(non-skiing) TR: Camping Telluride, Silverton & Mesa Verde

[Admin]

It certainly looks like Glacier/Waterton would be off the table this year for anyone.

 

[Evren]

You'd think that smoke-filled skies for the last two weeks would have moved me to check on the source, especially given where I intended to travel. But you'd be wrong. Things have gone so smoothly all summer in my travels that I must have become complacent.

So all those links above have been quite the revelation. And thanks.

I was thinking that the combination of fall colors and snow expected the next few days in the Glacier area would make for some fine opportunities for photography. But now I reconsider.

 

[Marc_C]

I was thinking that the combination of fall colors and snow expected the next few days in the Glacier area would make for some fine opportunities for photography. But now I reconsider.

If you were within an hour or two it might be worth checking out, but any drive much longer than that would be a real crap shoot IMO and probably not worth it.

Interesting photo from a couple of days ago; fire with aurora:

 

[Marc_C]

Now I'm not one to second guess someone else's choices, but for the life of me I can't understand why people would insist upon paying for a spot in the crowded National Park campground (without even hookups at most sites)...

Besides the aforementioned hookups - and yes, those are actually rare in the national parks - there are several other major reasons:
1. It removes an additional bit of research and planning that people don't want to do.
2. Proximity to amenities - grocery, showers, restaurants, tours, etc. Yes, it all depends on the park and the location of dispersed camping relative to the park, which brings us to...
3. People want to spend time *in* the park, not outside - this includes camping/RVing. And frankly with some parks the location of legal dispersed camping is pretty far from where you want to be. Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce, even Arches immediately come to mind. Seeing that it can take 45 minutes to get through the entrance gate at some parks at some times of year, it becomes a real consideration.
4. People are *very* leery of leaving their multi-thousands of dollars rig or even their tent/sleeping gear/kitchen stuff unattended in a remote location while they head into the park for a day.

 

[Admin]

Now I'm not one to second guess someone else's choices, but for the life of me I can't understand why people would insist upon paying for a spot in the crowded National Park campground (without even hookups at most sites)...

Besides the aforementioned hookups - and yes, those are actually rare in the national parks - there are several other major reasons:
1. It removes an additional bit of research and planning that people don't want to do.
2. Proximity to amenities - grocery, showers, restaurants, tours, etc. Yes, it all depends on the park and the location of dispersed camping relative to the park, which brings us to...
3. People want to spend time *in* the park, not outside - this includes camping/RVing. And frankly with some parks the location of legal dispersed camping is pretty far from where you want to be. Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce, even Arches immediately come to mind. Seeing that it can take 45 minutes to get through the entrance gate at some parks at some times of year, it becomes a real consideration.
4. People are *very* leery of leaving their multi-thousands of dollars rig or even their tent/sleeping gear/kitchen stuff unattended in a remote location while they head into the park for a day.

Although my comment was specifically referring to this NPS campground, my feelings generally remain the same at other parks, although there are logistics to consider when making a decision at those other parks. At Mesa Verde, the discrepancy was far more pronounced in favor of the BLM land we actually camped on.

 

[Marc_C]

...although there are logistics to consider when making a decision at those other parks.

Precisely.
Have I camped in Yosemite? Of course - too many days to count.
Do I like camping in Yosemite? Hell no - it actually kinda sucks for a lot of the reasons you mention. Plus bears that are far too used to humans.
But......I wasn't there for the camping, and me and my partners didn't want an hour+ commute every morning and evening. There's definitely something to be said for grabbing your gear after breakfast and walking over to Glacier Point Apron to get terrified sliding around on tiny footholds with poor gear.

 

[Evren]

legal dispersed camping is pretty far from where you want to be. Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce, even Arches immediately come to mind.

I was at Bryce this past June and found plenty of dispersed camping within a mile of the entrance, arriving Friday evening. It was quite the revelation that this was possible. But the two times before that: first, I used a campsite within the park, because I was new to camping and timid. The other time, I was on Forest Service land but far away. FreeCampSites and Campendium changed all that (did they exist 3-4 years ago?)

Now I am at a point where I can smell out viable spots even without those sites but they provide a safety net coming into a new area.

Everywhere I go, #vanlife is all the rage. Obviously some of this is due to the fact that I myself am car camping on an extended trip but not entirely. The vehicle people are drooling over is not some new Tesla but the caravan from Mercedes.

Meanwhile, I am writing this from the library at Bozeman. Camped just outside Bridger Bowl, in a fantastic free designated NFS site. The canyon is beautiful and Bozeman has all the amenities of a great college town. Buying booze at Costco and paying no tax(!) is just the icing on the cake.

 

[Admin]

FreeCampSites and Campendium changed all that (did they exist 3-4 years ago?)

I can't speak for FreeCampSites.net, but Campendium did not. It was conceived 4 years ago and launched 2 years ago.

Meanwhile, I am writing this from the library at Bozeman. Camped just outside Bridger Bowl, in a fantastic free designated NFS site. The canyon is beautiful and Bozeman has all the amenities of a great college town. Buying booze at Costco and paying no tax(!) is just the icing on the cake.

Bozeman rocks. (And so does Bridger.)