Traveling from Colorado to Minnesota to work the Sugar Beet Harvest is a long travel in a short period of time.  At least it is for us.  We are not fast travelers.  We enjoy our downtime and our goal in traveling is not to see how quickly we can get there.

On the way up to our beet workamping this year, we stayed in three Walmart parking lots and one Flying J Truck stop.  They were not too bad, for parking lots.  Our best night sleep was actually the Flying J Truck stop, tucked away in between two tractor trailers.

But our best decision was to book an RPI campground for six days before the beet harvest campground.  At first we questioned our decision to book another campground as we were already over budget on campsites for the year.

However, we quit questioning our decision when we arrived at the quiet, maintained Forest Hills Golf & RV Resort in Detroit Lakes, MN.  Wow!  After parking lot boondocking for four days, this campground was the answer.

We assume the campground for the Sugar Beet Harvest, although full-hookups, will not be as nice as the Forest Hills Resort.  I have plenty of walking area around the campground.  However, I could also work out in the gym, if I were so inclined.

We have plenty of downtime to catch up on shows and reading before working the long twelve-hour shifts of the Beet Harvest.  And, we cooked and froze a lot of food for the two continuous working weeks that we anticipate.

The $10 a night with an RPI membership is worth the relaxation and preparation we enjoyed while sitting at this campground.  We also met a couple who sat for a few days before they head to their Beet Harvest in North Dakota.  Windell also gained new adventuring ideas from them.

The older we become, the more we realize that we require downtime and relaxation.  I know many couples, both young and old, who push themselves.  They travel faster than we enjoy traveling.  We met one older couple in a Florida rest stop.  They drove sixteen hours and were continuing to their campground in Florida.  Of course, they couldn’t sleep in their bed as they could not access it in travel mode.  So, they just kept driving.

That is not us.  I am not sure if we are lazy or just cautionary.  But pushing ourselves to get to a destination is just not our ideal way of traveling.  We enjoy relaxation and yes, even anticipation.  Although sometimes we do get bored sitting at campgrounds, we become really frustrated and grumpy if don’t take some downtime for a little while.

So, here we are at this beautiful campground, preparing for our Sugar Beet Harvest workamping.  We are thankful for our RV memberships and our relaxation.  If you, like us, also need some downtime, be sure and take it.  No one receives a prize for getting to the destination faster.  Know thyself and what makes you truly happy.

As for us, we have already decided to book this campground again next year if we work the Sugar Beet Harvest.  After six days of resting, cooking, and cleaning, we are ready to face those twelve-hour long shifts!

Unfortunately, on our wat to work the Sugar Beet Harvest every year in Crookston, Minnesota, we have to travel for a few days without our Thousand Trails or RPI campgrounds.  Because staying at campgrounds can become expensive, we always end up boondocking in parking lots for a few days.  I will be honest, we are not great boondockers.  We can handle a couple of days hunting for a spot to land for the night, leaving the slide in, and running the generator.  But, we start to get grumpy after a couple of days.

Boondocking In Parking Lots – Our Experience

When we talk about boondocking, we include dispersed camping in the definition.  However, dispersed camping, to us, signifies finding a designated campground on public land or a park where we can sit for a few days in our own spot.  We can run the generator and put the slide out when we disperse camp.  Although we still prefer campgrounds with full-hookups, we have dispersed camped in one area for a week or two.

But boondocking in parking lots is completely different.   Yes, you can boondock in lots of different parking lots!  We have stayed at Casinos, Walmarts, Cabelas, Cracker Barrels, Truck Stops, and Rest Stops.  After four years of RVing full-time we definitely have our favorite parking lots for crashing for  a night.

Some of Our Favorite Parking Lots are Casinos!

The only parking lots we stay longer than one night in is Casinos.  The couple of casinos we boondocked at were awesome.  One even provided free electric!  Casinos are usually the best parking lots to stay in.  However, we did bypass The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, IA.  It was downtown.  We didn’t like the parking lot and area.  So, we continued on to the Flying J Truck Center in Sioux Falls.

