since public camping and parks are very limited, you'll need to make reservations in advance for each day.
I highly recommend the Good Sam RV Travel Guide. This NY telephone book size directory is essential for making reservations while on the road.

[joe_sbg]

this year my wife and I took 8 weeks out west from new york setting out in mid may. As far west as hoover dam, north as yellowstone. We visited most national parks along the way. we had no reservations and made out just fine. best advice I can give is to be flexible, get the app called 'allstays' for smart phone or ipad yes it's 9.99 but it was worth many times that, be comfortable to camp without hookups at times, bring plenty of 16g media cards and keep your finger on the button.

joe

[btggraphix]

rottidawg wrote:

Dennis M M wrote:

Best spot we have found close to Denver is Cherry Creek Note that you need a daily pass in addition to the camping fee.

Some other options in the southwest metro area:
http://www.lakewood.org/bclp/
http://www.parks.state.co.us/parks/chatfield/Pages/ChatfieldHome.aspx

To throw in a few others, Golden Gate Canyon State Park up in the foothills just a bit has camping and is pretty nice. There's a private campground on Golden Gate Canyon Road near the intersection with 119. There's also a couple of NFS campgrounds up there on highway 119. Pickle Gulch (which may be a group site only) and at least one other. There's a big campground above Central City also....and a hot spring in Idaho Springs (Indian Springs) that has a motel and campground associated with it. These are all a bit further from Denver proper though. If the focus is on visiting Denver, then you would probably be better served at Chatfield, Bear Creek or Cherry Creek SP's as noted above.

Like the others above, I'd only make reservations at "hard points' on your trip where you are sure you will be there on a certain date or, for the particular spot you know will be crowded for some reason. Otherwise, only call the day of when you know you'll be there. calling in the morning is often all you need to do and can make the difference between getting it or not getting it if you just pull in at 5 and hope. By far I prefer letting the choices come during the trip instead of planning it all out ahead of time.

Good luck, you'll have a great time I am sure. If you get in a bind in Denver, let me know. We are pretty close to Golden Gate Canyon State Park.

[rottidawg]

Dennis M M wrote:

Best spot we have found close to Denver is Cherry Creek Note that you need a daily pass in addition to the camping fee.

Some other options in the southwest metro area:
http://www.lakewood.org/bclp/
http://www.parks.state.co.us/parks/chatfield/Pages/ChatfieldHome.aspx