LAHONTAN STATE REC AREA, Silver Springs, NV

LAHONTAN STATE RECREATION AREA

RUN BY:   Nevada State Parks

LOCATION:  Silver Springs, NV

UTILITIES:  none

COST:  $15                

DISCOUNTS:  State Senior Pass available to NV residents only

OUR RATING (1-5): Category I, Rating 4+

NOTES:  There were very few people camping in October.  The lake and area are beautiful but you can not eat the fish because of mercury and other heavy metals, and many warn you not to drink water even if it is labelled ‘drinking water’.  Sadly, this is true most places in Nevada because of mining. Most of the campsites have nice views and a majority look out at the lake.  We had a beautiful view from our back window. The entire road and sites is paved.  One can also camp on the beach for free. It does seem firm enough to support a good-sized trailer in many places.

Environment:   Very open. Some old, gnarly Cottonwood trees along the lake.

Amenities:  None

Dump:  Yes

Public Water:  Yes

Toilets:  Yes  (but closed in Oct.)

Showers: Yes  (but closed in Oct.)

Laundry: No

Phone Service:  Verizon 4G-3bars

Location:  At the intersection of US-50 and US-95ALT in Silver Springs, NV., 35 miles east of Carson City, NV., turn south on US-95Alt and go a short distance to Fir Road. Turn left on Fir Road and follow this road to the park entrance. Park entrance is 39.375120  -119.203965

Proximity to shopping:  very limited in Silver Springs. Carson City would be your best bet for something other than the very, very basics.

Camping Population:  In October there were lots of locals and people heading south for the winter. Summer it is packed with locals. Indicators of residential campers* but no problems. 

Sites:  Roomy and paved.  Dry camping on some of the beaches is permitted at no cost other than getting into to the park.

The view out of our big back window. 

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RATING KEY:    category - score 

Categories:  I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

                    II -  boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

                               one might choose to stay for more than a night.

                    III - over-night areas 

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service 

* There are people who are not full-timers and van-dwellers by choice. We try hard not to be demeaning or assume that they are bad people but sadly, as you find in the poorer parts of a city, there seems to be more crime. Many call these people van-dwellers. That isn’t really accurate even though they do often live in vans. We know quite a few van-dwellers who have good incomes, are full-timers by choice and prefer a van to other types of vehicles. To try to show some respect for people who have a difficult lot in life, I’m calling them ‘residential campers’.  It is only when you get a high proportion of residential campers in an area that you find an increase in petty theft, etc.  

A-1 MOUNTAIN RD, Flagstaff, AZ

A-1 MOUNTAIN ROAD 

RUN BY:  US Forest Service

LOCATION:  35.210020  -111.732826    Flagstaff, AZ

UTILITIES: None

COST:  None

DISCOUNTS:  N/A

OUR RATING (1-5):  Category II, Score 4+

NOTES:  This was a beautiful spot and very close to anything you might want or need. Historic US-66 is just one exit (1 mile) east of this exit (Exit 190 on I-40).  There is a lot to see and do in the area.  If you like towns/cities, Flagstaff has a lot to offer.  If you, like us, are more into the nature, science and history, the area has four really excellent national monuments (Wupatki, Sunset Volcano, Walnut Creek and Meteor Crater) within a couple of miles. It also has the famous Lowell Observatory. We only stayed three nights only because we were avoiding possible snow.

Environment:   Small trees and shrubs. Across the road is open.  High desert.  Late October-Early November we were having days in the mid to high 60s and nights in the 30s.  Elevation is 7,434. 

Amenities:  None 

Dump:  No  

Public Water:  No

Toilets:  No

Showers:  No

Laundry:  No   (nearest laundry is in Flagstaff)

Phone Service:  Verizon 4G – 1 or 2 bars

Nearest Propane:  The nearest propane is at a Chevron Gas Station, 3686 Historic Rte 66, Flagstaff a couple of miles east.  Turn onto Historic 66 (aka Business 40) at Exit 191. You can only go one way.

