Elephant Butte Lake State Park REVIEW

To get to Elephant Butte Lake State Park head South on I25 from Alburquerque. Exit 83 gets you to the main park entrance but exit 89 gets you to South Monticello Campground where we stayed.

Value 4/5
As in all New Mexico State Parks camping is $10.00 per night and $4.00 extra for water and electric hook ups.

Site Quality 4.5/5
We didn't need to level here at all. Nice compact, flat crushed gravel pad. Each site has a covered picnic table area and a fire pit. We stayed in site #30 and had electric and water. Dump station. Good reception for internet.

Facility Fun 3.5/5
The whole park has lovely beaches to walk for miles, boat launch and lots of fishing and other water recreation. This area is much quieter and more peaceful then the main camping areas and there are many more ameneties there and even a playground. The one playground at the park is out of the way and not really walking distance from any of the campgrounds with preschoolers.

Natural Surroundings 4.5/5
Beautiful sandy beaches for miles and miles! Mountains on opposite side of the lake. This was a very beautiful spot.

Bathrooms 4/5
Flush toilets and showers (on timer), clean facilities

Staff ???
We didn't run into any staff on our time here except at the fee booth where they were friendly.

Location 4/5
Since the park surrounds the lake you have many water recreational activities near by, and boat launches if you have your own boat. It is near Truth or Consequences and the hot springs however be aware the springs are not free and your admission is paid to a local spa to use their public pools for a fee.

Overal 4/5
We loved the view of the lake and it was a very quiet and peaceful camping spot. Beach access is a walk down the cliff to the beach or via a car/truck.

FYI If you want to park on the beach you can. These are primitive spaces and only cost $8.00 per night.

Our neighbours beside us

View just behind the trailer

Covered picnic tables at each site.

Orilla Verde BLM Recreational Area Camping REVIEW

Orilla Verde BLM Recreational Area is beautiful! To get here head North on 68 from Espanola. In Pilar, turn left onto 570 and follow the river. There are 6 different campgrounds but only 2 of the campgrounds have electric/water.

Value 4/5
$3 dayuse, $7 camping or $15 for electric and water. The dayuse is included with your camping fee.

Site Quality 4.5/5
Our packed gravel site #1 in the Rio Grand Campground was level. We didn't have to do any leveling at all. There was a fire ring and a barbeque pit as well as picnic tables. Some sites had covered picnic areas. Electric and water only. No sewer or RV dump. Washrooms/$showers

Facility Fun 3.5/5
Rafting and fishing if you have your own supplies. Hiking.

Natural Surroundings 5/5
You are in a valley surrounded by Mountains, a river behind you. Beautiful mature trees. BEAUTIFUL!
A Rafters paradise as the river is directly behind you and easily accesible from launch area (rafts not motorized boats). There are many trails to hike, and we saw many mountain bikers in the area too.

Bathrooms 4.5/5
Very clean. Outdoor sink for dishes, pay showers at $1 for 3 minute HOT shower (at our Rio Grande campground, only showers here I think)

Staff 5/5
The campground host has been there 1 year and is staying for 1 more year. He was very friendly and stopped by our site a few times to chat. He was very helpful when asking about things in town as well as inquiring as to where we are headed and sharing ideas to go to along the way.

Location 4/5
Only about 15-20 minutes from Toas which has almost everything you need. Including a Walmart that allows Overnighting for RV's, river rafting tours are at the corner of 68 and 570. Visitors centre just Souh of 570.

Overall 4/5
Beauiful, natural surroundings. Not much traffic and safe enough for the girls to run around a bit and not have to worry too much about them. No internet service for about 8 miles North and South of here. Some people had satelittes up but we didn't try ours. Close to Taos. We would come here again even though there was no internet.

An open field and the bahroom/showers behind us. RV site #1

The bathroom/shower building with an outdoor sink
 for tenters dishes



There are tent sites behind us and then the river, fire pit, picnic table
and barbeque pit available



View of the tent sites with covered picnic areas

View of the river

Boondocking near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

We spent 3 nights on Willow Springs Rd. To get here head South on 191 from I70. Look for a small sign for Willow Springs and turn left. This road is about 1 1/2 miles BEFORE highway 313 to Canyonlands. So if you hit 313 head back, but you shouldn't miss it. There are many sites on both sides of the road. After the rain this road can get mucky so becareful.

