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Old 04-20-2020, 07:35 AM   #1
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How do you camp? Boondocking or campgrounds?

I have heard a lot of people describe their camping experiences. There are a lot of different ways to camp it seems.

I have talked to people that thought they were going to boondock more than they actually ended up doing that. Those folks are in need of a constant Internet connection so that drives them to campgrounds. That and shower facilities.

Then I read in another post from Jim Bennett (post #14 at this link) that most of his camping is boondocking. I wonder if this is just personal choice or easier in some parts of the country than others.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...xle-17565.html

How do you guys camp? Since I came from backpacking, everything is boondocking (in a sense).

When you boondock do you generally feel safe through the night? Is it solitary or are there other campers around?

Our trailer should be ready for pickup in about 25 days. I hope we are!
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:28 AM   #2
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Our previous trailer, which we had for 15 years, was not very well equipped for boondocking so we tended to find campgrounds with hookups much of the time and did very limited boondocking. We are not big fans of most commercial RV parks, prefer state parks and national park campgrounds.

With our Escape we have found that with the solar capability we can go without hookups easily for extended periods and now we camp primarily without hookups, mainly to be in more remote and quiet settings. Most national parks do not have any hookups but generally have wonderful campgrounds. It's easy enough to add fresh water to the tank from a six gallon container and most campgrounds have at least a few water spigots, so other than a dump station once in a while we are pretty self contained and independent.
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:30 AM   #3
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I think it depends on where you live and camp. Canada is about the same size of US in land area but only has the population of California, spread out. Thus up north a lot of open spaces. Down here in the lower 48 the eastern side of the Mississippi is very congested, the open west is more sparsely populated until you cross the Sierras. Thus open space boon docking is hard to come by on this side of the river. In addition depending on weather, cold winter weather means electric hookups, warm sunny weather means boon docking. Thus where you live and camp and the weather plays on how you camp.
If I'm going to stop for the night and pay a fee, I'd expect electric and water and clean restrooms. Also the availability of food nearby so that less time is needed to prepare a meal. Dog exercise areas is also important. There is a steak restaurant in Amarillo, Texas https://www.bigtexan.com where we have stopped several times on our cross-country treks. The cg is called "Overnight" and you can only stay one night. Each spot has electric/water and a fenced in pet area where you can leave your dogs outside for awhile after being inside your tow vehicle for 12 hours. Nice showers also. When checking in you let them know you to go to the Big Texan. Around 5:30 a stretch limo, with huge horns on the hood, picks you up and others and takes everyone to the restaurant. This place is huge and so are the 72 oz steaks if you want one.
Anyway I have a couple of rattlesnake beers while ordering my dinners to go. The limo takes you back every hour. We eat inside, no kitchen mess, I have a little buzz on, the dogs get exercise and some steak scraps and Noelia gets a nice souvenir from the gift shop. Everyone is a happy camper. Next day, Flagstaff, Az.
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Old 04-20-2020, 09:00 AM   #4
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A lot of my camping is with hookups because I travel with a friend (who has an Aliner). He and his rig are not as well suited to boon docking as my Escape. I really enjoy the freedom of being able to camp without hookups. The Great Smoky National Park has no hookups and I prefer the loops without generators. When traveling it seems a waste to pay $40 for a campsite when you are dependent on finding a campground at the right location. (I prefer traveling 300 miles per day) I do belong to Harvest Hosts and find they are a great resource for finding a campsite at the right distance when traveling from one point to another. Also they are preferable (to me) to a Walmart or casino.
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Old 04-20-2020, 09:11 AM   #5
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Like many Escape owners, I do a mix. I tend to stay at state & national parks and a few commercial campgrounds when traveling. Most of the time it is with water & electric or dry camping.

The last 4 winters were spent at the LTVAs in Quartzsite AZ & Imperial Dam, CA. Dry camping in the desert where you pick your place - no actual campsites. The longest stretch of non hookup camping has been 91 days, while 70 - 75 days is the usual.

As to access to the internet, I generally have it through cell modems. On the last 162 day trip I didn't have an internet connection 9 days.
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Old 04-20-2020, 09:26 AM   #6
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Like us, you live in CO. Between CO, UT, NM and AZ, there is no need to stay in a formal campground and pay for camping unless that is your preference.
We've been at this for many years and have never felt uncomfortable camping all by ourselves. In fact, that's our preference.
There are lots of blogs by campers, including several solo women, who boondock by choice. I've never heard of any one of them being threatened.

