roadtripper3391711

Went to Sand Dunes National Park in mid-September hoping that Pinion Flats CG would have a campsite available for a day or two, but within a few miles of the NP saw a sign that said the campground was full. I pulled over to the side of the road and asked Google Maps to take me to Sacred White Shell Mountain dispersed camping area, and it told me to keep heading north on Highway 150 and I would get there in another 25 miles. When I reached the entrance to Sand Dunes NP and told the ranger where I was going, the ranger laughed and asked me if I actually trusted Google Maps. Not really. The ranger said the road came to a dead end within a short distance at Pinion Flats CG, which was indeed full, and that there was a BLM dispersed camping area at Mt. Blanca a few miles south of the park. Mt. Blanca is another name for Sacred White Shell Mountain is my understanding. Blanca Peak is the fourth highest peak in the Rockies according to Wikipedia. I don't always trust Wikipedia either.

As soon as I turned my rig around to leave the park, Google Maps said to head south for the Sacred White Shell Mountain dispersed camping area. *$#@#!!!

That's not the first time that's happened to me. That's why I carry maps.

There is a BLM bulletin board about a couple of hundred feet to the east of the highway. Blink and you'll probably miss it. I did when I first went by it heading north. Turn off the road there and watch that first cattle guard, especially if you're driving a low clearance vehicle like I was. It's a doozy! There's a significant dropoff on the east side of it. Take it slow and easy. The road towards the mountain is mostly loose dirt. I would not advise camping out there in a 2WD vehicle if it's going to rain.

It's just desert-like prairie between the highway and the base of the mountain (she's a big one). There's a long running cattle fence on the south side of the area which usually means in warm weather: (wait for it)... lots of flies. I'm not going to get into the gory scientific reason why that is, but if you don't already know why, then ask a farmer or a rancher the next time you get the chance.

As you drive towards the mountain you'll come across several matted down areas where you can camp. A few are big and can even accommodate several of the bigger rigs, but the one I spent the night in was a small open area of loose sand. The area is great for solar because there's no trees except on the mountain itself.

It's a pretty peaceful area except for the occasional, close to the ground, wop-wop-wop of a loud helicopter every now and then during the day, and the handful of times a sheriff's car would come racing by my campsite from and to the mountain. Hey, the first time he raced by, he actually waved and smiled at me. I guess what that actually means depends on who you are, but my take away from it was that I probably didn't have to worry much about anyone messing with me in a criminal-like manner while camping there. And Verizon internet access was pretty good out there.

So, if you like camping in wide open desert-like prairie next to a massive, very tall mountain, while being in close proximity to a National Park without having to pay camping fees -- well then, this is definitely the place for you. But after one night of it, I had all the enjoyment of desert-like prairie (and flies) I could stand and headed south. To be honest, and when am I not, I've had about all the sand (dunes or not) and flies I can stand for a while.

To get there from Alamosa,: Drive east on US 160 for about 15 miles and turn north off of US 160 onto highway 150. Go north for about 4.5 miles and look for the BLM bulletin boards standing several hundred feet east of the highway all by their lonesome in a wide open space of dirt and sand. And don't forget, that first cattle guard there does not play nice. Safe camping!

It's a beautiful, scenic place, especially in the middle of the week, but come the weekend, oh my...

The gravel road in is well maintained and there are a few wide open places with a few trees where you can camp. However, because of the 14 year plus mega-drought, the top soil has turned to a half-inch or more of fine brown dust that likes to get on everything, even your clothes. Welcome to the 'Grapes of Wrath!' -- the mega-dust storms can't be too far away.

Crazy Dust Storm Impacts The Permian Basin (Texas) - Wednesday, June 8, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/crazy-dust-storm-impacts-permian-000300480.html

And the beautifully pristine forest air of the early morning soon turns into a pitiful, dusty haze once the ATV parade starts up along with the fact that it drives the wildlife away. So much for the sanctity of nature.