Value 5/5
FREE

Site Quality 4/5
We had a large spot which could accomodate a few large RV's if you had a group. It was pretty much level ground. No services. Fire rings at sites.

Facility Fun 3.5/5
There were trails nearby for hiking, ATV's, mounain biking or horseback riding with a great view of Arches in the distance. (just over the hill from where we were)

Natural Surroundings 4/5
Beauiful views on all sides. A short walk from our site to see he Arches in the distance. Many sites had a view of the Arches all the time.

Bathrooms N/A

Saff N/A

Location 4/5
Only minutes from Arches National Park and very close to the turn off to Canyonlands National Park as well. About 15 minutes from downtown Moab where there is lots to do. Many trails are nearby for hiking, ATV'ing, mountain biking etc.

Overall 3.5/5
This was a great location with beautiful views with distance between neighbours but when we were here it was VERY windy. Everyone in town said the wind was abnormal but the wind howled one night so bad both Ian and I couldn't sleep. I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ and expected our railer to just float away. Too windy for a campfire too. Without the wind this site would have scored much higher. The scenery was stunning all around and so close to so much.

west of our campsite

Southwest of our campsite

View coming in from the 191 of the dirt road

Fire pit

Norh east view

The view just behind us over the hill. Mant sites had a clear view
of these Arches in the distance

FREE BLM Camping near Goblin Valley State Park Utah

To find his BLM Free camping follow 24 North from Hanksville. Turn Left on Temple Valley Road. Continue on and PASS the road to Goblin Valley on your left. (about 7 miles) Directly after there are spots to camp on your left. If you continue around the corner you will find a compact gravel camping area with toilet facilities. This area was too busy for us so we continued on. There are numerous spots that are rough and suitable for small to midsize RV's or tent camping. We couldn't find a vacant space large enough for us so we ended up parking in the second gravel lot and are so glad we did. There are litle ruins from an old homestead hat were fun to explore for the girls.

Value 5/5
FREE

Site Quality 4.5/5
Where we parked in the second compact gravel area with toilets we were quite happy. The area was level, had fire pits and newer picnic tables. There was an area with shade covering but it was taken while we were there.

Facility Fun 5/5
We had a lot of fun exploring the ruins and hiking up some of he ATV trails. There are numerous trails for hiking, quadding, mountain biking in he BLM land.

Natural Surroundings 4.5/5
We were parked at he base of 3 beautiful mountains. The trails were plenty and the colours of the setting sun on all 3 mountains was amazing.

Bathrooms 4/5
There is no running water, but toileta are available in the crushed gravel parking areas. They were very clean and well maintained.

Staff N/A

Location 4/5
Being close to soo many hiking posibilities and natural beauty i was great if you like the great outdoors. The only thing within 25 miles is Goblin Valley State Park. So if you are interested in this Park and want to camp for FREE or if their campground is full, this is an excellent location.

Overall 4.5/5
We LOVED this spot. If we had our quads we could have stayed here longer. here are sooo many trails to choose from. The old homestead ruins were perfect for our girls to explore. hey even spent some time time trying to fix them up by adding more rocks into he cracks :) They had a blast!



The "toilets"




One of the 4 ruins we found




Mounain behind us



This is he first area just past the road to Goblin Valley State Park



The first crushed gravel area which was too busy for us.
It appears to be a very popular area. We like to be a bit
further away from everyone.



 

Our campsite as the sunsets...the reflective colours were amazing



Boondocking Near Bryce Canyon

To get here travel East on 12 coming from 89. You will pass some tunnels and will be in Dixie National Forest. Continue until you see a sign for Tom Best Springs Rd. Turn Lef (North) on the right is a parking lot for the ATV trail. Our spot was the first large pull off on the right. There are others further in on the road within 1 mile.

Value 5/5
FREE

Site Quality 4/5
We were a bit close to the road, but far enough that you couldn't hear the traffic. The site was fairly level but we needed to raise it about an inch on one side with leveling blocks. No services. More spaces further up he road.

