Our Ten Favorite Camping Sites: Autumn 2022

We have been on the road now for three and a half months, one full season. Strangely, one of the challenges in this lifestyle is remembering where we have been(!) There is so much NEW that it’s hard to hold it all. Sometimes, we wake up in the night and have a few moments of “where are we?” “Oh, right…”(Individually, of course. Though it would be funny if these moments coincided!) One of the reasons why we keep our instagram account is so we can remember all the places and adventures and just daily things we’ve done. In the interest of keeping track, and creating a useful resource for the crazy/brave adventures of others, we offer this list (in chronological order) of our favorite campsites (so far).

Of the 63 places we camped this fall, we found that we favored solitude and quiet most of all, followed by interesting activities nearby. Cell service, when we found it was a real perk! In autumn, the places below were (mostly) quiet, more so than they might be at different times of the year. So take our list with a grain of (seasonal) salt.

Pathfinder Reservoir, Wyoming

This spot is likely hoppin’ in summer but when we were here in early Fall, there were only a few folks around. The Pathfinder Reservoir is about an hour’s drive from Casper, Wyoming. The road in was easy, though bumpy in spots (Yikes bar rating of 1). Though in rainy weather, it is likely a whole different animal. We bypassed the established (fee) campgrounds (three along the Northeastern edge of the reservoir) and boondocked on the rocky “beach” for free. Because of the campgrounds, pit toilets and a boat ramp were within walking distance.

Best parts? We were able to take the inflatable kayaks out for a test drive (awesome on a hot windless day) and to explore some spots on the opposite shore. Also, there are really interesting rocks here. We found jasper, agate, and aventurine. Best of all: We set up some hammocks in the trees and just enjoyed the deserted beach! Downside? Barely any cell service. We were able to make a call from the highest point we could find, but missed our daily Wordle.

Freeman Reservoir, Colorado

This is another spot that is clearly busier at other times of the year. But when we were at Freeman Reservoir in October, the trees were gorgeous, the air was crisp and the elk hunt had not yet started. There are 18 spots in this campground and they cost $12 per night ($6 with a Golden Age Pass). Freeman is a popular fishing spot (We saw a pair of bald eagles there and many MANY trout). Even better, there are some nice trails heading out into the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, enough for several days of hiking. Signs of wildlife were everywhere… also signs of sheep (which are grazed in this area) and sheepherders (who “tagged” the aspen trees along the trails). The road in is a little bit rough (Yikes bar rating of 2) but mostly just around the curves where washboard causes a scary lurch (take those slow!). We’ve already raved about this spot (here, in case you want more details). Downside? Barely any cell service. This is a theme with the spots we loved.

Deerlodge Park Campground, Dinosaur National Park, Colorado

We have already raved about this spot, too. But of course it had to make the list! Autumn is the perfect time to check this place out. We enjoyed the bugling of elk, the howling of coyotes, river views, dramatic skies and great rockhounding on the BLM land nearby. In addition to all that, there is a rarely-visited hiking trail right down the road, many interesting areas nearby, and a lot of solitude. It doesn’t have the developed feel of many National Park Campgrounds, which is why it made the our list. Downside: Cell service was super spotty. Also, we hear it gets quite busy here during the river rafting season in early summer.

Wedge Overlook, Utah

This spot is part of the Wedge Overlook Buckhorn Draw Scenic Backway. Here you can camp on the edge of Utah’s Little Grand Canyon in the Northern reach of the San Rafael Swell. It is remote but not that hard to get to. In Autumn, there were others around, especially on the weekend. But, if you are willing to drive along the rim a bit, it is possible to stake out a quiet boondock and explore. The road in from the north is a bit washboard-y. Along the rim, there are a few rocky patches, but nothing too difficult. The road in from the South is a bone-jarring mess of washboard and goes on forever, and not in a good way. (3 yikes bars!) But once here, you can take in the canyon, explore the stellar dirt bike trails or go cross country through the beautiful juniper forests that stretch for miles. Also: THE CANYON. Camping here is free and there are pit toilets at the overlook parking lot and along the dirt bike trail that follows the rim. Cell service (Verizon) is great here.

San Rafael Swell Boondock, Utah

This spot was on the Southern end of the San Rafael Swell, just West of Goblin Valley State Park. To reach it, follow directions for Little Wild Horse Canyon and then drive PAST the parking lot for that hike to boondock along the BLM road. While it was busy here, with several popular canyon hikes nearby, we were able to stake out an awesome spot. While here, we hiked parts of Ding/Dang Canyons and Little Wild Horse Canyon (which was PACKED with people on the weekend). Even better, we hiked cross country into some amazing, trail-less badlands and found amazing agate! The road beyond Little Wild Horse Canyon is doable, a bit sandy and slightly rough in good weather. Do not boondock here if rain is expected; you can see the effects of past downpours all around you here, and it ain’t pretty. Downside: No cell service at all, and weekend crowds.