Most casinos have a designated area for RVs to park for the night.  Some charge a low fee.  Sometimes you get free electricity.  Usually the casinos have large parking lots where you can have a bit of privacy from the customer parking lots.  Before parking our vehicle, we always enter the casino and speak to an employee.  We ask if overnight parking is okay and where we need to park.  We also do this for other parking lots.

If you are traveling and need to crash for an evening, we recommend trying a casino.  Again, the only casino we didn’t stay at was the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, IA.

Boondocking Overnight in Stores and Restaurants Parking Lots

Let’s be honest, Walmart parking lots are our most frequented parking lots.  Not all Walmarts allow overnight parking and we don’t like all Walmart parking lots for boondocking.  If we arrive before the store closes and do not see any other RVs, we will go inside and ask if overnight parking is allowed.  Sometimes, you don’t even have to go inside.  They will have signs posted all over the parking lot saying no overnight parking!

Before we arrived at the Flying J Travel Center, we visited the Walmart Parking Lot in Sioux Falls.  Per Campendium, it allowed overnight parking.  However, when we arrived, the parking lot was filled with “No Overnight Parking” signs.  And, we wouldn’t have boondocked there anyway.  The parking lot was small!  It was way, way too small for all the traffic to the Walmart and Sam’s Club right beside it.

We have sat overnight in some really nice Walmart parking lots.  They were away from the highway and much quieter than you would expect.  We always try to park the farthest away from the store entrance and sometimes you will see RVs sitting in a back parking lot.

However, we have also left Walmart parking lots.  Once we were traveling through a city and had decided to stay at a Walmart overnight.  I don’t remember the exact location of this city, but I believe it was in Montana.  We pulled into the parking lot, parking as far away from the building as possible.  When we looked around more closely, we noticed a lot of older RVs that appeared to be living there.

The final large warning light to us that we didn’t want to stay at this Walmart occurred while we were fixing supper.  A car with a couple and some children pulled in near us.  The children left the vehicle to stand on the corner of the street right above us, panhandling.  That was enough for us.  We packed up the camper and headed to the Cracker Barrel.

The Cracker Barrels that we have stayed at have a few nice, long RV spots.  They are usually around the back.  However, you should always go in and ask if overnight parking is allowed.  You will not have as much room to put stairs down and work out in a Cracker Barrel parking lot.  However, they are usually pretty quiet except for street noise.

Cabelas is a fabulous parking lot to sit for a night.  Usually you have a lot of room, with no other RVs near you.  We have seen a huge bus with a long trailer pull into a Cabelas to set up.  Although we usually only sit for one night (who wants to sit in a parking lot longer?), we did sit at one Cabelas for three days.  We were traveling west at the time.  For some reason, we needed to sit for a couple of days.  We went inside and talked to the staff in Cabelas.  They were very friendly and told us no problem to stay a couple of nights.

We were not the only RV staying for a few days in that particular Cabelas parking lot.  However, usually, Cabelas allows one night overnight parking.  They are usually very quiet spots, away from the downtown area, and are perfect for a good nights rest.

Because our stairs are the heavy type that you have to drop down, we usually try to park on the last passenger side slot.  We don’t want to block anyone else from parking.  Also, we don’t want someone to take out our stairs.  Whether it be in store parking lots, truck stops, or rest stops, we always try to park early enough to grab the last parking space on the right hand side.

Boondocking in Truck Stop Parking Lots – Always An Option

My husband drove for the oil field and over the road.  He has more experience with truck stops than I do.  When he first suggested that we pull over for the night in a truck stop from Texas to Missouri , I was hesitant.  That first experience was not our most comfortabl in a truck stop.

We had to pull the truck and camper into a middle spot.  Because we had no experience with our camper or stairs at that point, we didn’t park early to grab the far most parking spot on the right.

So, we were in a middle spot.  The first truck that pulled in beside us was super nice.  They gave us plenty of room to put our stairs down.  However, when he left, the next truck pulled in right beside us.  Jumping out of the camper, over the stairs, is not the most fun way to wake up.