Facility Fun 3.5/5
Other then the forest service road there weren't any trails to hike that we saw. Perhaps further in. Watching the wildlife was lots of fun.

Natural Surroundings 4/5
You are camped in the Dixie National Forest where pronghorns and deer frequent. About 15 minutes from Bryce Canyon where there are hikes everywhere. You can also do ATV tours nearby or horseback rides into the Bryce Canyon.

Bathrooms N/A

Staff N/A

Location 4/5
It is near an ATV rail, near an animal museum, close to Bryce Canyon and all the activities available there including horseback riding and ATVing. Both are available for rent if you don't have your own. Bryce Canyon town had a small little old town touris area. here is also a gas station with an RV dump and water as well as an RV wash available. (all at a cost)

Overall 4/5
We only used this as a quick stop over but we had a lot of fun watching the pronghorns right beside us. This is about the closest you can get to Bryca Canyon for FREE camping which wins in my books.

Lone Rock Camping REVIEW (Arizona/Utah)

Even though we had to pay for tonight it was only $10.00 for beach front Parking! Head North from Page on 89. You will pass the Dam, the marina and then you will pass the Welcome to Utah sign, and right after that you will see a small brown sign on the right hand side that says Lone Rock. Follow that into the pay station and then down to the beach.

Value 4.5/5
In order to enter Lone Rock Beach in the Glan Canyon Recreational Area you have to pay a $15 daily use fee but that price was covered by our America the Beautiful Pass. To camp here is $10.00 per night which includes RV dump and Water.

Site Quality 4/5
The beach is quite level but STAY ON the WET sand and rocky driving areas. You WILL get stuck in the  dry powdery sand. If you are at all unsure ask at the pay station or the camp host. (you can also camp on a hill over looking the lake if you don't want to chance the sand)

Facility Fun 5/5
There are hours and hours of fun nearby starting right at the lake! You can not launch a motorized boat from this beach, you must go to the marina just up the road. You can then drive your boat infront of your camping spo and keep it there. This lake is great for swimming, boating, fishing (if fishing here you must have an Arizona and a Utah fishing license as this lake is in both States) and more. You can also ride ATV's etc on the dunes surrounding the lake, go for a hike or take a trip into Page for many other adventurous activities or shopping etc. HorseshoeBend is also near by and worth the hike! (see my post HERE) You can also rent boats, canoes and jetskski's a he marina I believe.

Natural Surroundings 5/5
Beach, sand, sun, sand dunes, cliffs and canyons...Beautiful natural surroundings at the lake and nearby. As well the night sky is dark and full of many stars.

Bathrooms 4/5
The bathrooms are very clean and have a pay phone just outside. There are no showers but there are flush toilets in the main bathrooms. There are oher chemical toilets along the the beach.

Staff 5/5
This is the first year they have a camp host and he is super friendly. He drives around each evening saying hello to all the campers and was very helpful when we asked him quesions.

Location 5/5
This area is only a couple minutes from the main road, and about 10 minutes from Page. It is easy access and near many activities such as shopping (including Walmart), hiking, the marina, river rafting in the canyons, plane tours over Monument Valley and much more.

Overall 5/5
We really liked this spot and can see ourselves coming back here again if we are in this neck of the woods.

sign saying to turn to Lone Rock. Don't blink you might miss it

Lone Rock from the beach

Park back from the water but where the sand is still wet

The view beside us. Campers generally space themselves out

The skyline at dusk

Boondocking near the GRAND Canyon

We had a great little spot only minutes away from the Grand Canyon. As you are heading towards the Grand Canyon on 64 you will continue past the IMAX for a short distance (about 1 minue) and on the left you will see a bike path sign. This road is called North John Road. You must camp at least a 1/4 mile in off of 64 but there are numerous spots to camp on both sides of the road. here are however only a couple spots which will accomodate a large RV.

Value 5/5
FREE (and only minutes from the Grand Canyon)

Site Quality 4/5
Our spot was large, flat and level. Road into the site is a well maintained forest road and you only need to drive in about 1-2 minutes.

Facitiy Fun 4/5
There are trails to walk, hike or bike all around the campsite. It's meant for bikers so that is why alot of the spots are smaller I guess.

