2010 Best RV Parks & Campgrounds of the Year

A perfect view and a perfect spot. Boondocking in Quartzite, AZ

December is a great month for looking back on the year. We’re all holed-up, hot chocolate in hand, snuggling with our honey’s (furry and non-furry alike) and chatting about all the places we’ve been. I’ve kept a fairly detailed list of every park we’ve stayed at, and decided it would be interesting to combine them all and see who came out on top.

Now, we have a definite slant towards open, green spaces and pet-friendly locations and it’s no surprise that those are exactly the spots that came out as our favorites. During the year we’ve also drifted away from Private Parks towards National Forest and State Parks mostly for their paw-friendly space and costs. In fact, of the 42 spots we stayed at in 2010, the top 5 are ALL National Forest. So, with that said, and just a small drumroll (for dramatic effect) let’s reveal the Nina, Paul, Polly, Taggart and Rand favorites of 2010:

1/ Top 3 National Forest Campgrounds

Our “sitting area” in Singletree, UT w/ view of the valley

These were all tied for top spot (as well as best overall in all 42 parks rated). They all scored 4.75/5 in our rating system.

• Hillman Ferry, Land Between the Lakes KY – lakes views, hiking, swimming and outdoor beauty. We had a blast here.
• Rock Creek, Erwin TN - Serene woods, creeks, water-falls and 50AMP hook-up deep in the Smoky Mountains for $15/night. So peaceful!
• Singletree, Dixie Forest UT – Mountains, nature and stunning views of Capitol Reef for only $10/night. We’d go back in a heartbeat.

2/ Top 3 State Parks

Snake Creek, SD. Paul and Polly take a dip 10 feet from our RV

These didn’t quite beat the NF sites in ratings, but came real close

• Snake Creek, Platte SD – daily dips in the Missouri w/ doggie!
• Alafia River State Park, FL - some of raddest mountain bike trails in FL.
• Cumberland Mountain State Park, TN – wooded and relaxed campground in the Cumberland Plateau, plus the nicest camp hosts we’ve ever met.

3/ Top 3 Private Parks

Waheap, Lake Powell AZ. A perfect location

It’s no surprise that our top 3 private parks were the ones who had most space and nature around them

• Santee Lakes, San Diego CA - one of the very first parks we ever stayed at and it still tops the ratings.
• Winding River RV Resort, CO – a huge (enormous), pooch-friendly spot right next to Rocky Mountain National Park and Arapaho Forest.
• Waheap RV Park, Lake Powell, AZ – maybe the prettiest view we’ve had from a site on the whole trip.

4/ Best Beach Park
Although we only really stayed at beach parks in the Eastern part of our trip one park topped the others are being the absolute best and that was Hunting Island State Park, SC. For beach, it can’t be beat.

5/ Best Value
National Forest was definitely our best value throughout the trip. Of the paid sites we stayed at Brick House in Sumter Forest. SC ($5/night) and Singletree in Dixie Forest, UT ($10/night) topped the list. Of course nothing can beat the boondocking we did in Quartzite, AZ.

6/ Best Views
No doubt the best views that we had (right from our campsite) were in Singletree, Dixie Forest UT, Waheap, Lake Powell UT and boondocking in Quartzite, AZ. Hard to beat the views in the West.

It’ll be interesting to see which way we go next year. Given our penchant for space,  we’re likely to continue with our preference for State Parks & National Forest and will probably add more boondocking sites to the list too.

How to Poo in the Woods

As I was contemplating the boondocking post, I became most philosophical and was  naturally drawn to a topic that any good outdoorsman will understand. In fact, all of mankind can find kinship in this matter and that is in the need to eliminate. And further, I would care to venture that there is no better way to do this than in the wild. Yes, I am talking about going to the loo, taking a trip to the John, doing a number 2, or just plain ol’ shitting.

It was many years ago, as we were backpacking in Alaska that I discovered this delightful experience. The whole process was so pleasant and so unlike anything I had tried before that I was immediately gripped. With my usual tenacity I sought to learn more about the experience, and in my research discovered a most excellent book dedicated to the topic which I’ll highlight here:

 How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art (9780898156270): by Kathleen Meyer (now in it’s 2nd edition)

So, as it turns out, I’m not the only one who’s pondered the mysteries of life’s free treasures, and this book is a fabulous introduction to the uninitiated. There is an etiquette to this art of course, such as digging a hole, burning or packing out your paper, and staying appropriately away from water sources. A simple “poo-pack” will do the job with a trowel, paper and matches (where allowed), and a little ziplock or bag to pack out whatever is appropriate.

But, practical bits aside, enjoying a morning poo with the beauty of the wilderness stretching before you gives a depth and perspective in life unlike any other. In all ways it’s a natural endeavor…the human body designed for the position, a soft breeze to fan those delicate areas, and a view that would rival the best-built loo in any million dollar mansion. It makes one think, if we could all just experience this bliss, peace would indeed abound on earth.

With that in mind, the remaining few shots of Quartzite:

The one and only coffee shop in Quartzite

View of "downtown" Quartzite...you can get anything from meteorites to fuses

View of the classic Arizonan cactus (taken during our morning walk)

Polly and a whole lotta nothing

Just in case you should be tempted to speed

Boondocking in AZ

Patricia: “I wonder where we’ll end up?”
Joe Banks: “Away from the things of man”

If you’ve never seen “Joe vs the Volcano” it’s a wonderful movie of life, purpose and going off the beaten path. And that, if you will, explains why we headed off the road in Quartzite, AZ and out into the “boonies” in our very first foray into the alternative world of “boondocking”.

In the US, you see, you may take any self-contained unit and park it almost indefinitely on government land, otherwise known as BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. The BLM manages ~253 million surface acres across the US, in other words, a whole lotta land…and a lot of it is “out there”, or rather “really, really out there”. There’s 2 ways to go on BLM land:

• You may take your RV and park it anywhere for free on undeveloped BLM land for 14 days at a time in any 28-day period (and then you have to move 25 miles).

Or/

• You may park in designated “Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) Sites” for up to 7-months at a time for a small fee.

The regular BLM land’s got nothing, just wide open land, so you need to come prepared. Some of the LTVA land has basic stuff such as a water area, dump area and maybe even a porta-potty, but otherwise it is also just a whole lotta wide, open land.

The whole practice of doing this and going off the beaten track has become such a phenomenon that it has it’s own terminology “boondocking” = the practice of parking your RV in the “boonies”. And, it’s become so popular during winter that some of the Long-Term Sites overflow with literally hundreds of thousands of RV’ers who create their own little cultural sub-phenomenon. Quartzite is one of those famous winter sites, and since we were driving by we just had to see it. This time of year most of the craziness is gone and so we were pretty much out there all on our own with a view worthy of a million.

So, as I sit here sipping my rum and coke, reclining in the deckchair overlooking the Arizonan wilderness, I ponder the things in life that are free. We are surrounded, not by the things of man, but by the sounds of crickets, a pack of coyotes howling mournfully in the background and the buzz of a hummingbird seeking the last pollen of the setting sun. Colors grow warm, shadows long and a gentle breeze follows the changing heat. We are, indeed, well out there!

Officially boondocking...yup, that's a whole lotta nothing in the background

Another angle of the open view

Dirt road leading into BLM land

Sunset view from the RV