We have learned a lot since that first experience at a truck stop.  On our way up to the beet harvest this year, we decided to stay overnight at a Flying J Travel Center.  We backed up the truck and camper into a truck spot way in the back.  Windell parked the camper perfectly next to an unhooked trailer.  When we pulled the stairs down, they landed right on the line.  It was the best night sleep we had in two days, parked between two tractor trailers!

If you do not arrive too late and you plan how you are going to park, truck stops are a fabulous overnight parking option.  We loved the Flying J back parking area.  The tractor trailers were still running.  But the camper was behind most of the noise and we slept like logs.  It was way better than the Walmart parking lots we popped a squat on for the previous two nights.

Be Careful of  Boondocking Overnight at Rest Stops

We have stayed at lots of rest stops.  You can’t beat Florida for the quality of its rest stops.  Usually they have water to fill your tank and sewer dumps.  Some are away from highway noise.  You can stay overnight at rest stops in Florida, with no issues.

We know when we travel through Florida, we will be staying at rest stops.  They are easy pulloffs from the main highways and interstates.  They usually have 24 hour security and we have never had any issues at Florida rest stops.  In fact, Florida rest stops are our favorite overnight boondocking parking lot!.

However, not all states allow overnight parking in their rest stops.  Some states allow twelve hour parking.  Some limit it to ten hour and others may only allow you to sit at a rest stop for four hours.

When we travel to a state and are looking for a parking lot for a night, we mainly use our Campendium app.  If you click on a rest stop parking and scroll to the bottom of the description, the app tells you how many hours you can legally stay at the rest stop.

We know some people break the rules.  While traveling on Interstate 29 North, we saw a Class C with two flat tires sitting at a rest stop that only allows ten hours.  If you read the comments in Campendium, people will say they stayed longer in a rest stop parking lot than what was allowed with no issues.

However, we don’t want to be those people.  We don’t want to risk having a knock in the middle of the night, startling us.  So, we avoid rest stops that do not allow overnight parking.

If they have signs of “No Camping”, we don’t stop for the night.  If the rest area states ten hours maximum, we don’t stop for the night.  When we travel and look for boondocking parking lots, we want to sleep and sit for at least twelve hours.  We are not speedy travelers.

So, if you are thinking about boondocking at rest stops, know the rules and beaware that they change from state to state.  No matter where we do pull into a parking lot for the night, whether a store, restaurant, truck stop, or rest stop, we do not run our generator overnight.  Although it probably would not bother tractor trailer drivers, it is just a habit we have to shut the generator off.

The Campendium App is a great resource to find parking lot and other boondocking sites.  Be aware, though, that you should scroll down the screen to see how many hours you can legally stay in the parking lot.  Also, ordinances change.  So, we always try to go into the store or restaurant or call ahead to ensure it is okay to park overnight.  Some of the spots we have found in previous years are no longer available for overnight parking.

Are We There Yet?

The hunting and pecking for boondocking parking lots is our least favorite way of traveling.  We enjoy knowing we have a campsite at our next location.  However, we have boondocked at various parking lots.  Casinos and rest stops are our favorite overnight parking spots.  Yet we have had some peaceful nights at Walmarts, and yes, even at truck stops.  But we miss our campgrounds when we boondock.  We love full-hookups and programmed coffee.

Although our full-time RV memberships provide us many options for campsites, some areas just are too expensive for us to stay in campgrounds.  So, we boondock in parking lots in these areas simply to travel through them quickly.  Sometimes you are just trying to get to greener grass.

Because we don’t want to be awaken or visited by the law, we try to make sure we know the stay limits in parking lots and talk with store staff to ensure overnight parking is allowed.   When we finally reach our next campground, we both let out a sigh of relief.  No more parking lot boondocking, no more driving around with a camper to find a spot for the night, and no more walking Walmart for exercise.  Finally, full-hookups and regularly scheduled programs!