Location:  Exit I-40 at Exit 190. That is A-1 Mountain Road.  You can only go north.  Good camping areas start about 2 miles up the road.  It does become dirt when you enter NFS land.

Proximity to shopping:  4-5 miles from Flagstaff. Very convenient to almost anything you might want.

Camping Population:   Quite diverse.  There had obviously been horse trailers in our spot shortly before we arrived. There were a couple of residential campers* a short distance away, but they never seemed to be around. 

Sites:   dispersed camping.

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RATING KEY:    category - score 

Categories:  I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

                    II -  boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

                               one might choose to stay for more than a night.

                    III - over-night areas 

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service 

* There are people who are not full-timers and van-dwellers by choice. We try hard not to be demeaning or assume that they are bad people but sadly, as you find in the poorer parts of a city, there seems to be more crime. Many call these people van-dwellers. That isn’t really accurate even though they do often live in vans. We know quite a few van-dwellers who have good incomes, are full-timers by choice and prefer a van to other types of vehicles. To try to show some respect for people who have a difficult lot in life, I’m calling them ‘residential campers’.  It is only when you get a high proportion of residential campers in an area that you find an increase in petty theft, etc.  

HEART O' THE HILLS, Olympic Nat'l Park, WA

HEART O’ THE HILLS

RUN BY:  Olympic National Park

LOCATION:  Port Angeles, WA

UTILITIES:  None

COST:  $20                

DISCOUNTS:  Senior Access (50%) and other Interagency passes

OUR RATING (1-5): Category I, Rating 3+

NOTES:  Just inside the park’s northern entrance on the road to Hurricane Ridge, the campground is in a heavy rainforest of cedars.  Don’t plan on getting a lot of direct light for your solar panels.  The terrain is quite hilly but beautiful. The sites are small and a bit difficult. We saw a large class A and I must admit I don’t know how they got it in there.  Olympic National Park is magnificent. You must go up to Hurricane Ridge and see the Hoh Rain Forest on the west side. There is a stretch of park right on the Pacific Ocean. Stop at Kalaloch Lodge right on US-101 on the west side of the peninsula. You can access the beach easiest through Kalaloch Campground right next door. We also went whale hunting out of Port Angeles.  So that we didn’t waste a lot of time traveling, and also since we really like boondocking off the grid, we went from here to Hoh Oxbow south of Forks, a free state campground with a state pass. (The pass is well worth the money.) We have a review of Hoh Oxbow.

Environment:   A very heavy cedar rain forest canopy.  Elevation is 1839ft. 

Amenities:  none

Dump:  No   (Since we were heading counter-clockwise around the peninsula, we dumped at a State facility called Fairholm well west of Port Angeles. www.rvdumpsites.net doesn’t show any dump stations in Port Angeles. There are some east.)

Public Water: Yes

Toilets:   Yes

Showers:  No

Laundry:  No   (nearest laundry in Port Angeles)

Phone Service: Verizon was very poor. 

Nearest Propane:   We did not need propane so I didn’t check this out. Sorry!  Port Angeles is a large enough town that there should be propane available. It is just outside the park.

Location:  Enter the park at the Heart O’ the Hills Ranger Station (Hurricane Ridge Rd) and watch for the campground on the left just yards past the park entrance.  The way to the park is well marked. You can miss the campground because it is so close to the gate and the sign sits back a bit.

Proximity to shopping: about 16 miles to Port Angeles.  It is a good sized community and seems to have just about anything you could want.

Camping Population:   varied

Sites:   really tight but private. They just weren’t made for RVs.  It was even a tight squeeze for us.

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RATING KEY:    category - score 

Categories:  I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

                    II -  boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

                               one might choose to stay for more than a night.

