1. Book your sites early
I have found myself scrambling for campsites so often lately! Is it just me or is it almost impossible to book the campsites you want anymore? All of the State Parks in Colorado open their campsites for reservations 6 months out so mark your calendar for November if you want to camp in the spring! Some sites are so popular you honestly have to be online at midnight 6 months prior to reserve your favorite spot. Wyoming has a similar policy but they actually give preference to Wyoming residents with a booking window before it is open to the general population. They don’t open reservations until 4 months out.
2. Mix in some remote spots if possible
We have a pretty diverse schedule through the camping season which includes 2-3 “travel” trips and then fill in our weekend “camping” trips in between. Our travel trips are usually longer trips and almost always include full hook ups wherever we go. This is how our family has been exploring the US. We pick an area within a reasonable driving distance to explore, usually spending 2-3 nights in each location over 10 days to two weeks. Then we also have our favorite “camping” or boondocking trips throughout the summer. These are the places we have learned about over the years where we don’t have hook ups of any kind and we know that our camper will be able to get in and out fairly easily. We do truly enjoy our travel trips but the actual camping trips definitely hold a special place in our hearts. When we go remote and find that perfect spot in the woods, away from all tech devices and noise, that is when we really feel connected to each other and to this earth. There is just something magical about diving into nature and surrounding yourself with dirt and stars. Make sure you have an adequate off grid set up including either a generator (or 2) or a solar panel system so you can still operate the necessities like your slide (if you have one) or your Keurig if you’re like me. Ha!
3. Try to avoid holiday weekends
We have been camping for a LONG time. Tent camping was one thing but trying to go camping on holiday weekends with an RV has become just not as worth it to us. Obviously, everyone wants to take advantage of long holiday weekends and get out of town. But that also mean EVERYONE will be going to the places you want to go! You will be competing for the campsites, the best spot on the lake, beach, even sewer dumps! Maybe for the sake of your sanity and actually getting to spend quality time with your loved ones, just plan on staying home over 4th of July weekend this year? Honestly, we refer to holiday weekends as armature hour because it tends to be that every single campground has at least one group that has been cooped up way too long, they get a long weekend off of work and the really want to let loose. Well that just leads to a raging drunken party that everyone in the campground has to listen to until the wee hours of the morning. I guess it all depends on your priorities. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the drunken party every now and then but if solitude, relaxation and communing with nature are what you are after, maybe wait until next weekend.
4. Plan locations dependent on time of season
- Head south for spring break
We live in Colorado. Sometimes our winters can feel like they are lasting a decade. By March, we are aching to thaw out our bones and bask in the sunshine for just a little bit to tide us over until we can get to springtime at home. So we head south. Every year, for spring break, we plan a trip that takes us just far enough to get warm for a week. For us, this usually means Arizona with stops in Moab and other low desert type places.
- Head to the mountains for mid-summer
Just because Colorado gets some great snow in the winter doesn’t mean we don’t have hot spells in the summertime! Heat is definitely a relative thing when it comes to comparing us to different states. We typically don’t break into the 100s but when the mercury rises, we definitely feel it. The great thing is that we live at the foot of the Rocky Mountains so we just hop on the highway and gain some elevation in search of cooler temps for a few days. Finding a shady spot in a forest is one of my favorite destinations. If that forest happens to be on the edge of a lake or river, even better!
- Avoid traveling over mountain passes in Fall and Spring (and of course winter)
Plenty of times, we have wanted to squeeze in one last trip before packing it all up for the winter. Its still warm at home, so lets head up to Winter Park for the weekend! Better check your weather app first, it might be snowing on Berthoud Pass! Elevation changes bring on some pretty drastic weather patterns sometimes that we need to keep in mind when we are driving or towing large rigs over winding mountain passes. You don’t want to get caught without the appropriate tires, chains or gear when faced with an unexpected snow storm. Also keep in mind that if you are in that wintery weather too long, your plumbing might freeze if you don’t have the proper set up under your rig.
5. Do adequate research on the campground
A few years ago, we were driving through Wyoming on our way to Montana and stopped at a KOA for the night. I had made a reservation so we knew where we were going and have had good luck with KOAs in the past so we thought it was a safe bet. As we were following Google Maps to the campground, we were using these ginormous white petroleum holding tanks as a landmark…” ok, I think we turn near those big tanks.” So, we turned. Little did we realize that the campsite where they expected us to sleep for the night was right at the foot of those holding tanks! Well, that was not going to work for my Fire Protection Engineer husband. He was pretty surprised they even would allow a campground to be next door to that kind of a facility. A quick satellite view of the area on Google Maps would have shown me this issue before I ever booked the site. You can also keep an eye out for major highways, railroad tracks, bars that would stay open late, etc. which might interfere with you getting a good night sleep or enjoying the campground. Also reading online reviews of the campgrounds can be very helpful.