Our Favorite Hikes in Zion National Park:

• Scout Overlook Trail, Shuttle Stop #6 The Grotto, 3.6 miles, 1115 feet elevation gain, hard – be sure and hike a mile past Scout Overlook on the West Rim Trail for some more amazing views
• The Narrows Bottom-Up Day Trail, Shuttle Stop #9 Temple of Sinawava, as many miles as you can hike, very little elevation gain
• The Watchman Trail, right at Visitors Center, 3.1 miles, 636 feet elevation gain

Hikes We Missed but Plan to Do:

• Zion Canyon Overlook Trail, .9 miles, 157 feet elevation gain, it is located on the east side of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel and can be tricky to find parking
• Observation Point via East Mesa Trailhead, 7 miles, 702 feet elevation gain, the East Mesa Trailhead on the East side of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel via Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort GPS 37.29698, -112.90013

Our favorite place to visit in Utah is Zion National Park.  We stayed in the area for a couple of weeks in mid to late May, hoping to avoid the crowds during the busier summer months.  We dispersed camped fifteen minutes away from Zion at Hurricane Cliffs Designated Dispersed Campsites GPS 37.2072, -113.2402.  Zion is extremely crowded.  Every day we visited the park, we arrived early in the morning to find parking in the RV/oversize lot with our dually truck.  The Visitor Center opens at 8 a.m. but the shuttles begin running at 6 a.m.  Do note that the parking lots fill up fast!  There is a free shuttle service from Springdale into the park, if the Zion parking lot is full.  However, we had no issues finding parking by arriving before or around 8 a.m.

We now know why Zion National Park is so popular.  It is gorgeous!  We completed the Scout Overlook Trail, The Narrows bottom-up day Trail, the Watchman Trail, and all three of Emerald Pool trails.  We did not attempt to gain a permit for the famous Angels Landing Trail.  With her current fear of heights, Jessica did not feel comfortable attempting this hike.   But who knows what the future will bring.

Scout Lookout Trail

However, even if you do not want to hike Angels Landing, the Scout Lookout Trail is amazing.  This is now Windell’s favorite hike, displacing the Fremont Fire Tower in Mount Rainier National Park.  The Scout Lookout Trail is a strenuous trail and we took a lot of breaks on Walter’s Wiggles.  The Lookout is gorgeous.  We stopped and took in the inspiring view before continuing on the West Rim Trail. Hiking a mile or so further on West Rim Trail past Scout Lookout provides even better views of Angel’s Landing and different perspectives of the canyon.  If you still have the energy after Scout Lookout, we encourage you to continue on the West Rim Trail.  It is well worth the hike.

The Narrows Bottom-Up Day Trail

Jessica’s now favorite hike to date is the Narrows bottom-up day hike.  Although we did not feel comfortable attempting the hike when the water flow was 124 cubic feet per second, we did attempt it the second week when it dropped to 84 cubic feet per second.  We are glad we waited.  Especially Jessica who still fell into the water three times hiking back.

It was our first time hiking over ten miles while crossing a river through a canyon and it took our breath away, sometimes literally with the current and cold water.  The Narrows has been on our bucket list for four years, and we are grateful we finally hiked it.  There is no set endpoint to this hike.  You hike as far as you want upstream and turn around wherever you want to hike back downstream with the current.  We recommend this hike to anyone visiting Zion, although it is more enjoyable earlier in the morning with fewer people.

The Watchman Trail

The Watchman hike right at the parking lot introduces you to the gorgeous canyon of Zion and was recommended to us by a ranger.  This trail gets busy, but if you go early, you can have some time at the top to sit alone and reflect a moment.  There is also a short scenic loop trail at the end.  The Watchman Trail is considered an easy to moderate hike that can be completed in around two hours.  We hiked the Watchman trail and all three Emerald Pools in the same day.

The Emerald Pool Trails

The Emerald Pool trails were a disappointment to us.  We hiked these trails later in the morning and into the early afternoon in mid-May 2024.  The trails are very busy and the pools themselves are not very epic.  The waterfalls may flow better at different seasons, and maybe the pools are prettier then. Early spring, late fall, and winter are recommended as the best times to visit these pools.  If you like strenuous hikes, as Jessica does, you may enjoy the hikes to these pools and the lower pool does have a small waterfall you can walk behind.  To hike the Emeralds Pools, get off the shuttle at Stop #6, The Grotto.  The hike is considered moderate, although hiking to all three pools gave our legs a workout.  It is only three miles with 620 feet of elevation gain.

