Boondocking Site Review – Snyder Hill BLM, Tucson, AZ

Polly absorbs the view from atop Snyder Hill

A somewhat crowded but very well-located boondocking spot on the South side of Tucson, AZ

Location: On the corner of  W. Ajo Hwy (86) and S. San Joaquin Road
Coordinates: Approx. 32.156758,-111.115551. Link to map location HERE
Cost: FREE (14-day stay limit)
How We Found It: This is a fairly well-known boondocking spot in the area. It’s listed on freecampsites.net and we’ve known several friends who’ve stayed here.
Nearest Dump/Water: Nearest dump/water at the private RV Parks just north of the BLM area on S. San Joaquin Road.

1. Access – 4/5
   Pretty easy access here with just one ding. This is a small BLM area right on the corner of Hwy 86 and S. San Joaquin Road. Driving west on W. Ajo Hwy from Tucson once you hit the corner, turn right onto San Joaquin and then immediately right onto the first dirt road you see. You’ll see RVs scattered right there by the base of Snyder Hill and you can choose any open site you see. Lots of flat spaces for just about any sized-RV. The main ding is the road is rather rutted/bumpy in spots and does seem to get more so with water/rain (there are a few large dips especially on the northern exit of the BLM area where bigger rigs could potentially get stuck) so DO take you toad in for a walk-around before bringing in a “beast“.
2. Nature – 2/5
   Considering the near-road location this is actually a fairly OK natural spot. You are camped right at the base of Snyder Hill which has some nice (moderately strenuous) hiking over/onto the hill for good views all-around. Base of Snyder is scrub desert and hard dirt. The area has been heavily used so you will find glass and (even) shot cartridges, but overall it’s nicer than I expected.
3. Isolation – 1/5
   This is *not* a place you come for BLM isolation. The BLM is right on the corner of 2 roads so you’ll get some road noise, plus it’s fairly small so you will most definitely have neighbors. Neither bothered us much, but you just need to be aware of it before you come. On the plus side it’s a fabulous location to see sights & visit Tucson. You’re on the south side of town with super-easy access to the Desert Museum and a short drive to Pima Air Museum, Mission San Xavier Del Bac etc.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5
   This is a great location for the paws. Easy scrub desert all around and a decent hiking trail up over Snyder Hill for afternoon walks.

Overall Rating = 3
BONUS ALERT = Camp for free just a few miles south of the fabulous Arizona-Desert Museum!

Summary: We chose this spot primarily as a convenient paw-friendly base to explore some of the south side of Tucson and (in particular) visit the Arizona-Desert Museum. It’s a very small and fairly well-known BLM area that is super-easy to access off the corner of Hwy 86 and S. San Joaquin Road. As far as isolation and nature goes it doesn’t rank too high. You’ll most certainly have neighbors here and you’ll undoubtedly hear some roadnoise, but overall it really isn’t bad. The biggest negatives are the dirt road can get rather rutted/bumpy plus there is glass scattered about (a shame). The biggest bonuses are location (fabulous area for visiting S.Tucson) plus Snyder Hill which dominates the background view and provides some short, but very nice (paw-friendly!) hiking directly from camp. The official camping limit is 14-days although some of the rigs certainly looked like they were settled for longer (I gather BLM rangers do come by occasionally to “remind” folks of policy). Overall we enjoyed the spot much more than we expected, liked our neighbors and would certainly use it as a base for Tucson in the future.

Extra Info: No water or facilities (nearest dump/water is at the private RV parks just north of the BLM area). Somewhat variable 3G Verizon signal on our phone (seemed to knock between full data and voice only), but very decent/stable 4G signal on our MiFi (~3 bars).