The middle of the week is a little better, but come Friday and into the weekend, it seems as if an ATV comes barrelling along every few minutes, and many come by at a pretty good clip, and sometimes in groups as large 13 at a time. Never seen anything quite like it before, but then again, I try to stay as far away as I can from places like this. I guess I must have really goofed on this one.

By Friday afternoon, most of the campers in the large designated site closer to the entrance and next to the main road had moved deeper into the woods or simply left the area entirely.

On Friday, June 10, 2022, the ATV traffic on the main road into the dispersed camping area was horrific. At about 9:00 PM to almost 10:00 PM it was nearly constant, loud, obnoxious and running at a high enough speed resulting in so much grey road dust being kicked into the air that you could barely see the trees the grey dust fog was so thick and pervasive. And the forest around me did end up actually looking like a scene in one of those classic Lon Chaney Jr. werewolf movies, except that this wasn't a genuine type of fog. It really is a lot fun breathing in those very fine dirt particles along with the noxious fumes generated by the internal combustion engine. Not!!!

And Saturday was even worse, didn't actually stop until about 11:20 PM.

If this here ain't the ATV capital of Utah, it must come pretty darn close - I have never seen so many ATVs in all my life.

Was thinking of staying here for two weeks, but decided not to stay for even one.

But if you like to eat lots of dirt, more like dust, in a very beautiful place, this is definitely the place for you.

Now my rig is so covered in thick dust that I can actually use it instead of a chalk board. I was coughing so much that I could barely breathe, and my allergies kicked into high gear. I ended up having to take a cough suppressant so that I could actually get some sleep. This is one place I plan to never come back to ever again, even if it's free. If you like ATVs, their burning lots of fossil fuels, and the taste of road grit between your teeth then this is obviously the place for you. But as for me, "Hasta la Vista" Uinta Flat Dispersed Camping Area, forever more!"

Now you know why I'm the Ornery Toad. It has mostly to do with those darn fallutin' noisy and obnoxious ATVs along with the high cost of gasoline.

Peaceful and quiet most of the time. Great night sky gazing as CG is far from any major source of light pollution. Can get windy, especially at night. Rattlesnake country for sure, so be watchful. Surprisingly, signs say be bear aware; never saw either of those during the 7 days I was there, but doesn't mean there aren't any. Trees are small so very little shade available, but good for solar. Got there in early September after Labor Day and camp host had already gone . Only 4 other campsites were occupied when I arrived late on a Tuesday afternoon. Campsites 1 thru 4 located on the main road to the trailhead. Campsites 5 thru 15 and group sites 1 and 2 are up on the hill, turn left at the fee station to get there. Roads are accessible by 2WD passenger vehicles, but lots of washboarding, so the slower the better. Campsites are rock, dirt and gravel. Look out for large ant hills when picking a site. Vault toilets were clean. The only water source is a well house near the entrance to the canyon, spigot is outside the fence. Verizon cell coverage is marginal at best and pretty slow when you have it, but pretty good at the well house outside the canyon. Definitely one of my favorites at the right time of year. Full price is $11 per day. There are plenty of hiking trails through the canyon starting at the trailhead. Vault toilets and a sheltered picnic area is there too.

To get there from US285, take county road G west to La Garita. Right after you pass through La Garita you will come to a fork in the road. There will be a BLM bulletin board there. Take the gravel road 38A to the left. Within a half mile or less you'll come to a gravel road that goes right off of 38A, that is 40G to Penitente Canyon. There's also a smaller dirt road heading north at that turnoff, don't take that one. There's a sign about 50 feet from the road that says Penitente Canyon Recreational Area, blink and you'll miss it. I did. Turn right there onto 40G. Right after that you'll see a road to your left that leads to a well house. You can easily see the small building from the road. Water spigot is at the outside of the fence. Keep going, straight and you'll be at the CG in less than a mile. Safe camping!

