Boondocking as Part of Your Vacation

[Bob Thompson]

We've just returned from a fantastic month long vacation where we were able to include a lot of boondocking. It was such a rewarding experience I thought I would share it so that others considering boondocking might see how easy it is. Perhaps it will be the inspiration some will need to give boondocking a try.

Our adventure started Aug 29 when we departed Corpus Christi for west Texas. We drove all day and spent the first night in Pecos, Tx. at an Escapee's Park. Temperatures were in the mid-90's so we opted to stay in a park with hookups so we could sleep under A/C. That first night was the most expensive of all at about $20 plus tax. The park was really a large flat gravel parking lot with a grid of RV hookups. It was hot, dusty, and dry. The next morning we were off to Ruidoso. In Ruidoso, we boondocked in a large parking lot owned by the "Inn of the Mountain Gods". The parking lot is located at the old Casino, which is now called the Hunting Lodge. It is located about 1 mile south of the new Casino. They do offer RV spots with hookups for $25 per night, but we opted for the free "open" camping in the parking lot. We chose a quiet place in the back, away from the highway. Except for 1 night, we were the only vehicle in the parking lot. We spent 4 nights there. Days we spent exploring Ruidoso. See picture 1.

From Ruidoso, we headed for Sedona. It was a 3 day drive to Sedona, so we spent the first night in Pie Town, NM. There is free camping in Jackson Park, the town's mostly neglected park facility. It's more a maze of roads surrounding a baseball diamond. Just find a spot which suits you and settle in. There were about a dozen other campers sharing the park, but they were so dispersed that we were almost unaware of their presence. See picture 2.

The next day we were off to Payson, Az. That night we camped at Houston Flats Campground, a National Forest campground without hookups located at the north end of the town of Payson. It is a nice campground, but for $16 per night ($8 for Golden Age Pass) it should have hookups included. Sorry, no picture is included.

In Sedona, we had to try 3 different locations from my list before we found a site where boondocking is still allowed. Things are changing as Sedona is discovered by more and more people and the National Forest has implemented a lot of restrictions including restrictions on boondocking to preserve the National Forest. We were able to find a good quiet free spot off 89A on a NF road located about half way to Cottonwood. There was only one other RV boondocking in the area and he was about 1/4 mile closer to the highway. The first picture of Sedona is the sunset the night we arrived. To our delight and surprise, the next morning we awoke to discover we were in the middle of an area used by some commercial hot air balloons to land. Four balloons landed within 1/4 mile of us. With a fresh cup of coffee in hand we went out to enjoy and watch the proceedings! We spent 4 nights here, and each morning we would awake to another round of balloon landings. Days we spend exploring Jerome, Cottonwood, and Sedona.
More to follow.