Extra, Extra Info – OTHER CAMPING: For those of you looking for other (non-BLM) camping in S.Tucson the nicest/most natural campground in the area is Gilbert Ray, although there are also 2 decent private parks (Justin Diamond J and 55+ Desert Trails) just up the road from the BLM area. All 3 of these parks have access to the extensive network of trails in Tucson Mountain Park. However for those of you with dogs BE AWARE that Tucson Mountain Park does *NOT* allow dogs on any of the trails. Nearby Saguaro National Park does *NOT* allow dogs either. So sadly, very few paw-friendly options this side of town.

View of our site at Snyder Hill

Typical “site” view. This one has a nice back-drop view of the hill.

Another open site view. This is a smaller site on the northern end of BLM area.

View of large flat section near middle of BLM.

View of RV’s parked by the hill.

View on the way up Snyder Hill looking back on some of the rigs in the BLM area

Another general view of camping area

“Arial” view of BLM area from the top of Snyder Hill. Can you see our rig in front middle?

Detailed map of Snyder Hill BLM area

Boondocking Site Review – Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA

Exploring around the lovely Alabama Hills

A lovely, large boondocking area with sweeping rock & mountain views just outside Lone Pine, CA on Hwy 395 in central-east California.

Location: Movie Road, just off Whitney Portal Road in Lone Pine, CA
Coordinates: Approx. 36.599853N,-118.119378W (= start of Movie Road). Link to map location HERE
Cost: FREE (14-day stay limit)
How We Found It: This is a fairly well-known boondocking spot in the area. We read about the area on other people’s blogs and scoped it out last year while staying at nearby Tuttle Creek.
Nearest Dump/Water: Nearest dump/water at Tuttle Creek BLM just ~1 mile away. $5 charge.

1. Access – 4.5/5  Pretty easy access for any sized-rig here although as usual a little extra effort is needed to access the best spots:
   Directions -> From the traffic stop in Lone Pine take Whitney Portal Road West ~3 miles until you hit Movie Road, then take a right. The first 1/4 mile or so is paved after which it becomes very wide, firm dirt road. Once you hit the dirt and pass the BLM sign you’re on BLM land.
   Boondocking Spots-> Boondocking spots are scattered all around the dirt roads that lead off in spurs from Movie Road. You’ll see evidence of previously used spots that are cleared and have home-made fire pits. Some of the dirt spurs can be narrow and  very sandy/rough so check out the road before bringing in a big-rig.
2. Nature – 5/5  Excellent nature spot. You are right in the middle of the Alabama Hills with their fabulous rock formations and have a panoramic back-drop of Mt.Whitney and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lots of interesting dirt trails to explore, hike & bike all around the area.
3. Isolation – 3.5/5  Pretty good isolation here depending on where you park. The main ding is this is a fairly well-known boondocking area plus it is also on the ”tourist route” as the place where lots of old Westerns were filmed. As a result you’ll definitely encounter folks driving around and checking out movie locations or doing the hike to the Mobius Arch. The further you get from the main “movie” run, the more isolated you’ll be.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5  Another fabulous pet spot. You have days-worth of hiking and exploring in the surrounding hills, plus lots of space to hang out in camp. Also this is mostly sandy “scrub” desert with no cactus so it’s easy for paws on the ground.

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Camp in the shadow of Mt Whitney within gorgeous rocks and western movie history!

Summary: This ranks up in our books as one of the most scenic boondocking spots around. Located gorgeously in the Alabama Hills you have a backdrop of fabulous rocks with Mt.Whitney and the soaring Sierra Nevada Mountains in the western background. It is fairly easy to access with plenty of space and gorgeous views all around.  Perhaps the only negative about this spot is that it’s fairly well-known on the “tourist loop” as the place to scope out where the old Wild West Movies were made (there is actually a self-guided driving tour of the Alabama Hills in the visitors center), so you will see occasional cars and folks driving by depending on where you park. Also Verizon signal is veeery “iffy” so you might need to scope out a few spots before you find a usable spot. Overall however this is a lightly visited area so you’ll still manage plenty of alone time and the views make it all worthwhile. You are close to Lone Pine and Mt.Whitney which gives lots of opportunities for hiking & exploring movie history past, plus there are miles of interesting dirt trails to hike, bike & explore in the Alabama Hills themselves. Overall an outstanding spot and one we’ll likely come back to again and again.