Other To-Do Hikes in Zion

The only hikes we missed that were on our to- do list during our first trip to Zion  were The Observation Point Trail and the Canyon Overlook Trail.  Both trails are supposed to provide amazing views of the Canyon.  However, it was not meant for us to hike these trails due to the Weeping Rock shuttle stop closure and the difficulty of parking.

There are two ways to access Observation Point.  It is a moderate hike at East Zion via the East Mesa Trailhead from the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.  The parking lot and trailhead are on the the east side of the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel.  The hike is seven miles with 702 feet of elevation gain.  We had planned to hike to Observation Point from the Weeping Rock Trailhead, which is Shuttle Stop #7 within the park.  During our visit in May 2024, the Weeping Rock shuttle stop was closed due to rockfall.  It has been closed since 2019.  So, we decided to leave the Observation Point Trail until the next time we returned to Zion.

It was also in our plan to hike the moderate Canyon Overlook Trail.  This trail is less than a mile in distance and was on our way out of the park.  However, while awaiting our turn to drive through the tunnel on East Zion, we spoke with the Ranger.  She said it would be difficult for us to find parking with our dually and that the parking lot was for smaller vehicles.  We looked, but did not find any parking for this trail after passing through the tunnel, so we continued on our way to Bryce National Park.

Zion National Park is extremely busy, and we are not particularly fond of crowds.  However, if you are in Utah, this national park is a must to visit.  The canyons, mountains, and views will take your breath away.  Zion National Park exceeded our expectations in its beauty.

During 2024 we traveled throughout Utah, visiting five national parks and many more amazing sights.  We did not have any Thousand Trails or other campgrounds; we only stayed on dispersed camping sites in Utah for our entire visit.  Although we were truck camping, there were only a few sites we would not have felt comfortable pulling in our travel trailer.  There is so much boondocking in Utah that it is very easy to find spots near the national parks and other areas.  The only area we had difficulty finding a spot was near Salt Lake City.  So we bypassed that area and went to the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, where we saw lots of moose!

Gemini Bridges Road Dispersed Camping

Campendium App

GPS: 38.7114, -109.7271

Moab, Utah

The GPS coordinates for this dispersed camping in Campendium actually led us past the Mill Canyon Dinsoaur tracksite which has a small campground.  However, there are many designated spots along this road.  The pictures in Campendium look as though the travel trailers, etc. took a right to sit beside the rock.  We, though, continued along the Cotter Mine Road and found an amazing spot on a really bumpy road.  The Cotter Mine Road is really bumpy and we would not feel comfortable pulling our travel trailer on it.  But, if you have a truck, van or car, these spots are great.

There is some UHVs that travel the road for some off-roading.  They were very considerate.  The designated campgrounds are not near each other, so you have some privacy and quiet.  Hiking in the area is a lot of fun.  You can visit the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Bone Trail and the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Track Trail.  This is a great place to boondock for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  We stayed here for almost a week.

Hole in the Rock Dispersed Camping

Campendium App

GPS: 37.723, -111.527

Escalante, Utah

This boondocking campground is huge!  There are many designated campsites on the campground.  We would be very comfortable pulling in our travel trailer and leaving it while we explored.  Bigger rigs can easily fit in this campground; you just have to check out the individual sites for ruts and travel slowly on the road.  This is a great spot to explore Escalante.

Our Verizon cell service was good.  In fact, we really had few issues with our cell service at our boondocking spots in Utah.  We stayed in this campground for several days.

Hurricane Cliffs Designated Dispersed Campsites

Campendium App

GPS: 37.1866, -113.2228

La Verkin, Utah (near Zion National Park)

This is BLM dispersed camping that allows a fourteen-day stay maximum.  There are many campsites and roads leading into the designated campgrounds in Hurricane Cliffs.  This is fifteen minutes away from Zion National Park.

We stayed here for over a week exploring Zion and taking care of some maintenance on our truck.  The individual campsites 55 and 56 are very private and were our favorite.  However, we also sat on one site that had a road going through it.  The sign for the Hurricane Cliffs boondocking lists the sites for tents and for RVs.

