marcguido

Video: https://youtu.be/zAumhI89nZM

Take a dead-end dirt road, and send it deep into Wyoming's utterly spectacular Wind River Mountains where a pair of large natural high alpine lakes and the mighty Green River flows from its headwaters.

This is truly one of the most aesthetically stunning boondocking sites we've ever found, and that's saying a lot. When you arrive at the end of FR-650 there's a cattle guard 1/4 mile before the lake, and only camping in designated sites (i.e., the Green River Lake Campground https://www.campendium.com/green-river-lakes-campground) is permitted beyond that point. However, for the entire 19-mile stretch from the end of pavement to that cattle guard, the road is sprinkled with exceptional boondocking sites on both sites, all along the Green River which flows crystal clear below the lakes.

The further you go up FR-650 the more scenic the boondocking spots get. We landed in the final spot along the riverbank just outside of that cattle guard, only a quarter mile from the lake, which allowed easy access to the lake for kayaking. On the Sunday before the 4th of July we found only one (count 'me, one!) other boat on the water as we paddled, a family in a drift boat. After paddling, we relaxed in camp as the Green River floated past and we watched pronghorn graze in the meadows lining the opposite bank. Another drift boat with fishermen asked if they could use our camp to pull their boat from the water, and we happily obliged. Yes, it's that kind of peaceful!

A word of caution: that 19 miles of dirt FR-650 is heavily washboarded and has small rocks embedded within it, even though it's graded. As a result, count on it taking an hour to drive that 19 miles. On our way out we lost two bumper end caps from the vibration, and the emergency exit clamps on our dinette window repeatedly let go. But if any place was worth the inconvenience, this is it.

FYI there's no cell service out here. Zero. You're back to asphalt and well down WY-352 before you get your first burst of notifications, even boosted.

When you're leaving or heading to Flaming Gorge, or driving by on I-80, the city of Green River provides a free dump station at its water treatment plant, complete with a nearby potable water fill. It's located on the south side of town, near the town horse stables and rodeo grounds. There is a ton of space for even the biggest rigs to get into position and turn around, and it's set up for two rigs simultaneously. You pass the separate potable water fill on the way into the dump station, and I've uploaded a couple of photos of that as well, as it's not incredibly obvious.

We spent the past couple of days in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho and staying at Lava Campground. This brand new campground is an exceptional place to stay when visiting Lava, and the hosts Annie & Cameron Salt couldn't have been more welcoming. It's only about a half mile from the hot pools in town. The grass is green and lush (the pups loved that!), the sites are well spaced, and we were the only folks staying there. It felt like we were camping on their back 40, which we actually were! Annie and Cameron converted part of their alfalfa field to create this campground.

The property borders the Portneuf River, and Fish Creek flows right through the campsites.They have RV sites, tent sites and even 3 beautifully renovated retro travel trailers that you can AirBnB. They have a swing set and volleyball court set up on site. You can follow a trail up the nearby mountain or another right to town and the hot springs that we soaked in nightly, as they're open until 11 p.m.

RV sites have water and electric, while tent sites have communal water hydrants. Cameron thoughtfully put separate pads for tow vehicles in his shorter sites. There are a couple of sites than can accommodate the biggest rigs. There are no shower facilities. There's no sewer or dump station yet, but it's under consideration. There's a free dump station in nearby Soda Springs (https://www.campendium.com/soda-springs-dump-station), or you could pay to dump at one of Lava's more expensive (and in my mind, less desirable) RV parks or at the truck stop in McCammon (https://www.campendium.com/flying-j-travel-center-mccammon-id), and still come out ahead. The pit toilet the couple built has to be seen (and smelled) to be believed!

Now to be perfectly forthright, Lava Hot Springs is set in a very narrow valley with both US-30 and a very busy rail line running through it. It's thus very hard to avoid both highway and train noise anywhere in the area. However, Lava Campground is further from the rail line than any of the town's other RV parks and campgrounds, and being situated below the road grade, the highway noise is quite tolerable as well. We had no issues with either.

Cell service on Verizon was 5 bars 4G LTE thanks to a tower on the hill overlooking the campground. I measured 53.9 Mbps down/26.5 Mbps up unboosted.

We were very happy to have contributed to this young couple's success in their new venture, and we will most certainly return.