Extra Info: No water or facilities (nearest dump/water is $5 at nearby Tuttle Creek BLM Campground). Veeeery “iffy” Verizon 3G signal (~1 bar). We were able to get a usable data signal with our antenna/amp, but some spots have no signal at all.

First paved part of Movie Road in the Alabama Hills. BLM sign on the right.

East-side view of our site. You can see a fire ring in the foreground and the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background.

Front view of our site. The dirt road runs to the right.

View from west-side of our site

Distant view of our rig tucked into the rocks. Can you see it?

View of our “sitting area”

Typical “site” view. Cleared out space with fire ring that shows it’s been used before.

Another great site.

Distant view of another boondocker

And yet another boondocker in a nice, isolated spot

Very approximate map of Alabama Hills boondocking area around Movie Road. Lone Pine is on the right.

BLM Campground Review – Horton Creek, Bishop, CA

Walking Polly along one of the many dirt roads at Horton Creek BLM

A simply lovely $5/night primitive campground with gorgeous mountain views ~10 miles north of Bishop, CA on Hwy 395

Link to campground here: Horton Creek BLM, CA
Link to map location here: Horton Creek BLM, CA

1. Site Quality = 3/5 Very simple sites here, but with lovely “sitting areas” and excellent views. The campground is one long road with sites on each side and a small loop at the top. It is set alongside Horton Creek on the left with the Sierra Nevada mountains on the right and the White Mountains in the distance to the east All sites are basically just cleared firm dirt, mostly back-in with a few select pull-throughs. There’s some variation in levelness, but overall good selection of very large flattish sizes for any sized rig especially around the middle of the road. Each site has picnic table, deep fire-pit/grill and a light-hanging pole. Excellent site separation and sweeping views from just about every angle.
2. Facilities = 3/5 Very simple, but well-kept facilities here. Pit toilets at several spots, brand new and kept very nicely clean. On-site potable water tap plus on-site dump station ($5 to use).
3. Location = 5/5 This is a great location. You are only ~10 miles from Bishop which has petroglyphs, good food, shopping, photo galleries, museums and within easy drive of fabulous hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Ancient Bristlecone Forest. Lots to see and do in the area!
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5 Another great pooch park. Plenty of space to hang out in camp plus oceans of back-desert country around camp to explore and hike. Several on-site dirt trails leading for miles into the mountains and lots of nearby hiking in Sierra Nevada’s.

Overall Rating = 4
BONUS ALERT = Camp with sweeping views of the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains

Summary: This is the kind of peaceful, out-there campground that we truly enjoy. Horton Creek is set next to a creek on an escarpment leading up towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is one long road with sites on each side and a small loop at the top. Sites are large, basic dirt but have excellent separation, lovely “sitting areas” and simply great views all-around. The campground is primitive with pit toilets only, but has several interesting dirt trails and on-site dump station and water (these were just installed in 2012!). Add to that it’s a great location, only ~10 miles from Bishop which is a cute town with shopping, galleries, museums, food plus you’re within short drives of outstanding hikes in the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains.  Overall the views were fabulous, the location perfect, the price right and the experience most relaxing. We would definitely stay here again!

Extra Info:  Very good 3G Verizon signal (3-4 bars). Sites cost $5/night no hookups, all first-come-first-serve. 49 total sites. On-site dump station ($5) and potable water.

A view of Lu & Terry’s lovely site #15

Our site on creek-side of the main road in #16. Our front window faced the mountains.

View looking down towards entrance from ~middle of the campground road. You can see Terry’s rig on the left in #15 and ours on the right in #16

View looking up the road towards back sites. #18 on right. The small rig in the back right is in site #21

Another typical site-view. #19 shown

View down main road showing one of the few pull-throughs #24 on right

View of sites further up the main road. Empty site #29 on left eith rig in site #27 behind it.