Within an easy days drive from Boulder you will find dozens of great boondocking opportunities. Two days drive and you will find hundreds. Go for it.
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Old 04-20-2020, 10:25 AM   #7
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Like us, you live in CO. Between CO, UT, NM and AZ, there is no need to stay in a formal campground and pay for camping unless that is your preference.
We've been at this for many years and have never felt uncomfortable camping all by ourselves. In fact, that's our preference.
There are lots of blogs by campers, including several solo women, who boondock by choice. I've never heard of any one of them being threatened.

Within an easy days drive from Boulder you will find dozens of great boondocking opportunities. Two days drive and you will find hundreds. Go for it.

Totally agree on Colorado sites Ed. I was hoping you would contribute your opinion. We have more than enough boondocking opportunities just out back with a view of the continental divide. And Wyoming and Utah are even more skewed towards remote areas that are either national forest, BLM or open range. The farther West you go, the more opportunities there are.

I agree with Jim's assessment that East of the Mississippi the options are much more limited although still present. I grew up in Indiana and Michigan. Michigan is loaded with every kind of camping imaginable and absolutely breathtaking scenery. I am not sure of the West coast opportunities. The Redwoods offer some opportunities but my knowledge is limited.
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Old 04-20-2020, 12:14 PM   #8
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It depends. If we are in sight-seeing mode, we try to get to showers periodically, so we'll get hookups or a KOA-type facility for 1-2 days. In between we can do with just a spot to park.
If we camp in AZ, even in the North (6-7000 elev.), we'll go with electric hookups, which AZ State parks many times have. (A/C and electric heat).

When primarily camping/fishing, it is total boondock mode. It's nice to have toilets, even pit-type, close by, but not necessary.
E.G. Eastern Sierra Nevada Mts., we are typically at 8-10,000 ft. elevation, at some Forest Service spot. Amenities are maybe a picnic table and a bear box; that's about it.
All that being said, that's part of the reason we chose the particular Escape, and options, that we did (17A). For some details of our decisions, part of which answered the question you asked, see this:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ater-8933.html
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Old 04-20-2020, 12:47 PM   #9
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I too am a long-term backpacker. river runner, and tent camper. My main criterion in camping is to find solitude, or at least camp somewhere there isn't another rig right next to us. I really don't want to see or hear anyone else, unless we are with friends. Therefore, we are committed boondockers. We camp to get away from news, internet, television, and finding a place with no cell service is an added bonus. That may sound strange to a lot of folks, but not to us.

In my opinion, it's a wonderful feeling to be camped out in a beautiful spot, totally disconnected from the world and much of its ugliness, blissfully ignorant of what's happening elsewhere in the world. I have found being connected to news and social media 24/7 does not enhance my life, and it is incredibly liberating to be in places unaffected by artificial light and the sounds of civilization. Our Escape is set up nicely for this style of camping. We picked it up in September 2018, and other than charging the batteries, cooling the fridge down on AC, and checking to see if the air conditioner actually works, it has never been hooked up to shore power. Maybe one day if we're traveling and it's really hot, we'll got to an RV park and hook it up so we can run the air conditioner, but so far that hasn't happened!
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Old 04-20-2020, 01:14 PM   #10
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Our favorite spot is N of Flagstaff AZ, over 8000 ft and no hookups. 14 day limit, but they’ll wink,wink slide it a bit, and old mans park pass gets you a night at $12.
We do about 60/40 boondocking vs commercial, the trailer can do whatever type stay we want so really doesn’t factor in to whether we stay or not.
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Old 04-20-2020, 02:32 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg A View Post
Our favorite spot is N of Flagstaff AZ, over 8000 ft and no hookups. 14 day limit, but they’ll wink,wink slide it a bit, and old mans park pass gets you a night at $12.
We do about 60/40 boondocking vs commercial, the trailer can do whatever type stay we want so really doesn’t factor in to whether we stay or not.
We have family in Cottonwood so travel that way quite a bit. We need a recommendation for a nice place to stop. Would you mind sharing name of the campground near Flag?

THX!
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Old 04-20-2020, 04:26 PM   #12
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Goldilocks campers are us. So long as it is not too hot or not too cold, we are OK without a power hookup. On our last trip before lockdown in March, we spent 4 nights at Organ Pipe Nat Mon without hookups (our first time w/o power) and our 2019 E21 trailer worked really well for us. I was worried that the CPAP and furnace combined power draw overnight would be two much for the 2 6v batteries but it was not a problem. I saw 12.5v battery voltage one morning but nothing lower. With our successful no power Organ Pipe experience behind us, I think we will not shy away from no hookup sites in the future. We have the ETI solar on the roof and also used a Renogy 100 watt portable. We were fully charged up by 10am each day. Camping by ourselves in a remote area might be a bridge too far for us presently but as we become more comfortable with no hookups, prehaps we will give that a try. I have to have cellphone Internet for what I do which is location limiting.
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Old 04-20-2020, 05:21 PM   #13
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We have family in Cottonwood so travel that way quite a bit. We need a recommendation for a nice place to stop. Would you mind sharing name of the campground near Flag?