You can easily pull in bigger rigs into the campground, making sure you find the bigger campsites.  Most of the main roads are well maintained.  We would have parked our travel trailer and felt easy about leaving her while we explored the area.  There is some public and UHV noise, but it is pretty quiet and secluded.  Our Verizon service was excellent here.

Tom’s Best Spring Dispersed Camping

Campendium App

GPS: 37.728, -112.2487

Panguitch, UT 84759, Dixie National Forest (near Bryce National Park)

This is a great spot for boondocking on BLM land.  Per Campendium, the maximum stay limit is 16 days.  Although we turned right on the first road that led to smaller campgrounds, there are larger rig campgrounds further down Road 117 off Highway 12.  However, an A and a fifth wheel did fit into the first campground.

This is an awesome designated campsite campground.  Some of the campsites are pretty close together.  However, we would have no concerns about leaving our travel trailer while we explored in this area.  As in most areas of Utah, our Verizon cell service was good.  It is a very quiet area.  We stayed here a few days.

Hancock Road Dispersed Camping instead of Hog Canyon Dispersed Camping

Campendium App

GPS: 37.1364, -112.5997

We looked for boondocking near Kanab, Utah after returning from the Grand Canyon North Rim.  At first we tried Hog Canyon Dispersed Camping, GPS 37.0812, -112.5295.  The road is rough, and although there is a large parking lot closer to the entrance of the road, it is not very private.  Also, our cell service was not good in Hog Canyon.  Jessica was not comfortable staying overnight and we would definitely not leave our travel trailer at this location.

However, we traveled further along highway 89 and found a Hancock designated campground on the left side on the way to Pink Sand State Park.  The campsite was quiet and secluded and we stayed for several days.  There was another campground right across the road and we saw vans and Class Cs check it out.  But we saw no one pull in to camp.  The campsites are very sandy and we might have been more concerned if we were pulling our travel trailer.  Luckily, we had no rain while we were there.  However, if there had been a forecast of rain, we would have left rather than chance getting stuck.

We probably would not pull our travel trailer into the Hancock boondocking simply because of the sand, although Campendium has pictures of travel trailers at a site.  Our Verizon cell service was good and we stayed a few days at this boondocking site.

Freemont Road Dispersed Camping

Campendium App

GPS: 38.1263, -112.6224

Heading North from Kanab, Utah towards Salt Lake City, Utah, we decided to park overnight in the Freemont Road Dispersed Camping.  The first area is just a large gravel parking lot.  However, there are a couple of campsites further down the road.  When we arrived in the early afternoon, we were the only ones there.  However, we were really lucky and a Jeep SUV pulled up and asked if he could pull in.  We had no idea that the person in the Jeep would be a gentleman from Switzerland traveling throughout the U.S. and that we would visit and chat the entire next day about traveling, customs, and languages.  It was a chance meeting that gained us a friend and changed our view on future travels.  We stayed two nights rather than our expected one-night stay so we could visit.

Larger rigs should have no issue finding enough room at this BLM land.  The dirt road may be a little rough but it is not too bad if taken slowly.  Cattle does roam this area and the gate may be closed.  There are two more campsites further down the road.  However, you cannot hear the highway much at the first parking lot.  There is no shade, but our Verizon cells ervice was very good.

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest near Salt Lake City

Our game plan was to boondock in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and hike to Donut Falls and Lake Blanche near Salt Lake City.  Using the Campendium App, Jessica thought we could find dispersed camping nearby with Forest Road 182 Dispersed Camping 40.5308, -111.5945 or Big Flat Dispersed Camping 40.56, -111.5577.  However, this area is extremely tight, even for just our dually truck.  It is a very busy area and trying to maneuver around all the people was difficult.  We were frustrated and a little tense on the narrowness of some of the roads and the amount of traffic and people.  We were grateful we had not tried this area with a travel trailer.  We may have missed some boondocking opportunities in this area due to our frustration.  However, we simply skipped our hikes and continued to travel north after we thankfully reached highway 15 again.