View towards very back of main road (going into end loop). Site #43 on right with sites 44, 45, 46 behind it.

View of upper site #47

View of typical “sitting area” with picnic table, fire-pit and lamp holder. This is Lu & Terry’s site #15

2011 Top RV Parks & Campgrounds Of The Year

Believe it or not we’ve made it to 2012! With 2011 speeding rapidly behind us (at an ever increasing rate, or so it seems) this is the perfect time to review the best of the best of sites that we stayed at last year (just like we did in 2010). In line with our “free-the-beast” camping style most of the spots we chose were public parks. In fact out of 62 total stops in 2011, only 5 were private parks, and all but one of those 5 were big city. It’s the way we like it ->loose and free in the wild with just a rare touch of civilization every now and then. Since SO MUCH of our camping was in the wilds I’m switching around a few of our catagories this year. Hope you enjoy them!

1/ Top 3 Camping Spots with a VIEW

Lovely Lone Pine Campground, CA

We came across some simply spectacular views in 2011. In fact so many campgrounds made this list that I had to narrow it down to those that gave us true 360-degree views right from our RV site.

• Tuttle Creek, Lone Pine, CA -> Sweeping 360-degree views of Mt.Whitney and the Owens Valley, all for only $5/night. Wow!
• Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, NM -> Nestled in the Sacramento Mountains you have a fully open view of the valley with the mountains behind you. Oh, and sunset out your window too!
• Elephant Butte Lake State Park, NM -> Book a water-front site in the north campground for sweeping views of the lake with the mountains in the background. Gorgeous!

2/ Top 3 BEACH Camping Spots

The wonderful beach at Fort Stevens State Park, OR

We managed some great beach stops both in FL, TX and OR. It was hard to chose, but these 3 made the top of our list:

• St Joseph Peninsular State Park, Cape St.Blas, FL -> Remote and gorgeous with paw-friendly beach only ~1 mile away! We simply raved about this spot when we were there and it definitely makes our top list.
• Carl G.Washburne State Park, Florence, OR -> A hidden gem along the OR coast boasting both a dog-friendlly beach and an awesome lighthouse.
• Fort Stevens State Park, Astoria, OR -> Miles of beach, history, lake and trails all in one. And ALL of it paw-friendly too.

3/ Top 3 FOREST Campsites

Our "sitting area" at Convict Lake, CA

When we’re in the mountains we LOVE the forest campgrounds and we managed some pretty gems in 2011. Here are my favorites:

• Canyon Rim, Flaming Gorge, UT -> What a spectactular spot! A mini-campground with only 7 RV sites just steps away from outstanding views of Flaming Gorge.
• Cayton, San Juan NF, CO -> We totally fell in love the remote Lizard Head Wilderness here and would come back in a heartbeat. You’re next to river, mountains and days of hiking at 9,400 feet.
• Convict Lake, Mammoth Lakes, CA -> It’s the most expensive of our NF choices, but in a simply fabulous location. Lake, mountain and views. You get it all here!

4/ Top 3 Camping DEALS

Desert boondocking just outside of Yuma, AZ

This may seem like an odd catagory, but I had to mention it. I’m lumping together a few campgrounds into one here just to give you a feel for just how GREAT a deal you can get camping in the wilds.

• New Mexico State Parks -> I’ve mentioned them soooo many times on the blog, but they deserve just one more. New Mexico has the BEST camping deal in the country IMHO. The Annual Camping Pass is $225 and covers a YEAR of primitive camping with only $4/night extra for electric. Add to it that New Mexico has some of the most beautiful State Parks we’ve encounted and I really can’t imagine a better deal.
• BLM Campgrounds -> BLM campgrounds are primitive and often remote, but they’re fabulous deals at only ~$5 a pop. Good examples that we’ve simply loved are Tuttle Creek and Owl Canyon in CA, Datil Well and Orilla Verde in NM.
• Boondocking -> What’s even better than $5/night? That would be FREE!! There are tons of great boondocking sites especially on BLM land out west. We snagged a gorgeous spot on the beach in Sea Rim, TX, a desert beauty in Quartzsite, AZ and a remote lovely just outside of Yuma.