The scenery is beautiful as always with tall pine trees everywhere you look. The road and spurs are asphalt. There is water, fire pits, picnic tables dumpsters and vault toilets. Camping fee comes with free access to the Lynx Lake recreational area. The close proximity to town is another advantage. The one problem we did notice was that the vault toilet in the first come first serve loop was not being properly maintained. Yes, there was plenty of toilet paper, but that's about the only good thing we can say about it. Thinking it might just be a problem with the one in our loop, we checked the vault toilets in the other loops and only one came even close to what we might consider decent. When we were here spring of 2021, there was a different camp host and this problem did not exist then, and we're wondering if a different contractor is now managing the campground. Suffice it to say, we don't plan on camping here again until this situation changes.

This BLM campground is what you would usually expect. It's located out in a dry, flat, and mostly treeless plain, the great expanse of which is thickly covered in sagebrush. Being right next to the Green River, it's no surprise to find a few vampires, I mean mosquitoes, that start coming out right before dusk to satisfy their inherent bloodthirsty appetites. I got bit at least six times. One of them actually flew up the leg of my jeans and got me good while I was sitting outside enjoying the sunset. Next time, I looped a strip of Velcro around the leg bottoms of my jeans, So, wear the proper protective clothing and/or bring plenty of bug spray if you're planning on spending time outside in the late afternoon or evenings. I saw bald eagles and osprey while there, and prairie dogs, chipmunks and humming birds too.

From the campground, you can see the majestic Wind River mountain range to the north. And for sure, the area can get pretty windy at times on a near daily basis.

The camp hosts are quite neighborly, helpful and do a great job maintaining the campground. It's $10 a night, and $5 with a senior pass. Has water and clean vault toilets. And best of all is the four to five bars on Verizon 4G as the tower isn't all that far away.

The campground is located just to the south of highway 191 about 20.4 miles west of Pinedale, Wyoming. If driving west from Pinedale watch for the small brown sign that says "CAMPGROUND". As usual, blink and you'll probably miss it. However, there's a landmark you can't really miss, and that's the no longer used Warren Bridge just to the north of the highway. The turnoff for the BLM campground is right across the highway from that old hulk.

There is a day use area close to the highway, next to the river, with picnic tables, fire grills and vault toilet Further on will be the campground with the campsites all located on a single graveled loop. The spurs are all pull through, and most if not all, are definitely long enough to handle pretty large rigs.

Across the highway from the campground, just to the west of the Warren Bridge, is a gravel road that takes you into the Warren Bridge Recreational Area. The gravel road is well maintained and ends at a river access point. It's probably 5 to 6 miles long, but I'm estimating as my odometer on my tow vehicle no longer works. There are several river access points along that road and most appeared to have vault toilets. Some access points have designated free campsites with picnic tables. There are a few designated dispersed camping sites along the road, but the roads leading to them are dirt. Only the main road is gravel. The road goes through some private land and there are signs posted to that effect. Camping in those areas is definitely prohibited and violations will probably get you an unwanted visit by the law enforcement arm of the BLM, or even a visit from a local deputy sheriff.

The recreational area is located in the southern foothills of the mountains, and thus is quite hilly. I was told there's some pretty good fishing in them there hills with six different species of trout. But don't forget to buy a fishing license if you do. If wanting to go on a guided fishing expedition, check out the "Two Rivers Fishing Company" located in Pinedale, Wyoming along the main drag.

The Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale is definitely worth seeing. Fee is $10. If you are 60 years or older you get $2 off. Be sure to try the Wind River Brewery in Pinedale if you're into that sort of thing. The town also has a nice public library of decent size.

The only fast food place I saw in Pinedale was a Subway at the Sinclair gas station on the west side of town. Didn't eat there, though.

The Bison's Bounty in Pinedale is a good place to stop for confections and great ice tea. They have a couple of rooms where you can sit and relax, and tables for doing computer work.

If you need supplies, the best place appears to be the Ridley's Food Market on the east side of Pinedale with an Ace Hardware right next door.

Happy camping, you' all!