                    III - over-night areas 

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service  

FRENCHMAN COULEE, Vantage, WA

FRENCHMAN COULEE

RUN BY:  State of Washington

LOCATION:  Vantage, WA

UTILITIES:  none

COST:  none, but you need Washington State Discovery pass (worth the $30)

DISCOUNTS:  N/A

OUR RATING (1-5): Category II, Rating 4+

NOTES:  One of our favorite places. We have been to Frenchman Coulee twice – spring and fall. Both times it was outstanding. Our favorite campsite is one of the first at the top where we can turn our trailer’s big back window toward the waterfall and have a marvelous view.  Driving down the narrow road with a 3-400 foot drop on one side might unnerve a few people, so be prepared.  If you have trouble with driving such a road, you can get into several really nice sites right at the top, thereby avoiding that drive. There is a boat ramp at the bottom of the road where you can launch into the Columbia River. There is a nice hike to the bottom of the water fall. We have been warned that the water fall can be seasonal but it was flowing both times we were there.  The Washington State Park pass is easy to obtain and worth the money. We have used ours several times traveling through the state.

Environment:   This is rocky, mountainous terrain. There are no trees. We have been there in spring and fall and the weather has been warm days and chilly to cold nights.

Amenities:  None

Dump:  No    (There is Wanapum State Park a mile or so south of Vantage, WA that might let you dump for a fee.  Go about 9.8 miles west on I-90 to Vantage exit. Get off and go south to park.)

Public Water:  No   (Probably have to go to George about 8 miles east)

Toilets:  No  (I think there are pit toilets at the boat ramp.)

Showers:  No

Laundry:  No  (The nearest laundry is in George, WA., 8 miles away.)

Phone Service:  Verizon was 3-4 bars of 4G.

Nearest Propane:   We didn’t need propane when we were here, but Google says there is some in Quincy, WA, but that’s a risk. Sorry!

Location:   Take I-90 to Exit 143 (east of Vantage, WA). After exiting, turn west on Silica Rd SW. (If you come to a T-intersection almost immediately, you’ve gone the wrong direction.)  Follow Silica Rd SW to Vantage Rd. Turn left on Vantage Rd.  The coordinates of this turn are 47.028541  -119.940237. Less than a ½ mile down the road you will see the coulee and see dispersed camping sites.

Proximity to shopping:  Quincy, about 18 miles away, is probably your nearest shopping. George (8 miles) is limited. 

Camping Population:  Lots of rock climbers. 

Sites:   dispersed camping. Be careful of the entrance to some of the camping areas. They can be rough.

======================================================================

RATING KEY:    category - score 

Categories:  I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

                    II -  boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

                               one might choose to stay for more than a night.

                    III - over-night areas  

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service  

BAKER CAMPGROUND, Great Basin Nat'l Park, NV

The road to Baker Campground

BAKER CAMP GROUND

RUN BY:  National Park Service

LOCATION:  Great Basin National Park,  Baker, NV

UTILITIES: None

COST:  $12.00

DISCOUNTS:  Senior (50%) and certain Interagency passes

OUR RATING (1-5): Category I, Rating 3+

NOTES:  We visited Great Basin National Park in the middle of October 2017.  The weather was great. The days were moderate – coat weather for southerners – and the nights were cold. It went down into the 20s each night.  Our site had a fantastic view but, in looking around, it was only one of one or two sites that had such a panorama. Our friends were camped near us in the other site. We both had difficulty leveling.  The area is beautiful and the cave is awesome!  NOTE: The other three campgrounds were already closed when we got there Oct 16^th.  Baker Creek Rd, on which Baker Campground is situated, is a three mile dirty road closed from November through April.  Wild Turkeys were in abundance! Our friends were awakened by them pecking at their Class-C shinny hubcaps.

Environment:  You are in the high desert at an elevation of  7,423 ft.  Junipers and Pinyon Pines. October weather was warm days (50-60s) and cold nights (20-30s).