Christmas Meadows Campground

Campendium App

GPS: 40.825, -110.802

This area in the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is amazing.  We stayed at the Christmas Meadows Campground.  However, there is a lot of boondocking in this area.  It is free to stay if you are primitive camping, as we were in our truck.  However, our America the Beautiful Pass would have covered the fee with our travel trailer.

Although the Verizon cellservice was not good in this area, we enjoyed our stay of several days.  We saw lots of moose early in the morning and late in the afternoon.  Christmas Meadows is a long gravel road that also has permanent summer homes on it.  The road traffic can be a little much sometimes.  However, there is a lot of other boondocking sites besides the Christmas Meadows area.  Some boondocking sites are nearer the wetter areas where we saw moose.

This is a beautiful area with plenty of campsites for larger rigs.  Just make sure and check out the fees for staying here and check in with the office.  We stopped and chatted with the Ranger who told us about the camping regulations and fees and when and where to see moose.

We found some great spots for our dispersed camping in Colorado.  All the sites listed below we used during 2024 in our travels.

CR102 Dispersed Camping off Hwy 25 Walsenburg, CO

GPS: 37.7192, -104.8205

Campendium App

This dispersed camping spot had a small area below the hill for a couple of vehicles to sit.  We  actually went up the hill a little bit where there was a camping spot with our travel trailer in tow.  The gravel road was busy during the day with large trucks.  However it was very quiet at night.  Further up the hill, there were no camping signs.

This is a great spot for an overnight stay only.  We would not stay here for several days, though.  We used this site as our first campsite in Colorado after leaving New Mexico.  It is right off Highway 25.

Manchester Creek Road Dispersed Camping

GPS: 39.0052, -105.1632

Campendium App

We dispersed camped in the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, near Divide, CO.  While we were staying in late April, we experienced a brief snowstorm with several inches of snow.  We had to dig in our winter clothes for some sock hats and glove after being in Florida all winter.  There were a lot of campers in this area while we were there, including a couple fifth-wheels.  Large rigs can easily fit in this area.  The road is well maintained and we had no issues pulling our travel trailer in.  You can stay for fourteen days on this BLM land.

However, it is loud during the weekend.  There are many UHVs during the weekend with a lot of music and noise.  If you want peace and quiet, it is better to stay through the week.

Escalante Canyon Road Dispersed Camping

GPS: 38.7788, -108.2501

Campendium App

This dispersed camping area has designated camping sites on the west side of Colorado.  This area is about 45 minutes away from Montrose, CO.  We used this area while returning from Wyoming.  The area has designated campsites; some are larger than others.  Bigger RVs can either find a spot or park in the parking lot at the beginning of the road.  The road is maintained.  The area is used by the public for recreation.  However, it is quiet.

The sign at the parking lot says seven days of designated camping.  However, some of the campsites have signs with fourteen days of boondocking.  The parking lot is not as quiet as the designated campsites.  There is a lot of traffic in the parking lot where people will stop for an hour or two, even in the evenings.

This area is in the desert.  When it rained on us, it was extremely muddy.  We waited a day but still left tracks trying to leave.

We found the Dugway Campground BLM Dispersed Camping  with our Campendium app while traveling Interstate 80 East back to Missouri.  We use the Campendium  and the iOverlander apps on our phones to find dispersed camping, BLM Dispersed Camping, water, showers, and dump stations while traveling.

The road to the Dugway Campground is quite a ways from the highway and a little rough.  However, we pulled our travel trailer slowly on it with no issues.  There is a small boat ramp with the North Platte River next to the campground and there were a few people who visited the boat ramp.

The campground itself is very serene and the night sky is brilliant.  We really enjoyed the solitude of this campground in Wyoming.  The campsites are designated and you can stay for 14 days.  If you want some solitude and open sky, this is a great place to sit.  The road and campgrounds accomodated our 23′ travel trailer with no issues and could handle bigger rigs also.  We stayed two nights here just to rest from the road and we would definately stay here again if passing through the area.

The GPS coordinates for this campground are 41.86026, -107.0534.  We did make a short video on the campground on our YouTube channel The Nonsense of W&J https://youtu.be/zwyvUXttnJA