This place is a little score! We pulled in on a Saturday night en route from Salt Lake City to Cloudcroft, NM, looking for a better in-transit alternative than the Farmington Wally World. This is a brand-new campground opened by the BLM in 2019. 10 gravel sites include covered pavilion, grill, fire ring and a concrete patio. Our site #5 even had a little fenced yard of sorts with a beautiful retaining wall. Site sizes are generous, and spacing between sites is exceptional. The BLM designers even put a gorgeous piece of twisted juniper within our "yard", and laid large round river rock beneath the split rail fence.

On this Saturday in mid-September the campground only had a few other occupants, so we had our choice of sites even on a Saturday night. Although the surrounding area is popular with OHVs we didn't have any come through the campground itself, and never had a problem with OHV noise. Realize that this is dry camping, and pack in/pack out.

As others have said, the three-mile dirt road getting in is a bit washboarded, but it's wide, flat and straight, negotiable by any size rig. Most sites are large enough for big rigs, and wide enough to park a tow vehicle next to a trailer, or a toad next to a motorhome. All of the shopping amenities of Farmington are just a few minutes away.

If we didn't have to get back on the road, we would have definitely stayed longer. You can't ask for better for free.

I expected to like this site, but I turned around and headed to Sheep Bridge Road (https://www.campendium.com/sheep-bridge-road) instead.

For one thing, it was very busy even in late November. The camping area itself is not terribly large, and rigs pack in here like sardines. I could've squeezed into a spot or two between other people, but why do so when there's more elbow room available elsewhere nearby?

On the plus side, large cottonwood trees provide shade, and the creek provides flowing water -- both amenities that are not readily available at other sites in the area. And access is easy, for all but the last 100 yards to the sites is on paved road.

Judging by the current Google satellite photo, this is one of the many Maverik locations that have recently been built or expanded to include RV fuel lanes (both gas and diesel) and a dump station. The station's parking has been expanded to the north since the Google photo was taken to add these amenities. This area is incredibly spacious, with plenty of room for any size rig (including semis) to turn around. There is no difficulty at all locating or positioning in front of the dump station. There is clearly marked potable water available. Maverik does not charge for these facilities, and the station is located just off the northbound off-ramp for exit 163 of I-15 -- easy off, easy on.

Because we'd usually rather be boondocking, we're all about cheap when we actually have to pay for a campsite. And if we're actually going to have to pay, we want the whole shebang -- 50A electric, water and sewer hookups -- because why pay for what we otherwise get for free? The Twin Falls County Fairgrounds delivers on both counts.

The RV Park is located on the east side of the fairgrounds and has 80 spaces with full hook-ups (water, sewer & 50 amp power); and 100 hook-up with (water & 30 amp power). Spaces with amenities cost $21.20, tax included per night, or $106 for a week (buy 5 nights/get 2 free). Dry camping with no amenities is available for $10.60, tax included per night. Maximum stay is 2 weeks. No reservations, everything is first-come, first-served.

Sites are located on grass, with dirt roads throughout the campground. Hookups for water, electric and sewer are located behind your RV. While the site itself is level, that makes it uphill for the sewer run so we wish that they had chosen a more traditional layout. Still, for this price I'm not complaining. Also, if the place actually filled up these sites would be crazy tight; however, during our visit July 2021 they're not even close to 50% capacity, so folks are leaving at least one site between themselves and their neighbors.

Cell signal strength and data speeds are solid on both Verizon and AT&T. We've been both working and streaming with no issues whatsoever.

There's a separate dump station on site with potable water. The bathrooms are individual units with showers, and are immaculate. If you arrive after hours you have to call the after-hours number on the sign, and James will come out and determine your site and collect your money (cash or check only). The campground occasionally closes for events held at the Fairgrounds, and in 2021 that's for two events. Check their website for details. There was a lot of activity during our stay including equestrian events and even a monster truck rally, so there's lots to keep you entertained while you're in the campground and not out exploring the Twin Falls area.

Filer is a tiny ranching community just west of Twin Falls. Campers will find the surprisingly complete M&W Market just down the street, along with a True Value Hardware. And all of the chains and big box stores are nearby in Twin Falls, only 7 miles away.

No livestock are allowed in RV area, but boarding is available in stables adjacent to the campground for $10 inside/$5 outside. Dogs are not allowed to roam freely and must be under supervision of their owner, either on a leash or kennel.

So when everything else was booked solid in July 2021, we found dirt cheap FHU sites aplenty at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds!