Amenities:  None

Dump:  Yes  (but closed by October. There is one in Border, NV about 10 miles away)

Public Water:  Yes, but is turned off for the winter by October

Toilets:  Yes

Showers:  No

Laundry:  No   (nearest Laundry is Ely, NV >60 miles away

Phone Service:  rather poor Verizon 4G signal

Location:  Enter the park from the town of Baker on State Rte 488.  The campground is 3 miles up a dirt road to the left of the main road to the visitor center. It is well marked. Coordinates for the turn off of 488 are   39.009095 -114.211786

Propane:  Border might have propane. We had just filled up at a KOA in Ely. 

Proximity to shopping:  >60 miles to Ely, NV.  There is gasoline within 10-15 miles at a place called Border, NV with a truck-stop type store.

Camping Population:  Probably quite diverse during season. There were only three of us there when we visited in October. 

Sites:  Tend to be small. Leveling is difficult in most sites. Long units will have difficulty if they can get in at all.  

========================================================================

RATING KEY:    category - score 

Categories:  I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

                    II -  boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

                               one might choose to stay for more than a night.

                    III - over-night areas 

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service  

ANNIE CREEK, Ft Klamath, OR

ANNIE CREEK SNOW PARK

RUN BY:   State of Oregon

LOCATION:   Crater Lake NP South Gate

UTILITIES:  none

COST:  none              

DISCOUNTS:  N /A

OUR RATING (1-5):  Category II  Score 3+

NOTES:  This is a lovely little place down a rather steep dirt road below the parking area for winter snowmobiling. The parking area has a shelter and toilets.  The camping area, where we stayed, was straight dry-camping.  We were in sight of Annie Creek. There was room for 6-8 campers at least. All sites were among large trees. We only stayed one night because of weather. A storm front, which could bring snow, was to arrive. It was raining the morning we left.  I was concerned about pulling our trailer up the steep dirt road in snow or rain despite our 4-wheel drive.   

Environment:  Deep Ponderosa pine forest in high country.  Elevation 4,295 ft.

Amenities:  none

Dump: no   (we didn’t dump until we got to Lava Beds, CA. but odds are there is someplace in Klamath Falls. When the park campground is open, you might be able to go there.)

Public Water:  no   (possibly at park campground up the road, when it is open.)

Toilets: Pit toilets in parking area above you.

Showers: no

Laundry: no    (nearest laundry is in Klamath Falls, OR., 43.6 miles away.)

Phone Service:  no 

Location: Entering Crater Lake National Park from the south you use State Rt 62. After you pass through Ft Klamath, measure approximately 5.5 miles and watch for the Annie Snow Park sign on the right. Coordinates at the turn  36.213499 -112.058150  

Proximity to shopping:  Unless you are looking for something very basic that you might be able to get at a gas station or camp store in the park, the nearest shopping is Klamath Falls 43.6 miles away.

Camping Population:  The couple on one side were from Louisiana. The two men on the other side were from California. Indicators were that the two from California were residential campers* but they were very nice.  Very few there in September.  

Sites:  No sites identified but room for 6-8 units and more if you camp in the parking lot above.

========================================================================

RATING KEY:    category - score 

Categories:  I - established campgrounds where one might spend a vacation or several days

                    II -  boondocking, dry camping where there are no designated sites and no amenities but

                               one might choose to stay for more than a night.

                    III - over-night areas 

You must remember that we are scoring 1 thru 5 according to things which are important to us: the environment, cost, amenities, location, safety, camping population, site, phone service 

* There are people who are not full-timers and van-dwellers by choice. We try hard not to be demeaning or assume that they are bad people but sadly, as you find in the poorer parts of a city, there seems to be more crime. Many call these people van-dwellers. That isn’t really accurate even though they do often live in vans. We know quite a few van-dwellers who have good incomes, are full-timers by choice and prefer a van to other types of vehicles. To try to show some respect for people who have a difficult lot in life, I’m calling them ‘residential campers’.  It is only when you get a high proportion of residential campers in an area that you find an increase in petty theft, etc.