Camping CO, WYO, MT

[Cumminz]

Scenario​: while traveling out west around very busy vacation spots what does RVers do if no campsites are available?

[spock123]

I have always been able to find a campsite. Try a apps called rvparksand campground

[La Plata View]

I know it's not a direct answer but... It depends.

Size of your camper. Will it fit in a NF camp site (which tend to be smaller.)? Do you need to have hookups or are willing to dry camp. Remember we have much more public land out west. National Parks, National Forests, State Parks, BLM, etc. Either in non-reserve designated CGs or just open camping. Sure, pulling in late on a Friday at the start of a holiday weekend is going to be tough so plan accordingly.

The ability to reserve a space in a designated CG is a double edged sword. Nice to know there's a space waiting. But we've seen too many sites marked "reserved" but sitting empty for days at a time. This is partly driven by the reservation system. You pay to reserve the spot, but they charge to cancel so many folks just don't cancel. Works fine for the concessionaire as they collect for a site and there's less work/cost to maintain the CG when that site sits vacant.

But sometimes you really need a reserved spot. Zion NP from spring through the fall is an example. Packed!

[Skyliner]

You don't need to use a campground in Colorado. Just find a spot on public land and do some boondock camping away from the screaming kids, barking dogs, loud neighbors 2 feet on each side of you, and high fees...all commonly associated with campgrounds. An inverter generator is highly recommended.

[Cumminz]

Skyliner, when you say find a spot do you mean a spot off the side of the road?

[f5moab]

Not just CO, also WY, MT, ID, UT, NV. All are full of Federal lands that allow dispersed camping in many areas.

Suggest researching the USFS and the BLM for each state and get their maps for areas you are traveling through.

[La Plata View]

Cumminz is right. We prefer open camping to get AWAY from the noise of humanity. I've never understood why some folks will go into the wilderness, pull into a campground, fire up the generator, then crank up the stereo or TV. Instead of bird songs I hear barking dogs, screaming kids, adults yelling, and TVs blaring. The kids at least are having fun in the outdoors. But the simple courtesy of not running through other campsites needs to be taught.

I will say we are seeing more areas closed to "open camping". A trip just east of us near Wolf Creek Pass last fall turned up several areas of National Forest land that was marked as no open camping.

Since we live in a popular area - southwest Colorado - we get a lot of campers every year. Not everyone is mindful of the treading lightly philosophy and will tear up open ground, leave trash behind, build new fire rings where ones already exist, etc. That gives the FS the justification to close an area. Another problem that's been growing every year here in Durango is the annual migration of homeless people. They "camp" in the hills just outside of town and come into town to panhandle. In the fall volunteers mush clean truckloads of trash from their camp sites. Again, the reaction is to close areas to open camping thereby hurting everyone.

As for where to open (dispersed) camp the FS website gives some ground rules. "Dispersed camping is allowed in a one-mile perimeter away from campgrounds and 100 feet from any stream. To prevent resource damage please keep your campsite within 150 feet from a roadway."

[f5moab]

That's a problem that is happening everywhere. A large area south of Moab that was unregulated dispersed camping has now been designated as requiring toilets or some type of canister that will allow human waste to be removed.

One area along Kane Creek that was state land that allowed dispersed camping was involved in a land swap with the BLM who then closed it to dispersed camping but added about five campgrounds with vault toilets.

Driving Kane Creek trail on a nice hot July day smelled like poop when you came down into Hunters Creek. There were more cat holes in that small area than there are liars in DC.

Years ago, when dispersed camping was allowed along Hwy 128, the state asked the BLM (who controlled the land) to close it to dispersed camping cause of the pollution being dumped into the CO river and the area next to it.

That's when the BLM put in the numerous campgrounds along the river all with vault toilets and cut off dispersed camping (at least from Dewey Bridge to Hwy 131. This was many years ago.

Too many people ruining it for the rest of us.

[Cumminz]

I don't know what vault toilets are. A campground in central GA that has no sewers they off dump station on the way out but they utilize gray water dump stations through out the park. They are large holes in the ground full of washed stone with wire grate on top. Simply dump some of your gray water in bucket or tank you can pull to gray water dump and empty. Great idea and cheap to build.

[La Plata View]

A vault toilet is a modern version of an outhouse. Basically a restroom where the toilet in just a seat over a holding tank or "vault" where the waste goes. Venting helps to keep the smell down but also has effect at times to be a little cool on the bottom.

The vaults have to be pumped pumped out regularly. The cost is one reason why the FS is closing some of these at rest stops. Personally, I think when nature calls folks are going to go when the have to go. Not providing these just means more... um, "droppings" behind the nearest trees.

When we sold out pop-up to upgrade to a camper a built in toilet was a big plus for us. No more middle of the night scamper for us campers!

[Cumminz]

We call them Porta Johns.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Cumminz

We call them Porta Johns.

The vault toilets in national/state forests campgrounds that I've seen, are no way "Portable".

[f5moab]

Originally Posted by Cumminz

We call them Porta Johns.

They are anchored to the ground and have concrete floors (at least at BLM and forest service sites I'm familiar with). And they are ideally positioned at a certain angle to the sun to allow for the big black pipe to heat up when the sun comes out. As the black pipe heats up, the odors are supposed to flow out better. Makes the inside of the vault smell a bit better, but the campsite downwind may have a nasty odor floating over.

And when the BLM (at least in Moab) states toilet required, they will accept a five gallon bucket with a bag as being a toilet facility. When I had the Hummer I would attach the "wag" bag to the spare tire on the back door. With my current setup in the PU truck, I will attach the bag no longer "wagging" to the deck on the front of the trailer and first garbage dumpster I come to, in it goes.

There are many ways to stop defecating in the ground.

[fanrgs]

Originally Posted by Cumminz

Scenario​: while traveling out west around very busy vacation spots what does RVers do if no campsites are available?

With a 42 ft. Cedar Creek fiver, you won't be doing much camping in Forest Service, BLM, or many National Park campgrounds in the West. Most are too old and were not designed for RVs that size.

So, you are limited in the public campgrounds in West that can fit your RV. That means you should plan on using private RV parks, state park campgrounds, or possibly Corps of Engineers or Bureau of Reclamation campgrounds in most of the scenic parts of Colorado and Utah. Examples in western Colorado might be places like Blue Mesa Reservoir, Ridgway State Park, and McPhee Reservoir's Juniper campground (to visit Mesa Verde NP) and private RV parks when visiting towns like Durango, Telluride, and Glenwood Springs.

[f5moab]

I can name a few sites in Moab, but why go to a campground when there are hundreds of acres of dispersed camping where lengths are unlimited. Only difference is the actual BLM campground will have a vault toilet.

As for Forest service, I can name quite a few I have been in that can easily hold 42 or longer. One I commonly head to is in WY, east of Yellowstone (Wapiti), another is in the Sawtooth Range (Stanley Lake) and another is up in Red Lodge MT. There are more, but these I have noted very long trailers in when walking the dogs.

There are quite a few that can easily take a 42 or longer trailer. Just have to search via recreation.gov for the area you are planning to camp in. In some campgrounds like Wapiti there are back ins plus quite a few pull through sites.

Very familiar with UT/WY and ID, not so familiar with CO but have to believe there are more than zero.