We're in the midst of a week in our 26' travel trailer along this beautiful 1.5 mile-long dirt Forest Service road 714-A, directly above Chadron State Park. We're guessing that most folks who stay in the State Park campground below are unaware that dispersed camping is indeed permitted within 300 feet of the center line of this road, for even though the popular State Park campground remains closed for another day due to a delayed COVID-19 opening, and is booked solid thereafter, there's absolutely no one else camping up here!

You actually have to drive through the State Park to access FR-714-A, and the park does not lock their gate overnight so access remains unrestricted. The road is in excellent shape and negotiable by any trailer or motorhome, but is only a single lane wide. We're 700 feet of elevation above the plains below, with stunning views stretching off to the horizon. Much of this area has burned in the past, but the area where we're camping is lush and grassy with some stately pines around. This isn't the Nebraska that you know!

Cell service on Verizon is a solid 3+ bars - 54ms ping, 13.6 Mbps down, 3.5 Mbps up. The Verizon tower is visible about 5 miles to the south of our campsite.

There are numerous hiking trails that depart from either end of FR-714-A, including some in the State Park. Fresh water, an RV dump and a camp store are all located within the park, along with an archery range, sledding hill, fishing pond, playgrounds, picnic areas and more.

One star is deducted only because:

* There are only a couple of sites that would work with a vehicle, for there's a well-hidden drainage ditch dug on each side of the road; and

* There's a bit of daytime traffic due to people accessing the hiking trailhead at the end of the road. Vehicles are forced to camp right along the road, as any side spurs visible on satellite imagery have been marked "No motor vehicles" by the Forest Service. For tent campers, though, it's a short walk right to the rim of Pine Ridge for even more spectacular views.

The phone number provided is for the Nebraska National Forest Pine Hill Ranger District in Chadron, in whose jurisdiction this road resides.

This is a delightful little slice of BLM land east of Cortez and less than two miles from the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. For the life of me, I can't understand why people would insist upon paying for a spot in the crowded National Park campground (without even hookups at most sites) when this is far prettier, absolutely free, I can't see or hear any neighbors, and I have to comply with virtually no rules.

I suppose it's a good thing that this site isn't signed in any way whatsoever.Yeah, the road is a bit rutted but not bad at all. We drove all the way to the end where there's a gate to private land. Turning around a 23' trailer (26' overall) was a little tricky because a tree branch prevents an RV from using the loop at the gate, but it still only took two swings and we got back to site #9. This entire hill is a treasure trove of firewood. We're happy, and our unleashed dogs are happy.

This boondocking site was our favorite out of an entire week spent in southern Idaho.

FR-146 is a dead-end dirt road that follows the North Fork Big Wood River just north of Ketchum/Sun Valley. Turn off ID-75 onto FR-146, which is marked for the Sawtooth NRA ranger station that's located just a few feet up the road. Just north of the ranger station you'll also find a dump station (https://www.campendium.com/sawtooth-nra-dump-station) with both rinse and fresh water for $5 per use, with a fee drop located on site, perfect for filling up water on the way in or dumping your tanks and dropping your trash in a dumpster on the way out. It's $5 for anyone, whether you're boondocking up the road or not.

Just past the dump station the road becomes legal for dispersed camping on both sides, although there are a couple of Forest Service dry campgrounds up this road, too. Watch both sides for established dispersed sites all along the road. Most were occupied on the Sunday through Tuesday that we were in the area. The road is initially graded dirt/gravel, but the further up you go the more the road deteriorates, especially past the Manapu Organization Camp a little over three miles in. We nevertheless elected to continue on with our 21-foot trailer in search of the perfect unoccupied spot, but I would definitely not consider going more than 2 miles up the road with any sort of big rig or without 4WD and some ground clearance.

Just past the East Fork trailhead, at 6,800 feet and not far before the end of the road we found the perfect riverside location. Our nearest neighbor was about a quarter mile downstream, out of sight and out of mind. At this GPS location there are actually about 3 or 4 established sites adequately separated from one another. We chose one where we were partially hidden from the road (even though we only saw two or three vehicles over the course of two nights) that featured nothing but the sound of rushing water to fall asleep to each night. We could just open the trailer door in the morning and let the dogs play in the river. The lofty snow-covered summits of the Boulder Peak Wilderness loom above camp just to the north. And we were beyond shocked to find weak but adequate 4G service on Verizon.

Be aware that at the time of this writing, there appears to be an active bear in the area. On our first morning I awoke to find my generator gas can tipped over with two tooth punctures in it, and I later learned that my downstream neighbor had his trash strewn about on the same night (shame on him for not stowing it safely!). Use proper bear territory camping protocol.