BLM Boondock North Of Big River, California

This desert spot seems a little nondescript at first. It doesn’t even have a name (that we know of). We found it in our Arizona Rockhounding book and, when we arrived, found that there were boondocking spots along the road. Beside beautiful agate, jasper and chalcedony, turns out that this place has expansive desert views, beautiful washes and historic mines. Wyatt Earp had a mine in the mountains north of here. The road in is partly easy (1 yikes bar for the first mile or so then it gets rough) and it is much less busy and polluted than spots closer to Lake Havasu City (Looking at you, Craggy Wash).

We set up on our own small hill and enjoyed wonderful sunsets, and strong Verizon signals. There are many dirt roads for walking and the town of Parker, AZ is less than 10 miles away. This spot is on BLM land. It’s free.

Palm Canyon Road Boondock, KOFA Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

This is another wonderful and wild free spot. It is south of the famous Quartzite, Arizona, on Palm Canyon Road. In November, this area was relatively quiet. Though there were others camped along the road, we could barely see them from our spot and had an expansive area all to ourselves. Lots of lovely quiet (aside from coyotes that howled up very close to the van at night). While in the area, we hiked Palm Canyon and took some lovely road walks. (The gravel road in is very well taken care of, 1 yikes bar.) It is possible to walk overland for miles here, but watch out for the cholla cactus. There are many, much to Milo’s chagrin. There are several similar boondocking spots in the beautiful Kofa Mountains. When we return to Arizona, we’ll give those others a try.

Alamo Canyon, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

This spot is a primitive campground within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. There are just 4 first come first serve sites here, clustered at the mouth of historic and beautiful Alamo Canyon. We got here mid afternoon, mid week in November and got a spot easily. The place never even filled up!

From this spot, you can hike Alamo canyon and its system (there are social trails far back into the mountains). You can also explore a deep wash beside camp… or just enjoy the amazing cacti, birds , snakes, tarantulas and other animals here. There are pit toilets and picnic tables. That’s it for services: no water or cell service here. The camping fee is $12 ($6 with a Golden Age pass).

Black Hills Rockhound Area, Safford, Arizona

This spot was a sleeper. We saw it listed in our Rockhounding Arizona book and didn’t expect much other than a quick stopover to look for fire agate. We were surprised and delighted by the expansive desert peace here. The road up earns close to 3 yikes bars as it is (unsurprisingly) ROCKY here. Consequently, our spot was less than half a mile past the “Rockhound parking area”. Once settled, we enjoyed lovely valley views, excellent Verizon signal, and miles of great rockhounding! One of us (Perri) spent three full days traipsing around the hills searching out fire agate and other cool silica-based stuff. The other (Dan) had great connectivity and got a lot of work done. We didn’t have many neighbors here, but we did enjoy meeting Chris, another traveler, and his adorable dog Teddy.

So.much.cool.chalcedony.and.agate. The ground here is littered with it… also littered with cacti and other prickly plants. To find the good stuff, it’s best to roam far from the “rockhound area” … slowly, to avoid cheat grass, prickly pears, ironwood, etc. Black Hills Rockhound Area is free. No services at all. Just a big old rocky desert (Love it!) Also, Gila Box Riparian Conservation Area is nearby as is the Black Hills Backcountry Byway. If you want to switch it up a little, the BLM’s Hot Well Dunes Recreation area 30 miles or so south, has camping too– and Natural HOT TUBS. So much to explore here. We will certainly return.

Aguirre Springs Campground, Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico

This place is sooo dramatic! The Organ Mountains dominate your view to the west. Turn the other way, and you gaze way down into the Tularosa Basin, almost all the way to White Sands National Park. When we were here in early December, the place was empty– many campsites on two loops and just three other folks… which is how we like it. There are two hiking trails that head up into the mountains from here: The Baylor Canyon Trail (6 miles one way) and the Pine Tree Loop National Recreation Trail (about 5 miles). Both are spectacular! This campground has pit toilets and water (at the park entrance, which is a ways away.) The road up is windy and steep, but it is paved (1 yikes bar rating).

There are so many birds here! We enjoyed trying to identify them in the thick brush. And we saw deer as well. After so long in the desert, this more foresty spot felt pretty awesome. There are trees! Also awesome, was the small fee $7 ($3.50 with Golden Age Pass) and super clean pit toilets and trash cans. Each site has a ramada and picnic table too. Be warned: this is not a place for a large RV, and many of the sites are tilty. Verizon signal is fair: 2 bars from most spots. But for views like these, we can be flexible! We stayed a couple days, went into Las Cruces (about 40 minutes away) for a couple of days, and then came back to enjoy three more lovely days here.