Natural Surrounding 4/5
Nestled amoungst the Ponderosa Pines of the Kaibab National Forest and so close to the Grand Canyon, with trails all around your campsite. Ample pinecones for fire sarter :)

Bathrooms N/A

Saff N/A

Location 5/5
MINUTES and I mean literally about 5 minutes from the South Rim entrance. About 1 minutes before you turned on this road there was an IMAX and a small shopping area.

Overal 4/5
This was an excellent place to camp and be near the Canyon if you want to camp for FREE. It was very cold at night but I am sure in a couple of weeks that will change. We prefer to boondock...not only to be more a lone, but also the generator can keep running when the hockey via satellite goes into overtime :) When you go into the Grand Canyon visit trailer services. There is a FREE sani dump/drinking water right beside the Mather Campground. Go early, or late to avoid the line up though.



we think the length restriction was for camping
as we fit into the sani dump...no problem and we
are about 56' in toal with the truck.



Even with all the rees we managed to ge the hockey game via satellite

Boondocking above Sedona REVIEW

Everywhere in Sedona is off limits for boondocking. You can't even park without a Parking Pass. When we stopped and asked the Forest services where we could boondock, they sent us back to where we just came from :) We decided there must be a new place to try. Since 89A is off limits to vehicles over 50' we couldn't take the trailer too far out of town. So we headed back to the I-17 North to exit 320 and went in search of a camping area in Munds Mountain Wilderness Area which is still in the Coconino National Forest.

We were searching for a spot that would hold our trailer, found one, dumped the trailer and continued down the road. We passed a spot with a view and I made Ian stop, let me out so me and the girls could hold the spot while he went back to get the trailer. Such a good sport! (Thanks babe!) In the summer this would have been an amazing spot with a wonderful view and only a minute away from Schnebly Hill Vista

An AMAZING view! The space we found was actually almost the last available spot to camp before you hit the Vista where no more camping is allowed.

This road through Munds Wilderness area is a dirt road and comes with the bumps and dust you'd expect on a dirt road but it wasn't too bad. Schnebly Hill Rd which starts at the Vista and heads for 5 miles to Sedona is extremely BAD! There is no way you would want to take a trailer or even a camper on it. It's full of wash out and uneven surfaces but has many amazing views along it if you can stand the bumpy ride :)

Value 5/5
FREE

Site Quality 3/5
These are all rough sites which we don't mind but it limits who can travel here. If you do travel here, bring levelers as some areas are really rocky. There were many sites to choose from and quite a few of them were suitable for larger RV's (and were level). However most of these larger ones were further in on the dirt road. There were some grassy field spots, as well as fully treed spots. Each site would be different but ours was fairly even (where we parked but the "driveway" area was very rocky).

Facility Fun 3/5
You are about 1 minute away from the amazing scenic overlook pictured above, and then 5 miles until the town of Sedona but you need a proper vechile to travel down into Sedona from here. I hate to rate it a 3 but there weren't any trails that we could see to hike, just the overlook (which was amazing) and it was soooOOoo cold! In the summer I am sure sitting around a campfire, and staring at your view would be amazing but it was so cold we barely had a campfire.

Natural Surroundings 5/5
The view is worth a 5! The ride down and up Schnebly Hill Rd is incredible!!! There isn't much else up here as far as trails etc, but the view...oh how I love the red cliffs!

Bathrooms N/A

Staff N/A

Location 3.5/5
The area is remote and not easily asscessable. That being said it is FREE camping, with a view, and less then 20 minutes from Sedona.

Overall 4/5
We love to 4X4 so the road didn't bother us. We LOVED the view so driving up and down Schnebly Hill Road 4 times was worth it. We would have preferred some warmer weather to enjoy the view a bit more at the campsite but in reality we weren't at the site much this time. We were soaking up all we could in Sedona.

View from the "driveway" area of our site



zoomed in on our view



zoomed in even further



Small parking area or tent area in fron of the fire



We parker higher up as there was a patch of flat area unlike the rocky
driveway area pictured here




Trailer parked on the semi flat area




As we are pulling out



The driveway area has the best view



View from the campfire...not too bad :)



Hills in the background