5/ Top 3 Not-Yet-Mentioned Gems

Hill view of the lovely Davis Mountain State Park, TX

These didn’t fit into the other catagories, but they made our list of top-rated campgrounds for their own individual reasons. So, here we go:

• Davis Mountains State Park, TX -> One of our absolute top-rated campgrounds because it combined the best of everything. Great sites and facilities in a fabulous location with both hiking, star-gazing and hills. Sadly fire swept this area in 2011, so we’re not sure what it all looks like now.
• Mesa Verde RV Resort, CO -> Yes, a private park believe it or not. Great facilities just outside Mesa Verde National Park. It made the very top of our list of private parks visited in 2011 and deserved a mention for that reason alone.
• Markham Park, Sunrise, FL -> We wintered here last year and consider it one of the nicest spots for extended stay in southern FL. Want gigantic sites, oceans of green, trails and lakes? Add-in a full-blown dog-park and biking area to boot. Then, this is your spot!

There are tons of other worthy and beautiful campgrounds that I didn’t manage to mention, but we’ll just have to place them in the archives for the next time. Happy Camping everyone!

Just a Few More Desert Shots…

Ahhh, just one more sunset...I live for these moments!

Sadly we’ve come to the end of our boondocking escapade out by Yuma. We’ve headed off to San Diego, coming back after two cross-country trips and one full circle to the city where we started RVing over 2 years ago (it’s an odd feeling I tell you). We’re going to do some checking on our storage and complete various appointments before we go back to being desert rats again.

Walking home in our own private paradise (see the RV in the back?)

Although we spent an awesome week out in the boonies, I have to admit we’ve barely touched the surface of what there is to see around Yuma and Imperial County. Like all places the more you hang out, the more you discover to do and this spot is no exception. Downtown Yuma in winter is basically in RV overflow. There are RV parks, rigs and RV shops almost as fas as the eye can see. We weren’t terribly attracted to go there (with one exception, #4 below) but it’s a good shopping spot and there are plenty of other gems awaiting you if take time to explore around. Here are 5 good ones:

Late afternoon gold

1/ Old Mines - We had sooo much fun exploring the American Girl Mine right next to our RV boondocking site, but there are actually a ton more in the area. This site provides the best graphical overview I’ve seen anywhere (just zoom out to see more sites and click on “google map” to overlay roads)

2/ Ghost Towns - Tumco used to house most of the miners in the area and is now a fascinating little visit. Read more here.

3/ Hot Springs - The Holtville Hot Springs are not that far from where we were camped and provide a great little spot to soak and relax. You can even set-up for the winter season at the Hot Springs BLM LVTA area.

Walking the hills

4/ Yuma Territorial Prison - Just the kinda weird little outing that I like. A prison that opened in 1876, operated for 33 years and then shut-down to house Yuma High School kids. Read more here.

5/ Wilderness – There are tons of interesting wilderness spots around Yuma most of which are on BLM land. My top 3 picks are the Imperial Sand Dunes (over 40 miles long!), Imperial National Wildlife Refuge (a wildlife mecca in winter) and Mittry Lake Wildlife Area. The latter allows boondocking too!

Sunset tinges

And that’s just a sampling. Plenty of other bloggers have written about the area and can give you inspiration on where to go. Check out Bayfield Bunch (lots of good off-road trips here), Semi-True Tales Of Our Life On the Road (all about the salad), Where’s Weaver and many more I’ve probably forgotten (just search their blogs on Yuma). Oh and Sassy’s on ‘Da Road headed into our boondocking area just after we left so she’s there now!

With that I leave you with my last desert shots. Adieu grand plains…until we meet again.

Polly the desert rat

A perfect moon