THX!
HarleyD
If you are describing Cottonwood, AZ, you can't beat the local state park, Dead Horse Ranch.
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Old 04-20-2020, 05:31 PM   #14
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If you are describing Cottonwood, AZ, you can't beat the local state park, Dead Horse Ranch.
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Old 04-20-2020, 07:30 PM   #15
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I third the recommendation for Dead Horse Ranch State Park. There are cool historical spots nearby to visit, the town of Jerome nearby, and it's not too far from Sedona. Plus really good BBQ very near the park.
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Old 04-20-2020, 07:33 PM   #16
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Plus really good BBQ very near the park.

We ate at Hog Wild 4 times in 2 weeks.
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:00 PM   #17
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As a kid and teen we always camped and that meant BC Provincial Parks. $2 per night, no reservations, (you didn't need them) pit toilets and a water spigot somewhere near. In my late 20's I made a camper for my Toyota truck and decided to venture south into Washington and was blown away by the fact that the state parks had hookups ...................
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:24 PM   #18
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One of the things I love about our Escape 5.0 with solar is that it is adaptable for every kind of camping. We actually mix it up pretty good. Rally's, state and national park camping, boon docking, Bluegrass Festivals, & Urban camping to explore a city or town in depth.

For example we spent 5 days at the Cherry Hill RV resort outside of Washington DC last October. It has a Metro bus stop right in the campground plus a dog walking service. So we were able to take transit into the District each day, exploring the Smithsonian Museums, restaurants and sights. On the same trip we driveway camped with family and friends 3 different times, camped in state parks, county parks, National Parks, and overnighted in trucker's parking.

Our last trip to AZ had more boon docking but all of the above as well - including an off the beating path hot springs in south eastern Oregon. Then on the way home, all Redwoods and Oregon Coast camping. Basically we do it all and often on the same excursion.
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Old 04-21-2020, 05:53 AM   #19
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Boondocking historically is living/camping in the boondocks. Many now call camping without hookups, even in a populated area boondocking. All camping can be good.

Like others I came from a life of backcountry travel, canoe trips, backpacking and ski touring were all done on a regular basis. No matter what I get to see and do with my Escape, nothing will ever beat the experiences I gained doing this. I just love the getting away from it all, including cell phone reception. I was hoping to do a canoe trip this summer, but will have to see.

With the trailer I very much prefer boondocking or at least getting away from hookups. I do not mind some people around, and while campground camping with neighbours close by is not always all that bad, I do prefer a bit of distance and the ability to camp with another trailer or two that may be with you.

From home, weekend trips are definitely off the grid at our 60+ acre rec property I own with my brothers. A wonderful property with just over 1/2 mile of river and a great clearing set up for camping in. Here we all have our family and friends join us. Great for those quick and shorter getaways.

I really like BLM land where they have it, and last year when on the Baja camped on a few beaches that were real nice, one had no other RVs at it and some had not very many.

As far as campgrounds go, I very much prefer the provincial and state style, as they mostly are placed in a really good area with lots to do and usually great campgrounds surroundings. There are a few more rustic private ones that are not too bad.

While I have stayed at a few private RV campgrounds over the years, they are actually my least favourite place to camp. Some are really not camping, but more of a mostly permanent place for many to park their huge RVs and live in the summer. I much prefer a lake, ocean or river to swim in than a pool.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermilye View Post
If you are describing Cottonwood, AZ, you can't beat the local state park, Dead Horse Ranch.
I too have to agree with this, just about the nicest southern US campground we stayed at for two weeks last year and two weeks the year before. Sedona is nice to visit but is not really a place I want to camp much in given there is very little of that available. So many nice things to do in the area.

The first year we had a nice site for a few days, but had to leave it for a reservation coming in. We had friends coming to meet us and went to the overflow loop which actually is not too bad. It is cheaper due to no hookups, yet still has a nice bathroom/shower facility, fresh water available, and we can still use the dump station. Last year we never got a reservation and just went to the overflow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
We ate at Hog Wild 4 times in 2 weeks.
Though we did try out a few great places to eat around the Cottonwood area, we never ate there. Maybe next time.....
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Old 04-21-2020, 07:27 AM   #20
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We would like to do more boondocking than we do but my wife always worries we will get rousted in the middle of the night for camping in a place we shouldn't. My attitude is "oh well" but that doesn't fly with her. Lots of nice state campgrounds here in new england however.
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